About one in five pregnancies ends in miscarriage. Miscarriage clinically refers to pregnancies that end before 20 weeks’ gestation. It is also referred to as spontaneous abortion (SAB) or chemical pregnancy (very early miscarriage).
The Statistics
Consider these statistics from amazingpregnancy.com:
“Almost 20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage, with the majority occurring during the first 12 weeks."
“There is a 75% chance of miscarriage in weeks 1-2 of pregnancy, when you do not know you are pregnant."
“There is a 10% chance of miscarriage in weeks 3-6 and this number drops to 5% during weeks 6-12."
“During the second trimester the chance of miscarriage drops again to 3%. After you’ve reach 20 weeks’ gestation, it is no longer considered a miscarriage.”
A New Direction
Given the above statistics, it is reasonable to assume that one out of five women reading this article who have been pregnant have experienced a miscarriage. Since EmpowHER.com wishes to be a resource for all women, our goal is to reach women not only medically and physiologically by providing well researched information about symptoms, illnesses, diseases and conditions, but also emotionally.
To do this and take EmpowHER.com’s reader relationships to the next level requires getting a little personal, getting beyond disease descriptions and symptoms, and connecting more at a heart level.
Women find comfort in sharing their experiences with people who have already been where they are. Women find comfort in giving comfort to those who may not have experienced these things before. Women can connect with women in a way that men simply cannot. That’s what the new Empty Arms chat group will offer for EmpowHER.com women a forum to find support and encouragement and to offer support and encouragement to one another.
Once a week a new article will be published regarding those of us who carry the burden of having lost a child (no matter what stage of life), and while general comments will always be welcome on the main site, those of you who wish to share your more personal comments and stories can do so on the new group. It is hoped also that through sharing more topics will be raised for articles which can help other mothers deal with things where they are.
My story
Nearly four years ago, I was one of these statistics, except I was one of those who knew about the pregnancy. I was confirmed pregnant by my doctor and since I hadn’t been on birth control for over a year, suspected, but didn’t really anticipate that I would miscarry on this, my first pregnancy after stopping the birth control pill. I’d been on birth control for about seven years prior to stopping.
My pants were getting tighter. My normally stable stomach was not quite so stable. I had the “gut” instinct that it was a girl.
I went for an ultrasound at 12 weeks to confirm gestational age and the radiologist told us there was no heartbeat and that at her measurements the baby had died at a little over 11 weeks. As the news started settling in I felt like there was a huge weight pressing down on my heart, but I had a life to get on with. I didn’t really have much time for wallowing and as a naturally strong-willed person I just kept going, knowing that eventually life would allow me the opportunity to deal with it. There were moments early on when I knew I had to come to grips with this, so it dealt with my feelings when those moments came in between the other things of life.
So, the first discussion question for the Empty Arms group is: what is your story? Just the basics. We can get into the details (if you feel like sharing) in future articles, but right now, just tell us your story. If you want to share your story on the main page, fine. But the group is there for a more private support line.
Sources: Canadian Parents (www.canadianparents.com); AmazingPregnancy.com (www.amazingpregnancy.com); American Pregnancy Association (www.americanpregnancy.org)