Miscarriage - Berwyn,IL

Sadly I have a lot of experience with miscarriages as I've had 4 of them. 3 of the 4 were around 6 weeks and the other one was at 9 weeks. Bleeding was the first sign for all of them. I may have had some light cramping but I also had cramping with my 2 healthy pregnancies so the bleeding was really the first sign that things weren't going to work. With all of them I went to my doctor within a day or two but never the ER.
Hope this helps.

I had a miscarriage about 5 weeks ago; i was 10 weeks. I was scheduled for a d&c but miscarried the night before, and it was a lot like childbirth in that the cramps came in waves and there were breaks in between. It was fairly painful but after the d&c I didn't have any pain at all so I was glad it happened as it did.

I have had two losses, but since mine were a little later on (12 and 14 weeks) I had no bleeding or cramping. The 12 week loss was discovered at the office, I was able to wait three weeks to see if it would happen on its own, but when it didn't I had to have a D&C. I would say if you are having cramping and/or bleeding to let your doctor know right away. There should be no reason to go to the ER unless your doctor is unavailable, the pain is unbearable, or the bleeding is severe. In my profession I have dealt with many women experiencing miscarriage, and the presentation of symptoms can vary greatly. But I would say it often starts with milder cramps and bleeding, and both progress in severity until the pregnancy is passed. At the peak of cramping (for the women that get that far on their own; i.e. don't have a D&C first) most women consider it to feel like intense menstrual cramps, and it is strong enough for many women to request/take something for the pain. It often goes -- the further along you are the more cramping and bleeding you are likely to experience. And even if you think you have passed the entire pregnancy on your own, it is still important to follow-up with your doctor to make sure. Sometimes tissue can still be left inside and cause excessive bleeding and/or infection.
If you are experiencing a miscarriage, I am sorry for your loss. It can be a very difficult time. Please seek support if you need it.

i did not have any cramping with my miscarriage, until after the DNE. the only way that i found out i had a miscarriage is i happened to have an ultrasound scheduled and baby did not have a heartbeat or a fetal pull.

Mine was at 10 weeks, and I really didn't cramp at all. The bleeding was, of course, very heavy for several days, but no cramping. My doc saw me when I first began spotting, and they did an ultrasound to discover the miscarriage. At that point, he had me follow up with their OB specialist (I go to a family practitioner), and then we decided to just let nature take its course. Since I was already spotting, we didn't figure I needed a D&C or anything, and I didn't. Hope this helps--it's an awful time, and my heart goes out to you or whoever you're asking for. Ours was 3 years ago, and we now have a wonderful, healthy 9 m-o girl, but we still grieve at times for the one we lost.

I ended up miscarring at 13 weeks with my very first pregnancy. Actually went to the doctor because I had some light bleeding and found out the baby had died. I had no idea. She scheduled me for a DnC the following day. That night my water actually broke and I started having contractions.

I had really bad cramps in the first trimester until about 12 weeks and did not miscarry. I think bleeding is a more common sign of miscarriage. You can have cramping without miscarriage as far as what I have experienced.

I've had two early on (6 weeks and 8 weeks). I had no cramping or other symptoms with either. I just noticed some light bleeding when I used the bathroom, and later they each were expelled completely. I had a D&C with the first one, but not the second. I'm not sure why the doctor made that decision. But I did go in and see the doctor with both.

Hi Diane,

I have had two. The first was at 12 weeks and it was quite severe cramping and very heavy bleeding. Sorry for the TMI but I really saw what was leaving my body and it was quite scary but felt like a terrible terrible period. The second was at 7 weeks and felt again like a terrible period and with more bloating than usual. The second time I did go to the doctor to have an ultrasound to make sure all was ok because of my prior experience and wanting to know that all had actually been miscarried so I could try to get pregnant again in a couple months when my cycle returned to normal. Good Luck to you, V

You should see your doctor. I had two miscarriages and the first I needed a d&c due to not all of the baby being expelled on its own. I found out by ultrasound and then had cramps and bleeding. The second it all expelled and they found that through an ultrasound as well. Had bleeding and cramps. The doctors need to also know and keep a record of miscarriages in case they want to pursue blood tests to determine the cause. I'm sorry for your loss. I did have some bleeding with my daughter which turned into nothing. And I know people that had cramps but no bleeding. Good luck.

I had a miscarriage my first pregnancy. Yes, I had cramping and a slightly heavier period. No I did not go, since I was out of town to the hospital or the dr until I was done bleeding. They did an internal ultrasound and found that I had lost the baby. But it all worked out in the end. I did not have any further procedure as my body did the natural thing and disposed of everything on its own. Some drs will do a procedure( DNC), some will wait it out. I do not know why they do it right away? But I did not have one, likely because my body naturally did what it was supposed to. Many women have miscarriages and do not even know it. Most women have 6 in their life time, but unless you are trying to get pregnant you do not even notice.

