The Tragedy of Pregnancy Loss

Whether you lost a pregnancy at six weeks or six months, loss feels devastating. Women are anxious after loss. Many are depressed. Most wonder if it was somehow their fault. Much of this angst could be lessened with real answers- diagnostic tests to uncover medical explanations for loss. But doctors aren’t required to test for causes of miscarriage. The result? An estimated 700,000 pregnancies are lost every year to treatable but undetected disorders. Many of these losses could have been prevented with diagnosis and treatment. But they weren’t.

Medical Guidelines Discourage Testing After Miscarriage

The latest medical guideline from ACOG, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, suggests no testing for causes of loss until two or more consecutive miscarriages¹. Doctors apply this guideline differently. Some physicians test patients after the second pregnancy loss. Others may never suggest testing, despite three, four, or even five losses.

Physicians assume that miscarriage was caused by chromosome abnormalities. They’re often correct. At least half of all losses are caused by chromosome irregularities, but by definition, that means that the other half, are not. The chance that a woman’s loss was caused by chromosome abnormalities depends on her age and the pregnancy’s time of demise, two factors that should be weighed before assuming that no medical problem exists.

Why PreventPregnancyLoss Exists

Families deserve real answers, not just assumptions. Babies would be saved if medical standards required testing after any suspicious loss. But they don’t. Most doctors don’t suggest testing after miscarriage, and in the moments of shock and disbelief that surround loss, families don’t know to ask. We exist so that families will know.