Many people think that miscarriages are rare occurrences and that if a woman loses her pregnancy, she could have prevented it somehow.
It’s time to debunk these common misconceptions about miscarriage.
A recent survey of more than 1000 U.S. adults shows that miscarriage is widely misunderstood by the public. Unfortunately, misconceptions lead to the shaming and silencing of parents who have been unable to carry a baby to term, even though in the majority of the cases, it is not their fault at all. As a result, many women and their partners do not receive the emotional support they need.
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The study’s findings, which were published in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Journal, identified the top five most common misconceptions held by the public (and sadly, often by the women affected by miscarriage themselves):
MYTH #1: Miscarriages are uncommon.
More than half of the respondents believed that miscarriage rates were less than 5%.
DEBUNKED: The chance of a pregnancy ending in miscarriage is actually one in four. That’s 103,000 pregnancies ending in miscarriage in Australia every year.
MYTH #2: Drinking or smoking during pregnancy are the causes of most miscarriages.
Many people have the misconception that consuming alcohol or smoking cigarettes during pregnancy cause the majority of miscarriages. Many women wrongfully believe this as well and feel guilty when their pregnancies end unexpectedly, particularly if they drank or smoked in the earlier stages when they were unaware they were pregnant.
DEBUNKED: The truth is, 60% of miscarriages are caused by genetic problems — the most common of which is chromosomal abnormalities. These abnormalities are both uncontrollable and preventable by parents.
MYTH #3: Stress causes miscarriage.
Three quarters of the survey participants believed that long-term stress or a single stressful event can contribute to the unexpected end of a pregnancy. Many respondents also believed that getting into a heated argument could cause a miscarriage.
DEBUNKED: Stress has not been found to be a trigger for miscarriage. Studies do not show a link between miscarriage and the ordinary stresses of modern day life. Likewise, being startled by a loud noise or feeling shocked has not been linked to miscarriage.
MYTH #4: Lifting heavy objects leads to miscarriage.
64% of respondents believed that lifting something heavy could trigger a miscarriage.
DEBUNKED: This is simply not true. There is no evidence to show that heavy lifting or other strenuous day-to-day tasks such as intense exercise cause miscarriages.
MYTH #5: Previous oral contraceptive use causes miscarriages.
22% of people believe that past use of the Pill puts women at greater risk of suffering a miscarriage.
DEBUNKED: False. Oral contraceptives do not cause miscarriages because they do not have any effect on a fertilised embryo.
The conclusion
Misconceptions about miscarriage, which are currently widespread and silencing many women from asking for help they need from their loved ones, need to be debunked now. The only way to address these myths is to talk about them openly.
Stay tuned for our next blog post where we will talk about how to ask for help from your family and friends if you are going through an emotionally difficult time.
Remember to follow us on Facebook and Twitter and use the hashtag #talkaboutmiscarriage to contribute to the conversation!
– SN
Talk About Miscarriage 