What Does And Does Not Cause Miscarriage

This article might be a hard one to read. After all, no one wants to think about miscarriages, and especially not about it happening to them. However, it's something we should all know about.

Although the numbers vary depending on who you ask, it's been said that up to half of all pregnancies end in miscarriage, with 80% of them happening during the first three months. Although most of these occur before the woman even knows she's pregnant, that doesn't make it any easier to deal with.

Much of the time, doctors don't know what caused a particular woman (or particular pregnancy) to miscarry. Most of the miscarriages that happen in the first three months are due to some sort of chromosomal abnormality. They usually occur by pure chance; there was nothing anyone could have done to cause or prevent this from happening. Other possible causes are-

• Hormonal problems
• Infection
• Irregularities in the uterus or cervix
• Other gynecological disorders such as Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
• Uncontrolled diabetes
• Thyroid disease
• Auto-immune illnesses such as lupus
• Tobacco/drug/alcohol use
• Severe kidney disease
• Certain medications, such as some acne and/or psoriasis prescriptions

There is no link whatsoever between miscarriage and moderate exercise, sex or stress. There's also no link between miscarriage and working while pregnant, provided a woman isn't exposed to radiation or toxic chemicals. In other words, you can tell your mother-in-law that your job at the restaurant or law firm isn't going to make you lose your baby, so she'll have to find something else to worry about. Trust me, it won't take long. :)

It's possible-albeit unlikely-for certain forms of food poisoning to bring on a miscarriage. Bacteria such as salmonella or toxoplasmosis may increase a woman's risk of miscarriage, but it doesn't happen often and can be avoided by simply eating only well-cooked meat and pasteurized dairy products.

Contrary to urban legend, your average klutziness or minor 'fender-benders' do not cause miscarriage. This is good news for me, as anyone who knows me can attest! Sports such as soccer or basketball where you might get hit in the abdominal area aren't likely to be harmful either. Occasionally such trauma will cause a problem in the placenta that can trigger issues later on in the pregnancy, but it's not a given. Basically, use common sense.

As you can see, the vast majority of miscarriages are caused by things that are completely out of a woman's control. Most of them happen completely at random and have no effect at all on your ability to have children in the future. This knowledge might not help much at the time, but it can help you stop kicking yourself when you don't need to.