WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE . . .

...between miscarriage and silent miscarriage?

IN BOTH cases the pregnancy does not make it past 23 weeks, or about six months – any later is called a stillbirth.

A miscarriage can often happen before a woman is even aware she’s pregnant, and involves vaginal bleeding, loss of fluid and abdominal pain. She may also pass pregnancy tissue, including the foetus, or it may need to be surgically removed.

A silent miscarriage – also called a delayed or missed miscarriage – is when the foetus has died or failed to develop but the woman has none of the symptoms of a miscarriage.

It is usually spotted during a routine antenatal scan. The picture may show a pregnancy sac with a smaller than usual baby, foetus or embryo inside, but there is no heartbeat. In other cases, the sac is empty or cannot be seen.