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Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Treated online: Assessment online. A doctor can judge urgency and support your recovery; a scan confirms a miscarriage, and treatment is at an early pregnancy unit.
- What it is: the loss of a pregnancy before 24 weeks. An early miscarriage happens in the first 13 weeks, when most happen.
- How common: at least 1 in 5 women have a miscarriage in the first 13 weeks, and many happen before a missed period.
- Main signs: bleeding from spotting to heavy, cramps and tummy pain, passing pink, grey or white tissue, or no symptoms at all in a missed miscarriage.
- Emergency: call 112 for heavy bleeding that soaks a pad quickly, severe tummy pain, shoulder pain, or feeling faint or dizzy.
Do not book a video appointment if you are bleeding heavily, soaking a pad soon after putting it on, or have severe tummy pain, shoulder pain, or feel faint or dizzy: call 112. With lighter bleeding before 20 weeks, an early pregnancy unit is usually the place to be seen.
Can an online doctor help with a miscarriage?
With the first assessment and the recovery, yes. A miscarriage is confirmed with a transvaginal scan, sometimes with blood tests, and it cannot be stopped once it has started; waiting, medicine or a small procedure are arranged by an early pregnancy unit. A doctor by video can go through your bleeding and pain, tell you how urgently to be seen and where, and support you afterwards: what is normal, the warning signs, your feelings, trying again, and when tests for recurrent miscarriage are worth asking for.
How an online consultation helps with a miscarriage
- Urgency judged: Whether you need 112, an early pregnancy unit within hours, or a planned scan.
- What is normal afterwards: How long bleeding and pain last, and the signs of an infection.
- Support that fits: Time to talk, and where to find counselling and support.
- The next pregnancy: When to try again, folic acid, and when progesterone or tests are offered.
What the doctor checks in an online assessment for a miscarriage
The doctor first rules out the emergency signs, then looks at what is happening and what you need next. The doctor asks about:
- Warning signs: heavy bleeding, severe pain, shoulder pain, dizziness or fainting.
- Your dates: the first day of your last period, your positive test, and any scan so far.
- The bleeding: how much, clots, tissue, and whether it is getting heavier or settling.
- Pain: cramps, pain on one side, and whether painkillers help.
- Your history: previous miscarriages or an ectopic pregnancy, and your blood group if you know it.
- How you feel: the loss can hit hard, and the doctor asks how you are coping.
Before the call, note the date of your last period, when the bleeding started, and any scan or blood test results.
What is a miscarriage?
A miscarriage is the loss of a pregnancy before 24 weeks. An early miscarriage happens in the first 13 weeks, which is when most happen; a late miscarriage happens between 14 and 23 weeks.
The cause is often never found. Most early miscarriages are thought to be caused by a problem in how the pregnancy develops, most often a chromosome problem in the baby.
How common is miscarriage?
At least 1 in 5 women have a miscarriage in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy, and many miscarriages happen before a missed period or a positive test. Tommy's estimates that 10 to 20 in 100 pregnancies end in an early miscarriage. The risk rises with age: about 1 in 5 at 30, and about 1 in 2 over 40.
Types of miscarriage
- Threatened miscarriage: bleeding while the pregnancy is still continuing.
- Complete miscarriage: all the pregnancy tissue has been passed.
- Incomplete miscarriage: some tissue remains in the womb.
- Missed miscarriage: the pregnancy has stopped developing but has not been passed, often with no symptoms.
- Very early loss: a chemical pregnancy, around the time of a period.
- Recurrent miscarriage: 3 or more miscarriages.
What are the signs of a miscarriage?
Vaginal bleeding is the main sign, from spotting to heavy bleeding, often with cramps and pain low in the tummy. You may pass pink, grey or white lumps, which can be stringy, or have a sudden leak of fluid. A missed miscarriage may cause no symptoms and is found at a scan.
Bleeding and tummy pain in early pregnancy have other causes and are not always a miscarriage, which is why a scan is the next step. See implantation bleeding and bleeding in pregnancy.
What does a miscarriage look like?
Bleeding that may start as spotting and become heavier, sometimes with clots, and pink, grey or white tissue that can look stringy. A very early miscarriage can look like a heavier period with stronger cramps.
Can you have a miscarriage without bleeding?
