Types of miscarriages

Early miscarriage

Early miscarriage is when a pregnancy is lost in the first 3 months (first trimester) of pregnancy. This is the most common type of miscarriage.

Late miscarriage 

Late miscarriage is when a pregnancy is lost after 12 weeks (first trimester) but before 24 weeks. About 1–2% of pregnancies end in a late miscarriage.

Stillbirth

Stillbirth is the loss of a pregnancy after 24 weeks. It happens in approximately 0.5% of births in England.

Complete miscarriage

A complete miscarriage is when the pregnancy tissues comes away from your womb completely and there is no need for medical intervention.

Incomplete miscarriage

An incomplete miscarriage is when a miscarriage begins, but not all of the pregnancy come away. Find out about the signs of an incomplete miscarriageand how this type of miscarriage will be managed.

Missed miscarriage (also known as a silent or delayed miscarriage)

Sometimes, women don’t have any symptoms of a miscarriage, but it will be diagnosed during a routine ultrasound scan during your antenatal care. This is called a missed or delayed miscarriage.

Chemical pregnancy

A chemical pregnancy is when a pregnancy ends in miscarriage before 5 weeks of pregnancy. The pregnancy may be confirmed by a blood test or a home pregnancy test but is not yet visible on an ultrasound scan. Learn more about chemical pregnancy.

Molar pregnancy

A molar pregnancy is when a fetus doesn’t form properly in the womb. It is a very rare complication of pregnancy. Find out more about molar pregnancy.

Recurrent miscarriage

Recurrent miscarriage is when a miscarriage happens 3 or more times in a row. This is very rare, affecting 1% of couples.

Ectopic pregnancy

Ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy where the baby develops outside the uterus, usually in one of the fallopian tubes. This happens in approximately 1% of pregnancies.