Because every woman is different and no two pregnancies are alike, it can be very difficult to tell exactly what a miscarriage looks or feels like. If it does happen, it's important to be reassured that a miscarriage is not necessarily a sign of your ability to carry full-term in the future; many women have miscarriages and go on to have happy and healthy babies.



Determining what a miscarriage looks like depends greatly on the stage of pregnancy when it occurred, and also any abnormalities the fetus may have had. Oftentimes in the early stages of pregnancy, women report that their miscarriage was characterized by heavy bleeding and/or blood clots. Some women do not even automatically know they've had a miscarriage when they've experienced this as some bleeding can be common in pregnancy.

It's important if you've experienced this and something just doesn't feel right about it, to see a doctor as soon as possible. He will check for fetal heartbeat, or do an ultrasound or blood test to determine the health of the baby.

Other women who have had miscarriages at later stages in pregnancy report blood and a sort of grey vein sac. Sometimes this sac may have distinguishable human features, but more often that not it won't. Most of the time blood and blood clots will be present which is the body expelling the tissue from the pregnancy. In some cases not all of the tissue gets expelled, which can be detrimental to the mother, so a surgical procedure is required to clear the system. At this time the couple can also discuss with the doctor their chances of conceiving in the future.

Regardless of what stage of pregnancy it is when the miscarriage happens, it is always a painful experience. It can be difficult to talk with others about the pain your experiencing but it is very necessary for healing. While some family members may have trouble understanding the loss, especially if miscarriage occurred early on in the pregnancy, they will only want to help you in whatever way they can.

Another option to couples who have suffered this traumatic experience is counseling or a support group. Much knowledge and wisdom can be gained from talking with other couples who are going through the same thing as you. The bottom line is that the worst thing a couple can do is not talk about it; through communication comes healing, bonding and love.