About us   |   Resources   |   Contact us   |   Home
 
  Why Loss Happens The Emotional Toll Prevention Helping Others In the News  
 

Miscarriage Estimates

After miscarriage, few women receive testing to look for a cause of loss. With no answers, many lose future pregnancies to disorders that were never diagnosed, never treated. The question is: Just how many pregnancies are lost to treatable disorders?

There is no definitive answer for this critical question. But an estimate can be derived from two key insights. First, the conventional wisdom that 50% of miscarriages are caused by chromosome abnormalities. That means that the other half succumbed to other causes- many of which are treatable. Second, in a study of women who suffered at least one chromosomally normal loss, 60% were diagnosed with a treatable medical condition when a thorough evaluation was administered.

Over 700,000 Women Lose Pregnancies To
Treatable Disorders Each Year

Estimated Pregnancies Lost To Treatable Disorders

Pregnancies And Their Outcomes
  2000 1999 1998 1997 1996
All Pregnancies
7,875,000 7,714,000 7,676,000 7,606,000 7,646,000
Live Births 1, 2 4,125,000 4,013,000 3,987,000 3,921,000 3,927,000
Induced Abortions 1, 2 1,333,000 1,333,000 1,333,000 1,350,000 1,372,000
Pregnancy Losses 3 2,417,000 2,368,000 2,356,000 2,335,000 2,347,000
Chromosomally Normal Losses (50% of pregnancy losses)
Normal Losses 1,209,000 1,184,000 1,178,000 1,168,000 1,174,000
Chromosomally Normal Losses With Treatable Disorders
(60% of Chromosomally Normal Losses)
Treatable Losses 4 725,000 710,000 707,000 701,000 704,000
 
  1995 1994 1993 1992 1991
All Pregnancies
7,649,000 7,817,000 7,986,000 8,129,000 8,172,000
Live Births 1, 2 3,932,000 3,985,000 4,031,000 4,095,000 4,110,000
Induced Abortions 1, 2 1,369,000 1,433,000 1,504,000 1,539,000 1,554,000
Pregnancy Losses 3 2,348,000 2,399,000 2,451,000 2,495,000 2,508,000
Chromosomally Normal Losses (50% of pregnancy losses)
Normal Losses 1,174,000 1,200,000 1,226,000 1,248,000 1,254,000
Chromosomally Normal Losses With Treatable Disorders
(60% of Chromosomally Normal Losses)
Treatable Losses 4 704,000 720,000 736,000 749,000 752,000

Sources

  1. National Vital Statistics Report Volume 52, #23, estimated Pregnancy Rates for the US, 1990-2000: An Update
  2. US 2000 Census
  3. Wilcox AJ, Weinberg CR, O’Connor JF, Baird DD, Schlatterer JP, Canfield RE, Armstrong EG, Nisula BC. Incidence of Early Pregnancy Loss. The New England Journal of Medicine July 28, 1988
  4. Stephenson MD. Frequency of Factors Associated with Habitual Abortion in 197 Couples. Fertility and Sterility 1996; July Vol 66:24-29

 

 

Over two million families will lose a pregnancy this year. Nearly one third of these losses were caused by treatable conditions that were never diagnosed. Protect future pregnancies by asking for diagnostic testing after loss.

 

 

    
         
© PreventPregnancyLoss.org All rights reserved Legal Disclaimer Site by Phil Communications