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Yesterday we learned the sad news that Michelle Duggar had a miscarriage with her 20th child. The reality show mom and star of TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting, suffered a second trimester miscarriage late last week.
Losing a pregnancy is devastating -- whether it's your first or your 20th. And second trimester miscarriage such as Michelle’s -- when you often have shared the news with family and friends (and, in this case, the entire nation) is particularly heart-breaking. Michelle and her husband, Jim Bob, had gone to the doctor expecting to learn the sex of their 20th child. Instead, they learned that the baby’s heart wasn’t beating.
A miscarriage is a pregnancy loss that occurs before 20 weeks. While 10 to 15% of all confirmed pregnancies end in miscarriage, only about 1 to 5% occur in the second trimester, between 13 and 19 weeks of pregnancy, according to the March of Dimes. Some occur because of structural problems with the uterus or cervix. An “incompetent cervix,” which is often not diagnosed until after a pregnancy loss, can dilate prematurely, causing a miscarriage. Later miscarriages, like those that occur in the first trimester, can also be caused by chromosomal abnormalities, infection or maternal health problems. Often, a second trimester miscarriage is actually the loss of a baby that stopped developing in utero weeks earlier.
Michelle probably knew that her risk of miscarriage was high. Miscarriages are more common in older moms, because they have older eggs that are more likely to have chromosomal abnormalities. The risk of miscarriage is only about 10% for a woman in her twenties. By the time a woman is 35, the risk of miscarriage is 20%. At age 45 -- Michelle’s age -- the risk of miscarriage may be as high as 50%.
Most miscarriages are not preventable. But there are some steps you can take to decrease the risk of miscarriage. You can increase your odds of a healthy, full-term pregnancy if you:
Stop smoking. A 2010 study showed the heavy smokers are twice as likely to miscarry as non-smokers.
Don’t drink alcohol. The more you drink, the greater your risk of miscarriage. While some studies show that a glass or two of wine here and there may not be harmful, large studies show that moderate to heavy drinking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.
Take a multi-vitamin with folic acid. Folic acid decreases neural tube defects, which can cause miscarriage.
Manage any chronic health conditions. Diabetes, thyroid disease and lupus can increase the risk of miscarriage. But if your condition is well-controlled, your odds of having a healthy pregnancy are just about the same as any woman’s. Work with your doctor to correct and control any pre-existing health problems.
If you do suffer a miscarriage, take the time you need to grieve the loss of your baby and your hopes and dreams. The support of other women who know what you’re going through can be helpful. Visit our Pregnancy Loss discussion board if you need some compassionate understanding.
Plus, watch iVillage 5 featuring The Duggars:
