How common are missed miscarriages?

[Cafeaulait27]

Hi everyone, I’m 8 weeks with my third pregnancy, I had a miscarriage with my first at 9 weeks in October. The baby stopped growing at 7 weeks and I’d been spotting since then, I went for a scan at 8 weeks which confirmed it, and I miscarried naturally at home a few days later which was the worst experience of my life as I’m sure many of you are familiar with. In November I had another very early mc / chemical.

I haven’t had an early scan this time, with my first I had a private scan which showed a HB but baby measuring small and I miscarried a few weeks later despite sonographers saying the size was nothing to worry about. I’m scared to have an early scan this time, particularly a private one, so I thought I might ask if I could have an EPU one at my booking appointment although I’m expecting they’ll say no due to covid.

I have very mixed feelings about having one as I’m not bleeding, and I’m leaning towards just waiting for the 12 week scan. But I wondered if anyone knows how common missed miscarriages are? I’m absolutely terrified of going and finding that baby has died, or was maybe even an empty sac all along.

I’ve struggled to find stats for missed miscarriages online, so just wondered if anyone knew or could offer any reassurance at all.

Thanks xx

I am so very sorry for what you are going through @Cafeaulait27. I think that sadly they are very common. I had one in July.
If this keeps happening then I would recommend asking for a hysteroscopy. I had this on the nhs when they surgically managed my miscarriage. It involves going in with a camera. This showed in my case a fibroid that was knocking any fertilised eggs out of place and was making pregnancies impossible. The large fibroid did not show in scans. They cut it out there and then and I got pregnant again 6 weeks later. I’m not saying that this is a one size fits all answer, but it might be worth it.
Whatever the answer for you... I hope you have success soon.

Praying this current pregnancy lasts for you OP.

Only info I can find states around 3% of recognised pregnancies end in missed miscarriage. Most pregnancies that make it to the dating scan are viable and the risks of mc after that are quite low. Good luck

I know how terrifying pregnancy after mc is. I'm on pregnancy 10 (only countin ones over 7wk) had children from pregnancies 1, 4, 6, 7 and currently 16+2wk. Not even counted how many chemicals I've had but lots. I worry constantly with this one, dating scan showed a very active baby but as movements are few and far between it's really hard to relax. I have booked a private scan for Saturday as I didn't want to wait 7 weeks to my anomaly scan.
I decided against an early private scan this time as I had one in my last pregnancy. Scan showed hb at 8+3 but baby a little behind dates, I'd been bitten by a tick the same weekend and mc baby at 9+3 (spotting started 3 days earlier). I'm glad I waited for the dating scan this time.

Thank you @LittleTiger007 I hadn’t heard of fibroids causing this kind of problem, thank you for letting me know. How are things going for you now?

I hope you don’t mind me asking but - did you find out about your mmc at your 12 week scan? Had you had any bleeding beforehand?

Thank you

Honestly I don't know OP, but I do know how stressful it is to be waiting.

I had a missed miscarriage a few years ago but it wasn't entirely symptomless - basically I had bleeding early on, had a scan, all was well and they could see a heartbeat and they said that was a reassuring sign. Then I had very heavy bleeding with clots, was sure I had already miscarried, they scanned again and somehow there was still a heartbeat, but they said they'd do a follow up scan in a week's time. The bleeding had stopped in between so I was hopeful but at that point there was no heartbeat, hadn't been for a few days, and I had an ERCP.

Everything I read about miscarriage stats was unclear: the main thing I know is that the likelihood goes down considerably once you see a heartbeat, though in the end I still had one. But it varies depending on age and so many other factors. Miscarriages are very common, I don't think missed miscarriages at the 12 week scan are that common, especially with no symptoms and you say yourself you actually did have some spotting.

I went on to have another healthy pregnancy but I did pay for two private scans because like you I couldn't handle the thought of thinking all was well when it wasn't. It was only meant to be one scan then my symptoms went away and I freaked out and wanted to check. The worry passed quite soon into the second trimester but I was really stressed all through the first.

