What causes a miscarriage in your first trimester?
Sarah Smith
Published Jan 20, 2026
What causes miscarriage? About half of all miscarriages that occur in the first trimester are caused by chromosomal abnormalities — which might be hereditary or spontaneous — in the parent's sperm or egg. Chromosomes are tiny structures inside the cells of the body that carry many genes, the basic units of heredity.
What increases risk of miscarriage in first trimester?
Certain uterine conditions or weak cervical tissues (incompetent cervix) might increase the risk of miscarriage. Smoking, alcohol and illicit drugs. Women who smoke during pregnancy have a greater risk of miscarriage than do nonsmokers. Heavy alcohol use and illicit drug use also increase the risk of miscarriage.
What commonly causes a miscarriage?
Problems with your uterus or cervix, such as fibroids, an abnormally shaped uterus, or a cervix that opens and widens too early, called cervical insufficiency. STD infections such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, or HIV. Blood clotting issues that block blood vessels carrying blood flow to the placenta.
What week is the highest risk of miscarriage?
Weeks 0 to 6
These early weeks mark the highest risk of miscarriage. A woman can have a miscarriage in the first week or two without realizing she's pregnant. It may even seem like a late period. Age plays a role in a woman's risk factor.
How can I prevent early miscarriage?
How Can I Prevent a Miscarriage?
- Be sure to take at least 400 mcg of folic acid every day, beginning at least one to two months before conception, if possible.
- Exercise regularly.
- Eat healthy, well-balanced meals.
- Manage stress.
- Keep your weight within normal limits.
- Don't smoke and stay away from secondhand smoke.
Can stress cause a miscarriage?
While excessive stress isn't good for your overall health, there's no evidence that stress results in miscarriage. About 10% to 20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage. But the actual number is likely higher because many miscarriages occur before the pregnancy is recognized.
Can weak sperm cause a miscarriage?
“Poor sperm quality can be the cause [of miscarriage] in about 6% of couples,” says Dr. Gavin Sacks, an obstetrician and researcher with IVF Australia. But there are probably multiple factors that, together, result in a lost pregnancy, he adds.
Can a man cause miscarriage?
High levels of sperm DNA fragmentation have been shown to double the likelihood of a miscarriage occurring. Around a quarter of all couples will experience the heartache of miscarriage at some time. While many of these will be a single sporadic event, some couples will suffer repeated – or recurrent – miscarriages.
Why can I get pregnant but keep miscarrying?
The miscarriage may be due to poor blood supply to the pregnancy or inflammation. Some women may be born with an irregularly shaped uterus, and some women may develop abnormalities with their uterus over time. A woman's immune system may also play a role in recurrent pregnancy loss.
What causes damaged sperm?
Sperm DNA damage is often associated with underlying medical conditions (including: varicocele, infection or fever), or certain lifestyle choices (including: drinking, smoking or heat).
Can caffeine cause a miscarriage in early pregnancy?
Women who were over 35 had twice the risk of an early miscarriage as younger women – that's long been known. But drinking three or more caffeinated beverages a day raised the risk of early pregnancy loss by 74 percent.
Can screaming cause a miscarriage?
Stress alone can't cause a miscarriage
In fact, a 2018 large-scale study in the journal Human Reproduction found no link between maternal stress and early pregnancy loss.
Can lack of sleep cause miscarriage in the first trimester?
Results: Sleeping < or =8 h/day (OR:3.80, 95% CI:1.01-14.3) was found to be a risk factor for first trimester miscarriage controlling for the effect of period of gestation.
What food can stop pregnancy?
Consuming either raw pineapple or its juice can cause miscarriage, this is due to the presence of bromelain, which leads to contractions in the uterus and softens the cervix causing harm to the fetus. Since ages papaya has been used as a food to abort an unwanted pregnancy.
Can hot water miscarriage?
Water should not be hot enough to raise your core body temperature to102°F for more than 10 minutes. Taking a bath in excessively hot water can cause several health issues like: -It may cause a drop in blood pressure, which can deprive the baby of oxygen and nutrients and can increase the risk of miscarriage.
Does exercise increase miscarriage risk?
Evidence Summary
A large six-year prospective cohort study of 90,270 women in Denmark compared exercise duration and miscarriage rates at four gestational ages. 1 It found no significant increase in exercise-related miscarriage risk.
Can sperm cause a miscarriage while pregnant?
Having sex during pregnancy won't provoke a miscarriage. Most miscarriages occur because the fetus isn't developing normally.
At what age do men stop producing sperm?
Although men never stop producing sperm throughout their lives, sperm production does begin decreasing after age 35. Motility, volume and genetic quality of sperm of older men are less likely to achieve a successful pregnancy even in younger women.
How can a man tell if he is fertile?
A trained expert checks your sperm count, their shape, movement, and other characteristics. In general, if you have a higher number of normal-shaped sperm, it means you have higher fertility. But there are plenty of exceptions to this. A lot of guys with low sperm counts or abnormal semen are still fertile.
What are the signs of not being able to have a baby?
What Are the Signs of Not Being Able to Have a Baby?
- How Common Is Infertility? While some people seem to have an easy time having a baby, others struggle. ...
- Trying to Get Pregnant for 12 Months Without Results. ...
- Heavy Periods. ...
- Irregular Periods. ...
- Ejaculation Problems. ...
- Pain During Sex. ...
- Trouble Keeping an Erection. ...
- A Woman's Age.
How do you know if you can have kids?
Infertility testing — finding out whether or not a woman is able to become pregnant — involves several medical exams, procedures, and tests. It is usually done for women who want to have a baby but are having trouble getting pregnant or for women who have health conditions that might cause infertility.
Can you get pregnant on your period?
A woman's ovulation cycles can vary, so it's statistically possible you could become pregnant while on your period. While pregnancy is less likely in the earlier days of your period, the chances increase in the later days.
Which age is best to get pregnant?
Experts say the best time to get pregnant is between your late 20s and early 30s. This age range is associated with the best outcomes for both you and your baby. One study pinpointed the ideal age to give birth to a first child as 30.5. Your age is just one factor that should go into your decision to get pregnant.
How many times should a man release sperm in a week?
It is completely healthy to ejaculate more or less than three times a week! The average ejaculation frequency for men ranges from two to seven times a week, which is a pretty wide gap. So it's clear that there's no right or wrong answer, nor are there any significant health risks associated with ejaculation frequency.
What age are men most fertile?
Age and sperm
Men younger than 40 have a better chance of fathering a child than those older than 40. The quality of the sperm men produce seems to decline as they get older. Most men make millions of new sperm every day, but men older than 40 have fewer healthy sperm than younger men.