Risk Factors of Missed Miscarriage at Ain-Shams University Maternity Hospital

Abstract

Miscarriage is defined as the spontaneous termination of pregnancy before 20 weeks of gestation or delivery of a fetus weighing 500 grams or less (a non-viable fetus), after which fetal death is known as a stillbirth. Miscarriage is the most common complication of pregnancy; it has been estimated that the miscarriage rate among women who know they are pregnant is 10% to 20% while rates among all conceptions is around 30% to 50%. Miscarriages are generally classified as first trimester (up to 12 weeks’ gestation), late or second trimester (from 12–24 weeks’ gestation). This subdivision into two different categories is important because of the different etiologies and types of treatment applied. About 80% of pregnancy losses occur in the first trimester; the incidence decreases with each gestational week. Miscarriages are categorized as threatened, inevitable, incomplete, complete, or missed, and can be further classified as sporadic or recurrent (≥3 occurrences).