Yes. In a missed miscarriage the pregnancy stops developing but is not passed, and there may be no symptoms at all; it is found at a routine scan.
How long does a miscarriage last?
It varies. Waiting for a miscarriage to complete naturally usually takes about 2 weeks, but can take longer. Afterwards, bleeding or spotting can last up to 2 weeks, and tummy pain a few days.
What causes a miscarriage?
Usually a problem with how the pregnancy develops, often a chromosome problem in the baby. In most cases no cause is found.
The risk is higher with:
- the mother being 35 or over, or the father 45 or over
- conditions such as diabetes, a thyroid condition, a blood clotting condition, or polycystic ovaries
- a problem with the womb
- smoking, drinking alcohol or a lot of caffeine
- obesity or being underweight
- a Black African or Black Caribbean background
Can stress or sex cause a miscarriage?
There is no evidence that stress or sex in pregnancy causes a miscarriage. After one or two early miscarriages, your risk in the next pregnancy is no higher than before.
How is a miscarriage diagnosed?
At an early pregnancy unit or a hospital gynaecology service, usually with:
- A transvaginal ultrasound scan, which gives the clearest picture early in pregnancy, sometimes with a scan through the tummy; both are safe in pregnancy.
- Blood tests for the pregnancy hormone hCG, sometimes repeated.
Sometimes the answer is clear straight away; sometimes it takes repeat scans over several weeks to be sure.
What happens after a miscarriage is confirmed?
A miscarriage cannot be stopped once it has started. When it is confirmed early in pregnancy, there are three ways to manage it: waiting for it to happen naturally, medicine, or a small procedure. NICE recommends waiting for 7 to 14 days as the first option for most women.
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| Option | What happens | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting (expectant management) | The pregnancy tissue passes by itself, usually within about 2 weeks | A repeat scan if bleeding does not start, does not settle or gets worse |
| Medicine | For a missed miscarriage, mifepristone by mouth and misoprostol 48 hours later; for an incomplete one, misoprostol alone | Bleeding usually starts within 48 hours of the second medicine; at home or in hospital |
| A procedure | The tissue is removed with gentle suction through the cervix, under local or general anaesthetic | Often home the same afternoon; urgent if bleeding is heavy and continuous or there are signs of infection |
After medicine or a procedure, an infection of the lining of the womb affects 2 to 3 in 100 women and is treated with antibiotics; damage to the womb after a procedure is very rare, under 1 in 200. If you are RhD negative and at least 12 weeks pregnant, you may be offered an anti-D injection.
A late miscarriage
Between 14 and 23 weeks, labour may start by itself, or medicines are given to start it. The care team talks the options through with you.
What happens to your body after a miscarriage?
Bleeding usually lasts 1 to 2 weeks, like a heavy period at first, and tummy pain a few days. Your next period usually comes in 4 to 8 weeks, and it can take a few months to settle.
- Use pads rather than tampons until the bleeding stops, and take paracetamol for pain.
- Do a home pregnancy test 3 weeks after the miscarriage; if it is still positive, contact your early pregnancy unit.
- You can ovulate within the first month, so use contraception if you do not want to get pregnant yet.
- Have sex when you feel ready and the bleeding and pain have eased.
- Get advice for heavy or prolonged bleeding, smelly discharge, pain that painkillers do not ease, vomiting, or feeling unwell.
Your feelings
Emotional recovery often takes longer than physical recovery, and partners can be affected too. Talking to people close to you helps, and counselling and support services are available; if low mood does not lift, see depression.
Trying again, and recurrent miscarriage
You can try again when you and your partner feel ready, physically and emotionally. Most women who have had a miscarriage go on to have a successful pregnancy.
- Before and in early pregnancy: take folic acid daily from when you start trying until 12 weeks, stop smoking, eat a balanced diet and avoid alcohol.
- Progesterone: if you have bleeding in a new pregnancy that a scan shows is in the womb, and you have had a miscarriage before, NICE recommends progesterone pessaries, continued until 16 weeks if a heartbeat is seen.
- Recurrent miscarriage: after 3 or more miscarriages, ask for tests for treatable causes. If no cause is found, 6 in 10 women who have had 3 miscarriages go on to have a baby.
