Why is the risk of miscarriage higher in the 1st trimester?

About 80% of miscarriages occur in the 1st trimester. These rates can vary across women, but know that the odds of having a miscarriage get lower as your pregnancy progresses. You can even miscarry without knowing you’re pregnant, and once an ultrasound detects a healthy heartbeat, your risk of miscarriage is already much lower. Fetuses are incredibly vulnerable early on in their development, so many external factors, like age, smoking, drug use, hormonal disorders + chronic health conditions can have the most damaging effects at this time. This is why most miscarriages occur early in pregnancy.

Take some comfort in knowing that most pregnancy loss is often due to factors outside of your control. Early in pregnancy, genetic issues and chromosomal abnormalities can play a major role. While loss is heartbreaking no matter what, such issues can often mean the baby could not have survived outside the womb. Even if you miscarry, know that you can go onto have many more healthy pregnancies in the future.