One in five pregnancies end in miscarriage and most of the time the cause is not found.
New surveys show that most people are misinformed about how common miscarriages are and what causes them. Even though miscarriage appears to be the most common complication of pregnancy, is a traditionally taboo subject that is rarely discussed publicly. Perhaps that is the reason that myths about miscarriage persist. One in five pregnancies end in miscarriage and most of the time the cause is not found. But that doesn’t stop couples from wondering if there was something they did or shouldn’t have done that might have hurt their baby.
Read on to learn about the most common miscarriage myths and the truth about pregnancy loss.
1. If you’ve had one miscarriage, you’ll likely have another
After one miscarriage, your risk of miscarriage is the same as that of a woman who’s never had a miscarriage. However, after having two miscarriages, the risk of experiencing another pregnancy loss does increase — to 20 percent. After three miscarriages, that number rises to 30 percent, and after four, the risk goes up to 40 percent. But still, even if you’ve had four pregnancy losses, there’s a 60 percent chance that you can give birth to a healthy baby the next time you get pregnant.
2. Being frightened can hurt your baby
Events like a loud noise, a near accident or watching a horror movie will not give your baby a heart attack. Just because it scares you it doesn’t mean the baby even noticed. Even if baby jumps when hearing something loud, this is just a startle reflex and actually a healthy sign that he or she is developing normally.
3. Lifting a heavy object can cause a miscarriage
Lifting heavy objects is not a miscarriage factor since your body will not be able to lift anything that cannot afford but either way a good advice that will save you many aches and pains is to pick up anything heavy by squatting and lifting with your legs, not bending over and lifting with your back.
4. Miscarriage is caused by emotional stress
It’s not rare for women to experience traumatic life events during pregnancy, however common stressors such as a hectic job or a death in the family are not causes of miscarriage. As a strong case in point, in Israel it was found a 2 percent difference in the miscarriage rate between women living in a town under constant threat of rocket attack and women in a nearby town that was not under frequent attack. That’s barely a difference.
5. Exercising during pregnancy can increase the chances of a miscarriage
Moderate exercise is actually something that helps you and the baby. There are some rules, however. In fact, it was found that women who exercised throughout pregnancy actually had a 40 percent lower chance of having a miscarriage. However, it is advisable not to get your heart rate above 140 (still not a miscarriage factor, but does start to reduce the amount of oxygen to the baby) or work until you feel faint or exhausted.
6. It’s mother’s fault
It is very common for women who experience miscarriage to blame themselves. They shouldn’t. The majority of miscarriages are caused by abnormal numbers of chromosomes in the fetus or medical complications relating to hormonal imbalances. Most of these things are beyond anyone’s control and can happen to anyone. In general, minor day-to-day experiences don’t have an effect on whether a pregnancy is successful or not, doctors say.
Are you aware of other faulty beliefs about bad pregnancy outcomes?
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