What might the doctor recommend for bleeding in early pregnancy?
What happens next depends on the bleeding, the pain and how far along you are. This is the framework the doctors use:
Swipe sideways to compare →
| What you have | Likely first step | Suitable for online care? | When in-person care is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy bleeding, severe pain, shoulder pain or feeling faint | Emergency assessment | No | Call 112 now |
| Light bleeding or spotting with mild pain | A scan to see what is happening | Yes, to assess urgency | Early pregnancy unit or maternity unit promptly |
| A missed miscarriage found at a scan | Choosing between waiting, medicine or a procedure | Yes, to talk it through | Early pregnancy unit for the treatment |
| Recovering after a miscarriage | What is normal, warning signs, the 3-week test | Yes | If bleeding gets heavier or infection signs appear |
| 3 or more miscarriages | Tests for recurrent miscarriage | Yes, to plan | A specialist clinic |
Bleeding in early pregnancy, or recovering after a loss? A doctor can go through it with you in one consultation.
See available times →Special situations
Bleeding with pain on one side
Pain low down on one side with bleeding in early pregnancy can be an ectopic pregnancy, which needs a scan promptly.
RhD negative blood group
Tell the team your blood group: after 12 weeks, or after a procedure, an anti-D injection may be offered to protect future pregnancies.
After 20 weeks
Bleeding or a leak of fluid later in pregnancy goes to your maternity unit, not an early pregnancy unit.
When a miscarriage is assessed online, and when you need in-person care
Assessed online: lighter bleeding and how urgently to be seen, choosing between the options, recovery and its warning signs, your feelings, trying again, progesterone, and when to ask for tests.
In-person care: the scan and blood tests, medicine or a procedure, heavy bleeding, severe pain, shoulder pain, and signs of infection.
When to get in-person care
Call 112 now for:
- heavy bleeding, soaking a pad soon after putting it on
- severe tummy pain
- shoulder pain
- feeling faint, dizzy or sick, or losing consciousness
Get medical advice the same day for:
- light bleeding or spotting in pregnancy, with no pain or mild pain
- unusual discharge, or fluid leaking from the vagina
- after a miscarriage: smelly discharge, vomiting, feeling unwell, or pain that painkillers do not ease
- bleeding that gets heavier, or a pregnancy test still positive 3 weeks after a miscarriage
How Mobi Doctor works
- Book a time that suits you: daily 7am–11pm CEST. You can see a doctor over video, usually within 15 minutes. No subscription, and the exact price is shown before you pay.
- Speak to a licensed doctor about what is happening: say how many weeks pregnant you are, what the bleeding and pain are like, and any scan results.
- Leave with a plan: how urgently to be seen and where, what to expect, and which signs mean 112. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
No sign-up needed
Bleeding in early pregnancy can have more than one cause. Tick every symptom you have to see each page that mentions it. It finds the right page, not a diagnosis: a doctor gives you that on a video call. If you have an emergency sign listed on this page, call 112 instead.
Tap the body — an area or a point — to browse symptoms anywhere
Similar symptoms, different condition? Ectopic Pregnancy can start the same way. Compare them, or look up any other symptom in the full symptom checker.
Frequently asked questions about miscarriage
What are the first signs of a miscarriage?
The first sign of a miscarriage is usually vaginal bleeding, from spotting to heavy bleeding with clots, often with cramps or pain low in the tummy like a strong period, and sometimes a sudden leak of fluid or the loss of pregnancy symptoms such as sickness and sore breasts. A missed miscarriage can have no symptoms at all and is found at a scan, which is why bleeding in early pregnancy always needs a scan rather than guesswork.
What does a miscarriage look like?
A miscarriage usually looks like bleeding that starts as spotting and gets heavier, often with clots, and cramps that come in waves; you may pass pink, grey or white tissue, which can look stringy, and in a later early miscarriage a small sac may be recognisable. The bleeding is often heavier than a period for a day or two and then tails off over 1 to 2 weeks.
How common is miscarriage?
At least 1 in 5 women have a miscarriage in the first 13 weeks, and many happen before a missed period. The risk rises with age.
What causes a miscarriage?
