A miscarriage is considered the sudden and unexpected loss of a fetus prior to the 20th week of pregnancy. A missed miscarriage, which usually happens in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, is one in which the fetus dies, but the woman's body doesn't expel the fetal matter immediately. Sometimes, the woman's body will begin the process of expelling the fetus shortly after the fetus' death; however, it is sometimes necessary for a woman to have medical intervention to get the expulsion completed.
Absence of Symptoms
In some cases, the only sign that a missed miscarriage has occurred is a reduction in pregnancy symptoms that were present prior to the miscarriage. Morning sickness may abate and fatigue may diminish. However, in some women, the body continues to manufacture the pregnancy related hormones that contribute to pregnancy symptoms. If this is the case, the pregnancy symptoms will continue despite the missed miscarriage.
Vaginal Bleeding
Some women may notice dark brown vaginal spotting. This symptom doesn't occur in all missed miscarriages. Because light spotting is fairly common during early pregnancy, many women don't seek medical care for light spotting unless it is bright red.
Loss of Fetal Tones
Some women don't have any signs of a missed miscarriage. When this is the case, she usually learns of the loss during a prenatal checkup when the physician may not be able to find fetal heart tones. A vaginal examination is usually done and an ultrasound is usually ordered to confirm the diagnosis of a missed miscarriage.
Lack of Fetal Movement
If a woman has already begun to feel fetal movements, those movements will stop if she has a missed miscarriage. This isn't a common symptom, however, because most missed miscarriages occur before any fetal movements are felt.
