Miscarriage can be traumatic — it's normal to feel shaken, even if it doesn't involve a medical emergency. The sight of blood, emergency procedures, or feeling dismissed by medical staff can leave your body in fight or flight mode long after the event. 

You may feel that your miscarriage has affected your physical and mental wellbeing. You may find yourself replaying what happened, feeling on edge, startling easily, and reacting strongly to reminders of what happened. This is called “post traumatic stress” — a set of reactions after trauma. It is very common, and often temporary, fading away after days to weeks after a traumatic event. 

Why Miscarriage Can Cause PTSD

For most people these symptoms of feeling overwhelmed, frightened, and out of control will fade over time. However, for some people symptoms last longer and continue to interfere with daily life. For some, the symptoms can even intensify over time. If your symptoms persist or get worse over time, it could be that you are experiencing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Note that there is a difference between post-traumatic stress, which is very common and temporary. And post-traumatic stress disorder, which is a psychological disorder, with symptoms lasting longer than a month and significant impacts on daily functioning. 

Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition with specific diagnostic criteria that can develop after exposure to a traumatic event. It involves symptoms such as intrusive memories, nightmares, avoidance and heightened alertness that persist over time and interfere with daily life. 

If you are experiencing these symptoms a month after the miscarriage, it is important to contact your GP, OB-GYN or therapist, to get professional help. You do not need to wait until symptoms get "severe" to reach out for help — early support can prevent symptoms from worsening.

Miscarriages can cause PTSD because they can be sudden, physically painful, medically intense, and emotionally heavy. You may have felt scared, out of control, or incredibly sad. This can leave your nervous system in a prolonged state of fear and hypervigilance. Even compassionate care can't always buffer the shock. This can then show up as anxiety, tension, difficulty relaxing, or avoiding certain situations. 

Healing Is Possible

1. Acknowledge that what happened was traumatic. You don't need a "near-death experience" to justify trauma. Your pain is valid.

2. Move your body gently. Trauma lives in the nervous system. Yoga, stretching, or even walking can help release tension. See what feels best for you in the moment. 

3. Journaling can help. Write down what you are feeling and thinking. Formulating your thoughts into words, and naming the emotions you are feeling can make things feel clearer and can help you process the situation.

4. Talk to others. If it feels right, it could be useful to talk to someone about what you are going through. 

5. Breathing and grounding exercises can be done regularly, and can be used when you feel overwhelmed. There are many guided exercise videos on YouTube that you can try out.

Recovery takes time, but your brain and body can learn safety again.

If you are experiencing symptoms that have lasted more than a month, and are disrupting your daily life, it is a good idea to talk to a mental health professional. You can look into EMDR — a commonly used trauma therapy that can help you tone down the emotional intensity of the memory. CBT can also help you address painful thoughts and beliefs that keep the trauma alive. 

If your symptoms have been lasting more than a month and are significantly disrupting daily life, PTSD After Miscarriage explains the clinical picture and how to seek the right help. For an overview of therapy approaches including EMDR and trauma-informed CBT, see Therapy Options for Miscarriage Grief). And for the wider emotional recovery journey, see Coping With Miscarriage Grief: What Helps.

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