Expert: Catherine Beier MS CBE - 12/31/2008

Question
I have a question about miscarriages.

I visit answers.yahoo.com sometimes.

A lot of the times I am there, I see lots of teen girls asking if they are having a miscarriage.

"I'm bleeding and I'm in pain."

I would assume if one was having a miscarriage, she should be in the hospital.

Do miscarriages really just happen, and these girls just go on their way and not think anything of it?

Answer
Kayla,


When an early miscarriage happens, there's typically little that can be done.  Sometimes if progesterone levels are low, then taking a progesterone supplement or using a cream will restore the levels enough to sustain the pregnancy.


However, this isn't true for most miscarriages. There are usually problems too severe for the pregnancy to continue.  It's estimated that a quarter of all pregnancies end in miscarriage, most before a woman even knows she is pregnant - she would just think she was a day or two late that month.


If a woman goes to the hospital suspecting a miscarriage early in pregnancy, she'll most likely be sent home and told to rest, wait, and see what happens.


I can't attest to what happens on answers.yahoo.com - I'd limit the time spent there though as the advice given is often questionable.


I also don't want to speculate that anyone who has a miscarriage "doesn't think anything of it".  It's very difficult to tell what's really happening from posts such as those.


Best,
Catherine