Patient information from Sydney IVF's Miscarriage Management

Pregnancy loss myths

There are a lot of myths that surround pregnancy loss. To better understand pregnancy loss, it's important to understand the things that don't cause a woman to miscarry.

Miscarriages in early pregnancy are not caused by:

  • exercising
  • working
  • travelling
  • having sex
  • eating the "wrong" food
  • drinking alcohol (but don't if you know you are pregnant)
  • morning sickness
  • using birth control pills before or after you got pregnant
  • a fall, a blow or a fright
  • stress or worry
  • wondering whether or not you wanted the baby
  • having previously had an abortion.

It's important to remember that these factors do not cause pregnancy loss in the first 12 weeks - despite some popular beliefs to the contrary. It's also important to remember that, as heartbreaking as it is, pregnancy loss is not uncommon. In many cases, it is nature's way of preventing a pregnancy that is not developing as it should.

The causes of pregnancy loss are often far more complex than any of these "myths" suggest, often taking place on a genetic level.