What should you know about early missed miscarriage signs?

In a missed miscarriage, the pregnancy has stopped developing but the body has not yet passed the pregnancy tissue. There may be no bleeding or cramps. Some people notice that nausea, breast tenderness or tiredness changes, while others continue to feel pregnant. Those changes are not reliable enough to diagnose a loss. A scan is usually needed, and the clinician may recommend repeat imaging when the dates or findings are uncertain.

A confirmed loss is not caused by ordinary activity, emotions or something you did wrong. Your clinician can explain what the scan shows and give you time to consider the available approaches.

Arrange pregnancy follow-up if symptoms change or you are worried, but do not wait for bleeding to start before asking for advice. Take a trusted person with you if that feels helpful and write down questions before the appointment. After confirmation, options may include waiting for the body to pass the tissue, medical management or surgical management. The choice depends on your symptoms, examination, scan findings and preferences.

Seek urgent help for heavy bleeding, fainting, severe dizziness, intense or one-sided pain, shoulder-tip pain, fever or feeling acutely unwell. These symptoms can signal significant blood loss, infection or an ectopic pregnancy. If you have a positive pregnancy test with pain or bleeding, seek advice even if the symptoms are not severe.

How was the diagnosis confirmed? Is repeat scanning needed? What are the advantages and possible drawbacks of waiting, medicines or a procedure for me? How will you check that the miscarriage is complete? Who can support me emotionally after this experience?