[ **up: [[Conception, pregnancy, and childbirth]]** ] --- # Miscarriage > A reported one in four pregnancies will end in miscarriage; the number may even be higher, given that many people do not know they’re pregnant when their body passes a non-viable pregnancy.[^1] --- ## Causes > The majority of miscarriages are the result of a genetic abnormality, yet a 2015 study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology found that 76% of respondents believed miscarriage is a result of a stressful event, 64% said it was the result of lifting something heavy, 22% blamed birth control, and 21% said it could be the result of an argument.[^2] > People need to know that miscarriage occurs by biological design, Vora says. “When there are genetic errors in the sperm, in the follicles, this is the system for protecting our offspring – by making sure that a non-viable pregnancy doesn’t go to term, which could possibly be an even more tragic experience.”[^3] --- ## Taboo > “We have nothing in place to respond to \[miscarriage] loss because it’s often a secret,” \[Ellen Vora explains. “It’s something we as a society don’t talk about publicly, not even with our family and friends, let alone have a public conversation about the supports that are in place (or not), what’s available to you, and what you should be looking out for.”[^4] [^1]: Jessica Zucker, ‘We should teach children about miscarriage during sex ed. Here’s why’, *The Guardian*, 19 May 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/may/19/miscarriage-sexual-education-schools. [^2]: Jessica Zucker, ‘We should teach children about miscarriage during sex ed. Here’s why’, *The Guardian*, 19 May 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/may/19/miscarriage-sexual-education-schools. [^3]: Jessica Zucker, ‘We should teach children about miscarriage during sex ed. Here’s why’, *The Guardian*, 19 May 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/may/19/miscarriage-sexual-education-schools. [^4]: Jessica Zucker, ‘We should teach children about miscarriage during sex ed. Here’s why’, *The Guardian*, 19 May 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/may/19/miscarriage-sexual-education-schools.