Miscarriage can be a devastating thing. Losing a child during pregnancy, no matter how far long you were, can create a ripple effect of grief. It can be even worse if you aren’t certain what is happening – such as if you have a miscarriage without bleeding. Since bleeding is one of the most typical ways to know that something is wrong, it can be tough to understand what is happening to your body when there is no bleeding to alert you.

Can You Have Miscarriage Without Bleeding?

Unfortunately, yes – you can have a miscarriage without bleeding or cramping. Sometimes a woman will go to the doctor’s office expecting good news, only to be told that she has already miscarried her child, but she just hasn’t shown any symptoms yet. This can be a truly devastating way to lose a pregnancy.

When you have a miscarriage without bleeding, it is known as a “missed miscarriage.” Sometimes you will have what appears to be a miscarriage, but it was really what is known as a ‘blighted ovum.’

A miscarriage without bleeding isn’t all that common – most women do have bleeding and cramping during a miscarriage. For those women who don’t, your doctor might suggest medications to help your body push out the remaining products of conception. You might also have an outpatient operation, known as a D&C or a D&E, in which your doctor will empty out your uterus after a miscarriage has been confirmed.

Missed Midcarriage

A missed miscarriage usually happens when something goes very wrong at the beginning of a pregnancy; it is often caused by a chromosomal defect in the baby. Your body might be telling you that you are pregnant, because you are dealing with hormone levels that are still in the higher range – but your baby has already passed away. This missed miscarriage is usually found during an ultrasound or at a routine visit, when the doctor can’t find a heartbeat. For most women, a missed miscarriage happens early on during the pregnancy, usually well before twelve weeks.

Blighted Ovum

In the case of a blighted ovum, there was actually no baby at all. Instead, your body created an embryo, and it attached to the uterine wall, and even formed a placental sac. But the embryo never developed beyond those first few days. However, because the sac was there, your body was producing hormones that made you believe you were pregnant.

What Others Have Experienced

Knowing what others have gone through can help you understand what is happening to you, what to expect, and that you are not alone. Here’s more:

“When I went in for the first ultrasound, I was so excited! The tech kept asking me if I had been spotting or cramping at all, and of course I hadn’t, because I would have rushed to the hospital immediately. I finally demanded to know what was wrong, and that’s when the doctor came in and showed me the ultrasound screen – there was no heartbeat. I was really angry and upset, and demanded a second opinion. He sent me to another doctor immediately, and they confirmed it. I was in complete shock.”

“I was at fifteen weeks when the nurse didn’t find a heartbeat. I was sent for an ultrasound, but I don’t think I really believed I was miscarrying. Even when I saw it on the screen, it didn’t feel real. But when the doctor told me I had to have surgery, I broke down. I had been carrying the baby for over a month after it died and I didn’t have a single moment of spotting!”

“This happened to me when I was eleven weeks along. My pregnancy symptoms had decreased a bit, but nothing out of the ordinary, or so I thought. I didn’t even know a miscarriage without bleeding was possible, so when the doctor told me, I laughed at him. I thought he was wrong.”

“My baby died at six weeks, but nobody knew it until my ultrasound at 12 weeks. They could tell that was when he stopped growing by the size he was during the ultrasound. I was shocked because there was no spotting at all.”

“When I went in for the surgery, I cried the whole time. My whole world was caving in. Even though I knew there was no heartbeat, I felt as though I was killing my baby. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s how I felt. It took a long time for me to come to terms with the fact that my baby really was gone.”

“I had to have a D&C after my missed miscarriage. The procedure wasn’t that bad. I was asleep for it, and when I woke up, I didn’t really hurt at all. Just regular cramps, like a period, and bleeding like that, too.”

HERE are more ways to take care of yourself after a miscarriage.

How Can You Avoid a Miscarriage?

In most cases, it is impossible to avoid a miscarriage. Most miscarriages occur because of some sort of chromosomal or genetic defect with the child, or with some other problem with the embryo that doesn’t allow it to develop properly. However, there are some miscarriages that might be brought on by other things, such as environmental factors. To reduce your risks, make sure to do the following:

 To learn more about miscarriage without bleeding and what you can do possibly prevent it, check out the links below:

http://www.newkidscenter.com/How-to-Prevent-a-Miscarriage.html

http://www.newkidscenter.com/Miscarriage-Causes.html