Caring for a patient who has experienced early pregnancy loss

Early pregnancy loss may be defined as a loss within the first 12 completed weeks of pregnancy.¹ Miscarriage is defined as the spontaneous loss of pregnancy before fetal viability. This term includes all pregnancy losses from conception until 24 weeks' gestation.² Spontaneous miscarriages can occur in up to half of pregnancies before the first missed menstrual period, 10–20% of diagnosed pregnancies may result in early pregnancy loss.³ Early pregnancy loss accounts for over 50,000 admissions per year in the UK.⁴

Recurrent miscarriage refers to the loss of three or more pregnancies. Recurrent miscarriage may affect 1% of women.² After three consecutive miscarriages, the risk of further miscarriage is approximately 40%. A woman may experience recurrent miscarriage after a successful pregnancy.