Earlier this week, reality TV stars Giuliana and Bill Rancic revealed that the surrogate who was nine weeks pregnant with their second child had a miscarriage.
Giuliana told People that she had had a miscarriage herself in 2010 before turning to a surrogate, Delphine. Now, that sense of loss was amplified.
�It was just heartbreaking,� Giuliana said, �I just started sobbing uncontrollably. But I had to get myself together for her. She�s really strong and amazing.�
Still, she and Bill are looking forward to the day when their 21-month-old son can have a sibling.
�Because miscarriage so common, you need to be aware that it could happen to you,� says Teresa Berg, M.D., director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. �And just because you�ve had one doesn�t mean you�re not going to have another.�
Here�s what you need to know to minimize your risk and, if needed, move forward.
Miscarriage happens more often than you think
The figure often cited is that about 15% of pregnancies end in miscarriage, which is also called �early pregnancy loss� and �spontaneous abortion.� But with the extra-sensitive, early-response pregnancy tests available these days, that number may be as high as 30% of all pregnancies, Dr. Berg says.
Miscarriage happens early in pregnancy
The definition of miscarriage is a pregnancy lost before 20 weeks, but almost all miscarriages occur before the 12-week mark, says Dr. Berg. (That�s why expecting parents are often told to wait until the second trimester to start spreading the news.) A pregnancy lost after 20 weeks is usually referred to as stillbirth.
You may not know you�ve miscarried
�You can miscarry within the first 10 days of conception and not even recognize that you�ve had a pregnancy loss,� says Dr. Berg. �You may think it�s just a period.� Bleeding is a common symptom of miscarriage, so is severe cramping. If you have either symptom and you know you�re pregnant, see a doctor or go to the emergency room to avoid two possible complications of miscarriage: hemorrhage and infection.
It�s not the mother�s fault
Most miscarriages occur because of genetic abnormalities in the embryo, Dr. Berg says. There�s really no way to predict or prevent them. They just happen.
Older women are more likely to miscarry
Miscarriages become even more common as women get older. That�s because as eggs age, the chances of genetic abnormalities increase.
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