Most miscarriages are caused by a problem in how the pregnancy develops, usually a chromosome problem in the baby that happened by chance at conception, and in most cases no cause is ever found. The risk is higher with age, especially from 35, with diabetes, thyroid or clotting conditions, a problem with the womb, smoking, heavy drinking or a lot of caffeine, and with obesity or being underweight; stress, sex, exercise and work do not cause a miscarriage.
Can stress or sex cause a miscarriage?
No. There is no evidence that stress, sex, exercise, lifting, a fright or working causes a miscarriage, and nothing you did in the days before caused the loss. Most miscarriages happen because of a chromosome problem that was decided at conception, so blame has no place; if sex caused spotting it is because the cervix is more delicate in pregnancy, not because it harmed the pregnancy.
What is a missed miscarriage?
A missed miscarriage is a pregnancy that has stopped developing but has not been passed by the body, so there are often no symptoms: the pregnancy symptoms may fade, but there is no bleeding or pain, and it is found at a scan that shows no heartbeat or an empty sac. It is then managed by waiting, with tablets or with a minor procedure, in the same way as any other miscarriage.
How is a miscarriage treated?
A miscarriage is managed in one of three ways, and the choice is usually yours: waiting for it to complete naturally, which takes about 2 weeks and avoids medicines; tablets that make the womb empty within a day or two, with cramps and heavier bleeding; or a short procedure under local or general anaesthetic to remove the tissue, which is quickest and is advised for heavy bleeding or infection. Painkillers, pads rather than tampons and a pregnancy test 3 weeks later follow all three.
How long does a miscarriage last?
It varies. Waiting for a miscarriage to complete naturally usually takes about 2 weeks from the start of bleeding, with the heaviest bleeding and cramps lasting a few hours to a day or two, and lighter bleeding afterwards for up to 2 weeks; with tablets the pregnancy usually passes within a day or two, and after a procedure the bleeding is lighter. A pregnancy test 3 weeks later confirms it is complete.
Can a miscarriage be stopped?
No. Once a miscarriage has started it cannot be stopped, because the pregnancy has usually already stopped developing, and bed rest, medicines or stopping work make no difference. Progesterone is offered in a new pregnancy to women with bleeding who have had a previous miscarriage, where it slightly raises the chance of a live birth, but it does not stop a miscarriage that is under way.
What happens after a miscarriage?
After a miscarriage, bleeding for 1 to 2 weeks, a pregnancy test 3 weeks later, and a period in 4 to 8 weeks. Emotional recovery often takes longer.
How can I look after myself after a miscarriage?
Rest as much as you need, take paracetamol or ibuprofen for cramps, use pads rather than tampons until the bleeding stops, and avoid sex and swimming until it has, to lower the risk of infection. Keep taking folic acid if you plan to try again, and watch for a high temperature, smelly discharge or heavy bleeding, which need a doctor. Grief after a miscarriage is normal and can come in waves; talk to someone you trust, and ask for support if low mood lingers.
When can I try again after a miscarriage?
When you feel ready. Most women go on to have a successful pregnancy, and one or two early miscarriages do not raise the risk next time.
What is recurrent miscarriage?
Three or more miscarriages. Tests can look for treatable causes, and 6 in 10 women with 3 unexplained miscarriages go on to have a baby.
Is it a miscarriage or implantation bleeding?
Implantation bleeding is light spotting, pink to dark brown, lighter than a period, lasting from a few hours to a couple of days without clots or strong pain. A miscarriage usually brings bleeding that starts as spotting and becomes heavier, often with clots, cramps and sometimes pink, grey or white tissue; a very early miscarriage can look like a heavier period with stronger cramps. Bleeding in early pregnancy has other causes too, so a scan is the next step.
Can an online doctor help with a miscarriage?
Yes, with the first assessment, recovery and the next pregnancy. The scan and treatment are at an early pregnancy unit, and heavy bleeding or severe pain needs 112.
- Miscarriage, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 31 March 2026.
- Early miscarriage: patient information, RCOG, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, updated October 2026.
- Ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage: diagnosis and initial management (NG126), NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 17 April 2019, updated 17 June 2026.
- Miscarriage statistics, Tommy's, reviewed 7 March 2024.
- Vaginal bleeding in pregnancy, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 17 February 2026.
- Chemical pregnancy, Cleveland Clinic (US), reviewed 14 August 2024.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.
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