miscarried

Miscarried is the past tense of miscarry and is used to describe a pregnancy that ends spontaneously before the fetus is viable outside the womb. In medical and common usage, the event is more often referred to as a miscarriage or spontaneous abortion, with miscarriage describing the outcome and miscarried used to describe the pregnancy as having ended in that way.

Most miscarriages occur in the first trimester. Estimates vary, but about 10 to 20 percent of recognized pregnancies end in miscarriage, with higher numbers when very early losses are included. The exact cause is often unknown. The most common factor is fetal chromosomal abnormalities. Other contributors can include advanced maternal age, uterine or cervical abnormalities, chronic diseases, infections, hormonal disorders, pregnancy-related conditions, and, to a lesser extent, lifestyle factors such as smoking or heavy alcohol use.

Symptoms frequently include vaginal bleeding and abdominal cramps; some pregnancies end with tissue passage. Seek medical care for heavy bleeding, severe pain, fever, or foul-smelling discharge. Diagnosis typically involves ultrasound and serial measurements of the pregnancy hormone hCG to assess progression or decline.

Management depends on the situation and may include expectant management (waiting for passage), medical treatment with misoprostol, or surgical intervention such as dilation and curettage. Recovery time and emotional impact vary; most people go on to have healthy pregnancies in the future. The risk of recurrence exists but is relatively low after a single miscarriage.