Managing Your Miscarriage

Care instructions

A miscarriage is the loss of a pregnancy during the first 20 weeks. Most miscarriages happen because the fertilized egg in the uterus doesn't develop normally. Miscarriages are very common.

Options to manage your miscarriage

Watchful waiting

For many people, the body completes the miscarriage on its own. If you don't have heavy blood loss, a fever, weakness, or other signs of infection, you can let a miscarriage follow its own course. This time of waiting, called expectant management, allows the miscarriage to end naturally while your healthcare provider watches for and treats any complications. It could take days or several weeks to complete.

Take medicine

Mifepristone and misoprostol can be used to help the uterus pass the pregnancy tissue. The medicine gets the uterus ready and makes the uterus squeeze and empty. You can be at home during this process, and the pregnancy usually passes in 1 to 2 days. The medicine may cause pain and side effects including headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Have surgery

The surgery is called dilation and curettage (D&C). The doctor opens the cervix and removes tissue from the uterus. This procedure offers the quickest treatment for a miscarriage. You could have less bleeding than with medicine or no treatment. Surgery has risks including infection, uterine perforation (hole in the uterus), or scarring of the uterus. You’ll have sedation medicine that doesn’t require you to need a breathing tube. Most people won’t remember the procedure.

During your miscarriage

• Bleeding will be similar to a heavy period. It is common to pass small clots.
• You’ll have mild to severe cramping. The cramping can feel like labour pains. You can take over-the-counter pain medicine as soon as you start to feel cramping but don’t take it before cramping starts. A hot-water bottle or heating blanket may also be helpful.
• You may see the pregnancy tissues. This may look blue, grey, white, black, or pink in colour. It is often firm and does not break apart easily when handled.
• You may pass a recognizable baby, perhaps still in the sac.
• Your breasts may be tender or leak fluid (due to pregnancy hormones). This should stop in a few days as your hormone levels return to normal.
• If you have had blood tests to confirm your pregnancy, you may know if you are Rh negative. If you are over 12 weeks pregnant, you may need to have Rh immune globulin. Talk to your doctor or midwife to learn more.

Managing remains

If you have a miscarriage at home, how you manage your baby’s remains is a personal choice.

At home or lab

Some people choose to dispose of their pregnancy tissue at home. It’s OK to do this.

If you don’t want to dispose of pregnancy tissue at home, and you don’t want to participate in a memorial ceremony, you can take the tissue to any Alberta Precision Laboratories location, and they will take care of it for you.

Memorial, burial, or cremation

If you want to join in a public memorial to honour your loss, you may want to collect your fetus. For more information, contact the pregnancy loss program in your area for instructions.

If you would like to collect your fetus for a private burial or cremation, you may honour your baby as you wish.

Testing

If you have had 3 or more miscarriages, you may want to collect tissue for cytogenetic testing. This testing looks for possible genetic reasons for the miscarriages.

Collecting products of the miscarriage

It may take several days to pass all the products of your miscarriage. The baby, placenta, and amniotic sac are all passed along with blood. If you have a miscarriage:

• Before 8 weeks: Products might look like a heavy period with clots.
• At 8 to 12 weeks: You may see larger clots, pink or gray tissue, or a small sac.
• At 12 to 20 weeks: You may see a fetus and sac.

If you choose to collect products of the miscarriage, get a clean collection bowl. You can also get a plastic basin, sometimes called a hat, which can be placed securely under the toilet seat. These are available in most pharmacies, labs, or in early pregnancy assessment clinics. You can use them to collect any tissues or clots.

Collecting tissues for burial or memorial service

If you’re collecting tissues for a memorial service or private burial:

1. Put on disposable gloves before touching any products of the miscarriage.
2. Place an absorbent pad (or blue pad available at pharmacies) on a clean, flat surface.
3. Transfer any tissues and clots from the collection bowl onto the blue pad.
4. Separate tissues from clots. You can tell the difference because tissue is firm and more solid, and clots are soft and break apart easily.
5. Put the gloves in the trash and wash your hands well with soap and water.

If you pass miscarriage tissues somewhere other than in your collection bowl, like in the shower or toilet:

• Try to collect what you can while wearing gloves.
• If you can’t tell the difference between tissues and clots, store anything that looks firm or different from regular clots.

Collecting samples for testing

If you are collecting samples for cytogenetic testing, follow the steps above, but do not separate tissues and clots. For this test, collect as much material as you can. The more you collect, the better it will be for testing.

Storing tissues

After you have collected tissues or samples for testing, follow these steps to store them safely:

1. Put the tissues or samples into a clean container that has a tight-fitting lid. Do not put tissues or samples in any type of solution (such as formalin solution).
2. Write the date and time of collection on the container.
3. Seal the container tightly with its lid.
4. Put the sealed container in the refrigerator (not the freezer).

If you’re collecting for a community service, call the pregnancy loss program near you to find out what to do next.

If you’re collecting for cytogenic testing because you’ve had 3 miscarriages, call your healthcare provider to find out what to do next.

After your miscarriage

• It’s common to have bleeding after a miscarriage. Generally, it lasts 1 to 2 weeks, and it should get lighter with time. Your flow should change from period-like to spotting.
• Your next period will usually come in 4 to 6 weeks.
• It is recommended to have 1 normal period before your next pregnancy. This may not be the first period after your miscarriage. Continue to take a prenatal vitamin if you plan another pregnancy.
• Until your bleeding stops, do not put anything in your vagina. You can shower, but don’t go into hot tubs, swimming pools, or baths. Avoid sexual intercourse and vaginal douching. Use pads instead of tampons.
• Ultrasounds aren’t recommended after a miscarriage unless heavy bleeding or cramping continues beyond 2 weeks.

This diagram of period or sanitary pads shows scant to heavy bleeding. Scant has only a small spot on it, light has blood or slightly less than a third of the pad, moderate covers about half the pad, and heavy shows blood on the whole pad.

Rh immune globulin

If you have an Rh-negative blood type, you may need Rh immune globulin. It can help prevent problems in future pregnancies.

Rh immune globulin is not usually needed if your body does not make Rh antibodies (you are non-sensitized) or you’re Rh-negative and have had a pregnancy loss or abortion before 8 weeks.

Warning signs

Seek immediate medical attention if you experience any of the following:

• heavy bleeding (soaking a pad per hour for 2 hours in a row or soaking more than 1 pad per hour)
• abdominal pain not controlled with acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin)
• fever over 38°C (100.4°F)
• chills
• foul smelling discharge

More information

To learn more about this topic go to MyHealth.Alberta.ca, After Your Miscarriage.

To see this information online and learn more, visit https://MyHealth.Alberta.ca/health/aftercareinformation/pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=custom.ab _managing_your_miscarriage_inst.

For 24/7 nurse advice and general health information call Health Link at 811.

Current as of: March 10, 2026

Author: Women's Health, Alberta Health Services

This material is not a substitute for the advice of a qualified health professional. This material is intended for general information only and is provided on an "as is", "where is" basis. Although reasonable efforts were made to confirm the accuracy of the information, Alberta Health Services does not make any representation or warranty, express, implied or statutory, as to the accuracy, reliability, completeness, applicability or fitness for a particular purpose of such information. Alberta Health Services expressly disclaims all liability for the use of these materials, and for any claims, actions, demands or suits arising from such use.