Miscarriage at 10 Weeks: What Are The Risks?

At ten weeks into your pregnancy, there are many concerns that you should have. One of them is losing your baby through vaginal bleeding.

The good news is that once you reach around ten weeks, especially if your baby’s heartbeat has been seen on scan, the chances of a miscarriage are much lower than in the very early weeks of pregnancy.PubMed

If you’ve experienced days or weeks of heavy bleeding already, I suggest you inform your doctor about it. Heavy bleeding with large blood clots or tissue, especially with strong cramping, is very worrying and may mean you are having a miscarriage or another serious problem, so you should seek urgent medical care.

The truth is the chances of a miscarriage is very low at ten weeks, though it can happen. Studies show that after a normal ultrasound with a heartbeat, the risk of miscarriage at 10 weeks can be well under 1–2% in women without symptoms.PubMed+1

Alternatively, you may also experience a mild spotting for hours or few days. Vaginal spotting while pregnant, especially in your first three months of pregnancy, must be examined by your doctor to rule out possible complications.

Complications that could cause spotting in early pregnancy are an ectopic pregnancy and a miscarriage, as well as things like a small subchorionic bleed or an infection. Not all vaginal bleeding means you are having a miscarriage. Pregnant women may have brown spotting after sexual intercourse or when their cervix or vagina is hurt during doctor’s exam.

The vaginal epithelium and the cervical wall are well perfused during pregnancy and make it easy for bleeding to occur. Other reasons of spotting while pregnant are vaginal infections and sometimes a cervical polyp.

If you’ve experienced spotting at ten weeks of pregnancy, talking to your doctor is the only way to know if it’s something serious or not. This is necessary to ease your fears of a miscarriage or other complications.

This article explains the causes, risk factors, chances, signs, and symptoms of a miscarriage at ten weeks pregnant and when you urgently need to see your doctor. It is for general education and does not replace advice from your own doctor or midwife.

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What triggers a miscarriage at 10 weeks?

1. Chromosomal anomalies

If you are expecting a baby, at ten weeks, it’s less likely you will have a miscarriage as the baby is well-formed now and already has a heartbeat. However, if a miscarriage happens, it’s mostly because of abnormal cell division and chromosomal issues in the baby.

Chromosomal disorders will occur when the sperm or egg contains more than or less than the required number of chromosomes necessary for your baby’s development. This may cause serious genetic problems, and in many cases the pregnancy stops developing on its own, leading to a miscarriage.nawcare.com+1

Quite often, a lot of women will fault themselves for being the cause. But the truth is, it’s not your fault if it happens, and there is usually nothing you could have done to prevent it.

2. Advanced age

The age at which you are now pregnant may be a contributory factor for a miscarriage.

Miscarriage is more common in women that are 35 years and above, and the risk keeps rising with age. Large studies show that the overall risk of miscarriage is roughly 12–15 percent in women in their 20s, around 20 percent by age 35, about 30–40 percent by age 40, and more than 50 percent once a woman is 45 or older.Mayo Clinic

However, if you are in your reproductive age and below 35 years with no major health problems, the chances of a miscarriage in any pregnancy are usually around 10–15 percent.

3. Smoking cigarettes

If you are pregnant, it’s advisable to quit smoking completely. This is because smoking can affect your baby, especially in the first months of your baby’s development and throughout the rest of pregnancy.

Cigarette smoke contains thousands of chemicals that include nicotine, carbon monoxide, and other harmful substances. These chemicals will not only put you at risk of cancer but can affect your baby’s growth and the placenta, resulting in complications and sometimes a miscarriage.

Nicotine and carbon monoxide are responsible for decreased oxygen and nutrients to your baby and may cause miscarriage, stillbirth, low birth weight baby and premature birth, not just in the first three months but all through pregnancy.RCOG

Therefore, quitting as early as possible is vital for your baby. For practical help, you can look at NHS – Stop smoking in pregnancy.

