Can Stress Cause a Miscarriage?
Key takeaways:
Early miscarriages occur frequently. Most are due to problems that people have no control over.
Stress does not directly cause miscarriage, but it may contribute to other pregnancy complications that can.
Decreasing stress can help promote a healthier pregnancy.
We all live with some level of stress in our lives. If you are pregnant, the effects of stress on your pregnancy might be an added concern. To make matters worse, you may have even heard that stress can lead to a miscarriage.
But is that really the case? Here we will delve into the effects of stress on pregnancy and what role it may play in causing a miscarriage.
Can stress cause a miscarriage?
The short and reassuring answer is: no. There is no direct link between stress and having a miscarriage. While some studies suggest that stress can increase the risk of miscarriage, they do not show a direct cause-and-effect relationship.
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What are the most common causes of a miscarriage?
Miscarriages are unfortunately pretty common. Approximately 10% of pregnancies will end in a miscarriage during the first 3 months of pregnancy. But in the majority of cases, it is due to problems that are out of a person’s control.
The most common cause for an early miscarriage is a problem with the baby’s chromosomes. Chromosomes carry the genes that a baby gets from its parents. A developing baby gets one set of chromosomes from each biological parent. But sometimes this process is flawed and the baby gets too many, or not enough, chromosomes. If this happens, it often leads to a miscarriage.
Certain factors can make you more likely to miscarry. These include:
Being over 35 years old
Having a body mass index (BMI) over 30
Consuming alcohol or drugs while pregnant
Having medical conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and other authorities agree that stress is not a cause of early miscarriage. However, this doesn’t mean that stress can’t have some negative impact on your pregnancy.
We know that ongoing stress can affect both mental and physical health. These effects during pregnancy can then lead to complications that create a higher risk of miscarriage.
How can stress during pregnancy contribute to miscarriage risk?
First, it helps to understand how your body reacts to a stressful situation. During a stressful event, your body will cause your stress hormone levels to go up. One of these hormones, cortisol, can cause your blood pressure to rise. High blood pressure during pregnancy can increase your risk of miscarriage.
How you cope with stress can also contribute to your miscarriage risk. For example, stress eating or skipping meals due to stress can impact your health during pregnancy and how your baby grows. And coping with stress by smoking or using drugs or alcohol can increase your risk for miscarriage.
So it’s important to try to reduce your stress during pregnancy. It may feel overwhelming or difficult to tackle your stress, on top of everything else, but it can lead to a healthier pregnancy.
Helpful ways to manage stress during pregnancy
Practicing self-care during pregnancy is an important part of reducing stress. Basic stress management techniques work just as well during pregnancy as they do at other times.
Important aspects of self-care can include:
Eating healthy foods
Getting enough sleep at night
Getting regular exercise, even just light walking and stretching
Going to a meditation or yoga class (in this case, prenatal yoga)
These practices can also help to relieve some of the physical discomforts of pregnancy.
You can also take advantage of prenatal resources to help reduce stress in various ways. For example, childbirth education classes, or prenatal classes, are not just about learning to breathe during labor. (Though, the breathing and relaxation techniques you learn can help ease stress throughout your pregnancy.)
Prenatal classes can be a source of reassuring information about your pregnancy. You can learn about many things, such as:
Healthy food choices during pregnancy
Where to get help with breastfeeding
Where to get a car seat and how to put it in properly
How to find a pediatrician
A prenatal class is also a great place to start building a support network and accessing community resources.
Trying to discontinue negative coping habits like smoking and self-medicating with drugs or alcohol may be difficult to manage on your own. So don’t be afraid to ask your provider for help. There are also online resources that may be helpful with these issues.
If you feel overwhelmed by stress, ask your provider to refer you to a counselor. They may be better able to help you work through what you’re experiencing.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use, help is available. Call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) to learn about resources in your area.
The bottom line
Miscarriages are unfortunately pretty common. Though stress does not directly cause miscarriages, it may contribute to other complications that can. Decreasing stress may help promote a healthier pregnancy, so don’t hesitate to ask for help when you need it.
Why trust our experts?
References
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2022). Early pregnancy loss.
American Heart Association. (2016). Managing stress to control high blood pressure.
March of Dimes. (2019). Stress and pregnancy.
March of Dimes. (2020). Eating healthy during pregnancy.
Qu, F., et al. (2017). The association between psychological stress and miscarriage: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Scientific Reports.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2022). SAMHSA’s national helpline.
