What is an incomplete miscarriage? signs, causes explained

Sometimes the hardest part of a miscarriage is not knowing what is happening to your own body. If you have been given the words "incomplete miscarriage", you may be left with more questions than answers. Here is a gentle guide to what it means, what happens next and how to look after yourself.

What the term actually means

A miscarriage is the loss of a pregnancy before 24 weeks. It is called "incomplete" when the process has started, with bleeding under way and the cervix open, but some pregnancy tissue is still in the womb.

It is easy to confuse this with a missed miscarriage, but they are different. In a missed miscarriage, the baby has stopped developing, yet the cervix stays closed and there is no bleeding. With an incomplete miscarriage, the body has already begun to let go and simply has not finished.

What you might notice

The signs are similar to other types of miscarriage.

You may experience:

• Back pain
• Cramping or pain in the tummy
• Vaginal bleeding, sometimes with clots

To confirm what is happening, your care team may combine several checks, including a pelvic examination, an ultrasound scan, a blood test for the pregnancy hormone hCG and a fetal heart scan.

Why it happens

The most important thing to know is that this is rarely anyone's fault. It is believed that around half of early miscarriages are down to random genetic problems in the embryo.

Also Read: The science of timing, when you're most likely to conceive

Other factors linked with miscarriage include a previous loss, parental age, thyroid disease, uncontrolled diabetes, hormonal or immune conditions, and the shape of the womb. Smoking, alcohol and drugs are also on the list. None of this means you caused what happened.

Your options

For many people, an incomplete miscarriage runs its course without help. Health experts describe three routes:

• Waiting for the tissue to pass naturally
• Taking medication to help it along
• Or having a small surgical procedure

Which is right for you depends on your health, how far along you were and, importantly, what feels manageable emotionally.

Where possible, the choice is yours. experts note that the chance of a healthy pregnancy next time appears equally good whichever route you take. You can also change your mind. If you begin by waiting and it becomes too much, you can ask for medication or surgery instead.

Treatment matters because retained tissue can sometimes lead to heavy or prolonged bleeding, or to infection.

When to call for help

Practical self-care is part of the picture. Hospital leaflets advise using pads rather than tampons while you bleed, and avoiding sex until the bleeding has stopped.

Seek urgent help if you:

• Soak through a pad every hour for several hours
• Feel dizzy or unwell
• Have a fever
• Notice foul-smelling discharge
• Have pain that worsens despite regular paracetamol

If you have been waiting for things to resolve naturally, you may be advised to take a home pregnancy test after about three weeks. A positive result means you should contact a healthcare professional.

The part nobody can schedule: grieving

Recovery is not only physical. A miscarriage can be a real bereavement, and it may bring the emotions often described as the stages of grief: denial and isolation, anger, bargaining, depression and, eventually, acceptance. They rarely arrive in tidy order, and you may revisit some more than once.

A few kind ways to move through it:

• Give yourself permission to grieve. There is no minimum size of loss that qualifies.
• Take time away from work if you need it. Healing has its own timetable.
• Lean on one or two trusted people. You do not have to explain everything to everyone.
• Speak to your GP or midwife if low mood lingers or feels overwhelming. Support exists, and asking for it is a strength.

Also Read: 10 things you probably didn’t know about breasts and breastfeeding 

An incomplete miscarriage can feel like being stuck in limbo, both physically and emotionally. Be patient with your body and even more patient with your heart.

(Disclaimer: This article is for general information and is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult a health professional before making new changes)