Miscarriage at 5 Weeks: What to Expect

Losing a pregnancy at 5 weeks can be very hard to emotionally deal with, especially since it is so early in a pregnancy. At this stage some women may not yet know they are pregnant. Knowing what to expect, what the symptoms are and when to seek medical attention may make it a less confusing experience.

What Is a 5 Week Miscarriage?

Miscarriage – When a pregnancy is lost before it can survive outside the uterus. At 5 weeks, development is still very early and a miscarriage can sometimes look like a late period or a very heavy period.

Signs and symptoms include:

Spotting or bleeding from the vagina
Cramping in the lower abdomen
Pain in the lower back
Passing of pregnancy tissue or small blood clots
Lessening of pregnancy symptoms

But bleeding in early pregnancy does not always mean miscarriage. Some women experience spotting and still have healthy pregnancies.

What Causes Early Pregnancy Loss?

Many early miscarriages are caused by chromosomal problems in the pregnancy that make normal development impossible. These problems are usually random and are generally not caused by anything the pregnant person did.

There may be other factors that contribute to pregnancy loss such as some medical conditions, hormonal problems, infections or abnormalities of the uterus. However, in many individual cases the exact cause cannot be identified.

What Happens When You Miscarry at 5 Weeks?

5 week miscarriage symptoms of bleeding and cramping that slowly increase then plateau. The way it feels to do this varies greatly from person to person.

If you are experiencing bleeding or pain after a positive pregnancy test, it is important to seek medical advice as symptoms can be similar to other conditions of early pregnancy including ectopic pregnancy.

Your healthcare provider may use pregnancy hormone testing and ultrasound to learn what is going on, depending on the circumstances.

How Long Will It Take to Heal?

Physical recovery from an early miscarriage is unlike. Bleeding and cramping often improve over time, but you may continue to bleed or have spotting for a while.

Pregnancy hormone levels may also take some time to return to the non-pregnant range. Your periods may take a while to go back to normal.

It may take longer to recover emotionally. It’s normal to feel sad, disappointed, angry or confused and there is no one right way to process pregnancy loss.

When to Get Medical Attention

Seek urgent medical help if:

your abdominal pain is severe or is getting worse
you have very heavy bleeding
you feel faint or dizzy enough to pass out
you develop a fever or feel really unwell

Sometimes the symptoms are a signal of complication that requires prompt treatment.

Symptoms alone cannot tell you if you are having a miscarriage or not. If you are concerned, contact a healthcare professional for assessment.

Conclusion

At 5 weeks, losing a pregnancy can be tough physically and emotionally. Early pregnancy loss is most often caused by problems with the developing pregnancy that could not have been prevented.

If you are bleeding or have pain at 5 weeks a medical assessment can help determine the cause and make sure you are getting the right care and support.