Here's When Miscarriage Risk Decreases

Nothing tempers the joy of pregnancy like that nagging voice in your head wondering if it will end in miscarriage. Regardless of whether or not you have ever experienced pregnancy loss, the fear is real and acute for many women. One common question expectant mothers have is, "When are miscarriages less common in pregnancy?" Every mom wants to know when she can consider her pregnancy to be in the clear.

According to Deena Blumenfeld, doula and owner of Shining Light Prenatal Education in Pittsburgh, miscarriage is the medical term for pregnancy loss before 20 weeks gestation, after which it is called stillbirth. About 10 to 20 percent of all mothers who know they are pregnant will miscarry due to placental abnormalities, genetic conditions of the baby, and certain preexisting health issues of the woman. The percentage of miscarriages before women realize they are pregnant is even higher.

But the good news, Blumenfeld tells Romper in an exclusive interview, is that every week a mother is pregnant, her risk of miscarriage decreases. She explains, "miscarriage is most common in the first trimester when everything is still developing with the baby. The first trimester ends on the last day of the 12th week, with the second trimester starting at week 13." So although there are unfortunately no guarantees, once you hit the first day of week 13, your statistical odds of miscarriage are no longer something to lose sleep over.

Miscarriage is never a mother's fault and can be a source of deep grief in her life, so it's natural that many of us expend a lot of anxiety wondering whether or not it will happen. But when you're pregnant, you deserve to relish the excitement without giving heed to those fears. Each day that passes is one day closer to holding a baby in your arms. Celebrate every little milestone as it comes, and hey, maybe even bust out the sparkling cider on the first day of week 13.