(PBS News) – Up to a million pregnancies in the United States end in miscarriage every year. For many patients, there’s no answer about why.

“This is a very common condition,” said Dr. Diana Bianchi, director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Yet in most cases, the cause is not investigated or identified until multiple pregnancy losses have occurred. As many as half of pregnancies that end in miscarriage and stillbirth have no explanation. And stigma and shame keep many people who experience miscarriage from discussing it. “It’s not something that people are willing to share. It’s often kept as a family secret,” Bianchi said. (Read More)