Pregnancy FAQs
Miscarriages
How often do women have miscarriages?
Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the natural or spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving, usually before the 20th week of pregnancy.
Determining the prevalence (the total number) of miscarriages is difficult. Many miscarriages happen very early in the pregnancy, before a woman may know she is pregnant which means medical statistics on miscarriage miss many cases.
Spontaneous abortion occurs in approximately 15% to 25% of clinically recognized pregnancies and perhaps closer to 50% of all conceptions. (Clinical Practice Guidelines for Nurses in Primary Care, Health Canada, last modified 2005-03-17)
