Before reading this article, we’d like to point out that this information can be very upsetting and even triggering for some. While many find it helpful to read up on these things and understand the terminology, this isn’t true for everyone. So don’t feel that you must continue reading if you are struggling.

What some may not know, is that there are many different types of miscarriage, all caused by different things, which is why there can be some confusion in and after doctor’s appointments. So, we thought it might be useful to go over and explain the terminology used to describe the various types of miscarriage. In part one, we covered and defined early miscarriage, late miscarriage, sporadic miscarriage, recurrent miscarriage, threatened miscarriage and inevitable miscarriage. Now, we’ll continue with exploring other types of miscarriage.

Incomplete miscarriage

If some of a pregnancy’s tissues are retained within the uterus, the miscarriage is then described as incomplete. If your doctor believes that this might be the case, they will perform an ultrasound to ascertain whether any of the placental sac or tissues have been left in the uterus cavity. If this is the case, it will likely result in heavy bleeding. If this doesn’t occur, another scan will take place and if there are still tissues present, the tissues will likely be removed by either vacuum aspiration, a D & C (dilation and curettage) or an ERPC (evacuation of retained products of conception). These procedures can be painful, so you will be given either local anaesthetic or mild pain relief and a sedative.

Complete miscarriage

If the uterus spontaneously expels all of the placental tissues, it’s referred to as a complete miscarriage. This will involve heavy bleeding, as well as the passing of blood clots and tissue. In some cases, it may be possible to see the pregnancy sac or foetus. After the uterus has emptied, the bleeding should come to a stop and the uterus will shrink to its normal size and the cervix will close up again. If your doctor suspects that the miscarriage is not fully complete, they may undertake an ultrasound scan but they will usually wait for a time to ensure no clots are mistaken for placenta tissue.

Septic miscarriage

A miscarriage that is complicated by an infection of any kind is known as a septic miscarriage. Fortunately, infections are now a rare complication, however, if you have recently miscarried and are now experiencing recurrent bleeding, develop a smelly discharge, fever or temperature or constant abdominal pain, it’s likely that your womb lining is inflamed, known medically as endometritis. This can be treated with antibiotics and the removal of retained tissues - if necessary.

Anembryonic miscarriage

This describes a pregnancy that sees the forming of a pregnancy sac containing placental tissues but no embryo. An embryonic miscarriages can only accurately be defined with an ultrasound scan. These are some of the most common miscarriages in early pregnancy.

Embryonic miscarriage

Embryonic miscarriages refer to the loss of an embryo with an active fetal heartbeat. Given that they won’t develop a heartbeat before the age of 6 weeks, an embryonic miscarriage is very unlikely to take place before this point in the pregnancy. These miscarriages are uncommon and suggest that some event occurred to bring an end to the pregnancy.

Missed miscarriage

A missed miscarriage, also known as a missed abortion, refers to the situation in which an embryo/foetus dies in the womb but no clinical signs of miscarriage follow. Some women will recognise that their pregnancy has ended because their pregnancy symptoms – fatigue, morning sickness – have ceased, but in missed miscarriages, it’s very common to miss the end of the pregnancy entirely. Doctors still aren’t entirely sure why the uterus does not always expel the embryo/foetus tissues, but it’s certainly no fault of the mother.

What are the different types of miscarriage? (Part 2)

In part two of this Unii miscarriage article, we look at anembryonic, septic, complete and missed miscarriage.