Here is what happened during my experience with first trimester miscarriage. At the time, I wished that someone had shared their experience with me.
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I was overseas when I miscarried at just 5 weeks. I had heavy cramping for an hour or so before I could get to a bathroom (we were on a day trip) and when I did I was bleeding heavily. I don't recall how long I bled for, but I'm thinking it was a few days. Because I was overseas I never saw a doctor, but my next pregnancy ended because it was anembryonic, so I kind of wish I had as I wondered afterward if that was because of something to do with the miscarriage. I would go see your OB/GYN.

I knew halfway through the first trimester that there would be no baby from an early ultrasound. My midwife said I should allow my body to miscarry on its own (check back if it didn't). It took about three more weeks, but at 10 weeks I started cramping. I don't recall it being more painful than one of my more uncomfortable periods, and for the most part it was over in an hour or two with some residual flow. I didn't immediately go in for an exams or procedures, but I may have been checked in a week. I hope there aren't doctors out there doing immediate D & C's for non-viable pregnancies. I believe it is usually safest and offers more closure to go through a natural process if possible.

mine wasn't bad cramping - barely anything really. just the blood tipped me off. it was early 6-8 weeks and passed it, so didn't need a dnc. just saw my doctor.

I've had quite a few miscarriages in the first trimester, and they were each a bit different. I called my doctor each time to let them know what was going on, and he or a midwife did see me within the next day or so to run bloodwork. One of them was the heavy bleeding, soaking a pad in 10 minutes. Called the doctor's office, and they had me come in right away. As long as it's not real heavy, there's not much you can do. Cramping varied, usually not more than period-like cramps but one felt like contractions though not as hard.

I'm so very sorry for your loss. Please let me know if you need to talk to someone. I'm happy to listen.

Symptoms vary with each miscarrige and each person. Luckily mine wasn't as horrible as I've heard from others. You definitely need to go see a doctor to ensure you passed everything or you are going to be at risk for an infection. The doctor & his staff will help answer any & all questions.

I miscarried my first pregnancy right around the time my period was supposed to come, so i was only a few weeks along, and wasn't even aware that I was pregnant. But the cramping was HORRIBLE. It happened in the middle of the night, and i was just thinking that it was bad period cramps, so I didn't go to the ER. I remember being in so much pain, and bleeding heavily, and having hot flashes, sweating, to a point that I got into a cold shower. I felt faint a few times, but eventually after a couple of hours everything kind of subsided enough for me to lay down and rest. The next morning, I called the doctor, and went in the same day. They took a pregnancy test that showed positive, and she told me that I was miscarrying. Because it was so early in my pregnancy, it wasn't necessary to get a D&C.
I hope these symptoms are nothing you are experiencing.
Good Luck.

I had a misscarriage during my firsr trimester. I had bad cramping for about one hour, just very uncomfortable, not bad enough to go to the ER. After that I bled for a week, just like I was having my period. I was not far enough along to need any further medical attention. My doctor said, I just had to wait it out.

When I miscarried with my first child at first I noticed a light bleeding. Then later in the evening I noticed more. I went to have a shower and normally you don't bleed while in water, but I did. The cramps got quite bad and I knew something was wrong. I did notice larger clots while in the shower.
I went in to see my OBGYN and he told me yes, you have miscarried. He made an app't for me to go in for a D and C. Once this was done I was fine, my periods returned to normal. I waited for a while before trying again, I was just to upset over the loss. Within a 2yr period I became pregnant again and carried full term.

I had one very bad cramp around five weeks, followed by bleeding throughout the next week. My OB had me come in for a vaginal ultrasound, everything appeared normal, but it was so small, it was hard to tell. I was pretty sure they knew something was wrong, but wanted to wait it out. They scheduled me for another ultrasound the next week. That one did not show what they wanted, but they adopted a "let's-wait-and-see" approach, which was fine. I had many doubts, but a twinge of hope. I then had severe bleeding like a heavy period, but it still didn't pass. Another ultrasound showed it was in there still, and still growing, though there was no baby. They think it stopped developing normally around the time of that first big cramp I had. My OB wanted to give it a little more time to pass on its own. After two more weeks, I wanted to get it out, so my body could return back to normal as soon as possible, so we could start trying again. And the daily waiting for it to pass, "Will it be today?" was actually quite stressful and frustrating. I had stopped cramping and bleeding entirely, and I was afraid it would be one of those times you hear about where it doesn't come out - I didn't want to be a special on TLC! ;) So I decided to have the D&C. By the time I had the procedure, I would have been 10 weeks.