You won't find good stats that track onto your own particular situation, I think you just have to do what you can to reassure yourself. What are your concerns about an early scan?

I had three missed miscarriages, but I don't personally know anyone else that had one. I do know friends had miscarriages but not missed ones. I don't think they are that common in comparison.

@Cafeaulait27 I am currently at 29 weeks and all is going well. I sadly did find out at the 12 weeks scan. I had a tiny bit of bleeding in about week 6 which 8 had out down to implantation. That’s all I had and it can be totally normal.
It’s natural to worry before that first scan. I’m sure most times that all is well. You’re bound to worry but try not to as there’s nothing you can do. Try to stay calm and I hope and pray that your scan goes well. I don’t recommend d a private scan. I had one at week 10 this time around and they just worried me more as they couldn’t find the baby. 😩 I should have waited.
Hang in there op.

I'm so sorry - MC is so tough mentally and I don't think there's a right answer here.

MC is common sadly. However, finding a missed miscarriage at 12wk scan is far less common. If you look at miscarriage odds the chance of MC at or after 12 weeks is around 1-2%. That is still an awful lot of people but far from common. That number includes MMC and spontaneous MC so the MMC number will be a little lower.

A lot of women will discover a MMC earlier than 12 weeks as well if they have earlier scans so you will see more women referring to MMC than those odds would suggest.

I can't advise you on what to do I'm afraid. I had a similar experience to you where baby had a HB but measured small at 8wks and I was told it was fine but then they died at 9 weeks with no signs. It really messes with your head. This PG I did have NHS scans at 7 and 9 wks (was on progesterone for recurrent loss) and it helped a bit that baby measured where they should. But I never really get reassurance from scans - I'm now 35 weeks and saw my baby on Monday measuring exactly on the midline on the growth chart and I was still awake half the night scared something will happen to him before he's born. If I hadn't had NHS scans I think I would've done one privately - it's such a long time to wait to see anything at all.

I think they are more common than we liked to think. Once I had mine... so many people open end up to me that they had had miscarriages and missed miscarriages, including my mum. Having said that. She had one miscarriage and three healthy pregnancies. I had one miscarriage and now a healthy pregnancy.
There’s no reason not to believe that this time all will be well op.

It's just chance, but you've ever chance of this being your lucky time !

I had a miscarriage started with bleeding at 10 weeks, but the baby / foetus stopped growing at 5 weeks 5 days they said when I wa scanned. My friend had her 12 weeks scan to find it has stopped at 6 weeks, she said she went to the toilet afterwards crying and had just started bleeding. Bodies are strange. It's heartbreaking.

@heydoggie thank you, and sorry you went through all that but glad to hear you had a successful pregnancy in the end.

I just feel a bit scared of having one, I think it’s the thought of paying to get bad news or being given false hope.

I felt with my first pregnancy they should’ve given it to me straight that a baby measuring small doesn’t look good - but I felt they were a bit over reassuring.

I think also now I’m just a bit traumatised, and am enjoying the whole ‘ignorance is bliss’ of not knowing in a way. As I haven’t bled this time around, I keep telling myself that chances are it’s ok, although I know mmc can happen which I am worried about.

I think I will talk about my concerns at my booking appointment next week, and see if they suggest a scan or not xx

@plixy I’m so sorry 💔 how are things going for you now? Xx

@BlueberryPancake21 sorry for what you went through but so glad to hear things are going well for you this time. The first 12 weeks are really long and hard! I’m also on progesterone this time and aspirin, I had the progesterone prescribed privately as I haven’t had enough losses to get referred but I have now got an nhs prescription which is great. I am hopeful that it is helping - I haven’t bled yet so I’m trying to cling to the positive. I think with my first pregnancy I started with brown discharge around 6 weeks and it just progressed from there over a couple of weeks. I wasn’t worried at first but once the mc happened I realised it must’ve started with the brown xx

@hellohelpfuladvice that sounds awful for both you and your friend 😔💔 how are things for you and your friend now? Did you go on to have successful pregnancies?

