Epidemiology

The main symptom of miscarriage is vaginal bleeding, and up to 30% of all pregnancies may end in miscarriage.[6][7][8][9][10][11] The majority of miscarriages (around 80%) occur in the first trimester.[11][12] Approximately 1% to 2% of all second trimester pregnancies miscarry before 24 weeks.[13]

In 2008, there were an estimated 6,578,000 pregnancies in the US, which resulted in 1,118,000 spontaneous fetal losses.[14] There is no reason to suspect that overall spontaneous miscarriage rates are markedly different in other parts of the world, and one prospective longitudinal population-based study in Sweden reported clinical miscarriage in 12% of reported pregnancies.[15] However, the rate of spontaneous loss of unrecognised pregnancies after implantation has been estimated at up to 31%.[11] Recurrent miscarriages affect approximately 1% of couples trying to conceive.[16]

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