Other factors that could cause a miscarriage are:

• Alcohol

• Drug abuse (for example cocaine or other hard drugs)

• Certain infections

• Abnormally divided or shaped uterus

• Poorly controlled thyroid abnormalities

• Poorly controlled hypertension

• Poorly controlled diabetes and some other chronic illnessesNCBI

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What are the symptoms I should watch for?

If you are ten weeks pregnant, abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding may cause you to worry about having a miscarriage.

Here’s an email I received from one of my readers:

Hi Dr. Dunn

I’m Chuchi, ten weeks pregnant and 32 years old. Recently I’ve been spotting and its lasting six days now. In the morning, I noticed light blood that stains my underwear and am beginning to feel it’s happening again.

I had a miscarriage twice and a still birth when I was six months pregnant. I quickly need your help. Is this a sign of miscarriage?

Just as Chuchi is concerned, a lot of pregnant women will worry if they happen to be spotting anytime during pregnancy.

While it’s possible it is nothing serious, it could be due to a miscarriage. Here are symptoms of a miscarriage:

1. Vaginal bleeding or spotting

If you are 10 weeks pregnant, vaginal bleeding with cramping abdominal pain may be due to a miscarriage.

Usually, vaginal bleeding may come with big clots, or you will see parts of your baby or pregnancy tissue coming out. If you experience this, you should inform your doctor ASAP or go to the emergency room.

Your doctor will check, usually with an examination and ultrasound, to see if the pregnancy has completely passed. If some tissue is still inside, you may continue to bleed vaginally and start feeling weak, and you may need medication or a procedure (such as vacuum aspiration or a D & C – dilation and curettage) to empty the uterus safely.ACOG+1

Some women might experience mild spotting, and following a routine check by their doctors, baby is okay.

This is a threatened miscarriage, and it’s advisable you relax more often, avoid cigarette smoking, alcohol, heavy exercise and continue to take your prenatal vitamins. There is no strong proof that strict bed rest can always stop a miscarriage, but these healthy steps are still important for you and your baby.ACOG+1

2. Belly cramps and loss of pregnancy symptoms

If you become pregnant, one easy way to know is body changes that occur before or after missing your menstrual period. Fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and breast changes are common when pregnant.

If these symptoms suddenly reduce very quickly and no longer appear, especially together with bleeding or cramps, you should let your doctor know. Belly cramps, vaginal bleeding (heavy or light) and loss of pregnancy symptoms are warning signs of a miscarriage. At the same time, remember that for many women, nausea and tiredness naturally get better around the end of the first trimester, even with a healthy pregnancy.Mayo Clinic+1

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When should I see a doctor urgently?

You should see a doctor or go to the hospital straight away if:

• You are soaking a pad in less than an hour or passing large clots or tissue.

• You have severe lower abdominal pain, shoulder tip pain, or pain on one side of your tummy.

• You feel dizzy, faint, have a fast heartbeat, or generally feel very unwell.

• You have fever, chills, or foul-smelling vaginal discharge.

• You know you are pregnant and have bleeding and pain but no scan yet (this could be a sign of ectopic pregnancy and is an emergency).Mayo Clinic+1

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What are the percentages of miscarriage at 10 weeks pregnant?

If you are ten weeks pregnant, available statistics are quite favorable. This means it’s less likely a miscarriage will happen.

In large studies of women who have already had an ultrasound showing a heartbeat, the risk of miscarriage falls with each week and can be less than 1 percent around 10 weeks in women without symptoms.PubMed

If you include all pregnancies (including those who have not yet had a scan), many experts quote a remaining miscarriage risk of about 1–2 percent at this stage. Overall, about 10–15 percent of known pregnancies end in miscarriage, most of them earlier in the first trimester.Medical News Today+1

Miscarriage is emotionally painful, but most women who have one miscarriage will go on to have a healthy pregnancy in the future.Cleveland Clinic+1

You can also read more about early pregnancy loss from trusted sites like ACOG – Early Pregnancy Loss FAQ, Mayo Clinic – Miscarriage and Cleveland Clinic – Miscarriage for extra background.ACOG+2Mayo Clinic+2