Early Pregnancy Failure: Prior to 20 Weeks Gestation

Spontaneous abortion is a significant health risk for many women who are pregnant. Commonly referred to as a miscarriage, a spontaneous abortion is not a simple diagnosis to place upon the loss of a pregnancy.

Spontaneous abortion is actually an all-encompassing term used to describe many types of early pregnancy failures that occur prior to 20 weeks gestation. In fact, spontaneous abortion includes the loss of a pregnancy resulting from missed abortion, septic abortion, complete abortion, threatened abortion and even incomplete abortion. The type of spontaneous abortion a women experiences is determined by a healthcare professional, usually after completion of a sonogram.

Spontaneous abortion is not the term used to describe the abortion procedure in which a woman chooses to terminate a pregnancy. Instead, the various subtypes of spontaneous abortion involve involuntary loss of pregnancy, for any cause, before the 20^th week of pregnancy. While miscarriage is often the termed used, many women are now referring to their spontaneous abortion as an "early pregnancy failure".

With spontaneous abortion occurring in approximately 20 percent of all pregnancies, many women wonder why the complication even occurred, often blaming themselves. In actuality, most spontaneous abortions, without regard to the subtype, occur due to chromosomal defects that would not have made the fetus capable of further development or surviving outside of the womb.

In very rare cases, a spontaneous abortion will require no further treatment by the obstetrician; this would be indicative in a complete abortion. However, when the spontaneous abortion can not be classified as a complete abortion, a surgical procedure involving either a D & C or a surgical evacuation is necessary to ensure all remaining tissues are removed from the uterus. For many pregnant women, this procedure, while very low in health risk, causes great psychological and emotional trauma.

If you are pregnant and expecting your first child, or adding a new addition to your family, it is important to know what your risks are in terms of spontaneous abortion. With nearly 20 percent of all pregnancies ending in spontaneous abortion, women often choose to delay revealing their pregnancy to anyone until the risk of early pregnancy failure passes at the 20 week gestation mark.

If, however, you experience an early pregnancy failure, a spontaneous abortion of any subtype, it is important to seek medical attention early with your obstetrician and then begin your recovery and healing process, understanding your actions may not have caused or prevented this loss of your pregnancy.