It is strange isn’t it. Just 3 days after my scan where a HB wasn’t found in my first pregnancy I started to properly miscarry. It was like once I’d been told my body knew to let go. We buried the baby in a pot with a shrub in the garden xxx

I'm panicked about this too, its not something I ever heard of before getting pregnant. I always thought that a miscarriage meant bleeding.

With an MMC is there no cramps, no bleeding, symptoms? I.e. everything appears fine until you go for a scan?

@Cafeaulait27 I have a little girl now, she's almost 2. It took many years and I had all the tests after the 3rd miscarriage and they found nothing wrong. So it's a miracle I ended up with her!

@Conundrum12345 yes that’s basically what it is, it’s like your body doesn’t know that the baby has died sadly 😔 how far along are you? Xx

@Cafeaulait27 thanks. I'm 6+3. I have an early scan on Tuesday so hoping its good news. I'm a worrier by nature so just hope I'm overreacting re lack of progress on symptoms I.e no MS

I think they are more common that stats show as many women now have a scan before 12 weeks and will see then that they have miscarried. However, if they had waited many would have started bleeding by this date and would have been unaware of when the baby stopped developing.

I’ve had one (second trimester) and also another miscarriage where the first I knew of it was bleeding (at 10 weeks). Miscarriages are such a worry but I don’t think they are something that focusing on stats really help with (many women never miscarry whereas others expensive several which skews the stats).

I hope all goes well with your pregnancy.

@Conundrum12345 I don’t have any sickness either, lots of women don’t. Symptoms are not a very good indicator of how things are going really so I try not to worry about it now xx

@TheCatWithTheFluffyTail so sorry for your losses and thank you xxx

I’m fraught with this right now as my 12 week scan is on Monday. Had a miscarriage in September which was very obvious in the way it started and totally completed itself with no further management, that was only at 7 weeks though.

I am completely terrified by the idea that they’ll say ‘I’m sorry....’ on Monday. I’ve had about four separate issues of tiny spotting but I think it’s actually to do with constipation and a sensitive cervix after sex. other symptoms like nausea and sore boobs have been very strong but I’ve still been too chicken to go for an earlier scan.

I think though there must be a fairly small number who make it all the way to 12 weeks and then find out the baby hasn’t progressed. I do know of two friends it’s happened to. One on the morning before her scan started bleeding and one who it was a total shock for at the actual scan.

But so many people do get early scans these days and find the baby has died and that’s recorded as a MMC, but if they hadn’t have had that scan and started bleeding naturally anyway then I guess they record that as a MC? Same as we know about chemical pregnancy as an early miscarriage now purely because of early testing whereas before it may have just been out down to a late period.

@Cafeaulait27 you should join us on this group. Most of us are in our first trimester, and are worried about upcoming scans:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/birth_clubs/4161660-pregnancy-after-loss-autumn-babies-2021

I’d love to know this statistic! I had a completely symptomless missed miscarriage diagnosed at a private scan at 9 weeks - I definitely went for early private scans in this pregnancy as the first miscarriage was anembryonic so it would have showed up very obviously on a scan that something wasn’t right and I’d rather find out sooner than later. I suspect it might not have been diagnosed until 12 week scan otherwise as I wasn’t able to have it surgically treated for another 10 days as they had to do two further nhs scans to confirmed, and nothing happened, my uterus even carried on growing at the right rate. I know it’s difficult not to worry but the early scan definitely relieved me rather than worried me.

I think I've posted on other of your threads @Cafeaulait27 but I'm also in a similar position.

I had a MMC last July and am now technically 7 + 5 but waiting for confirmation that this baby has also died, since my last scan showed minimal growth and a slow heartbeat. I'm being re-scanned on 15th and have a D&C booked in for the 17th based on the expectation that there will be no heartbeat at the next scan. Just feel totally detached now. Spent the weekend and Monday crying my eyes out and now just hoping I miscarry naturally before having to have a general anaesthetic.

Really hope things go well for you.