Understanding Miscarriage: What Supplements Can and Can't Do

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and I want to talk about something that weighs heavy on so many hearts: miscarriage. As a fertility nurse who walked through my own years of infertility before welcoming my two boys, I know how desperately we search for answers—and for something, anything, we can control when loss happens.

I also know the guilt that can creep in. Did I not take the right vitamins? Should I have taken more folic acid? Was it something I did?

Let me say this clearly and with love: supplements cannot prevent miscarriages. And that's not a failure on your part—it's biology.

The Truth About Why Miscarriages Happen

The vast majority of early miscarriages—about 50-70%—occur because of chromosomal abnormalities. These are random errors that happen when the egg and sperm come together, when cells divide, or when the embryo develops. No amount of prenatal vitamins, no special supplement protocol, can fix a chromosomal issue that was present from conception.

This is not about anything you did or didn't do. It's not about the coffee you had, the workout you completed, or the vitamins you forgot to take one morning.

Other causes of miscarriage can include:

• Hormonal imbalances (like progesterone deficiency or thyroid disorders)

• Uterine abnormalities or structural issues

• Immune system factors

• Blood clotting disorders

• Underlying health conditions

• Advanced maternal age (which affects egg quality)

• Infections

Some of these factors can be addressed with medical intervention—but that's different from general supplementation preventing a loss that was already going to happen.

What Supplements Actually Do

Here's what quality prenatal supplements and targeted nutrition can do:

Before conception, they help create the healthiest environment possible:

• Folic acid reduces the risk of neural tube defects

• Adequate vitamin D, B12, and iron support overall reproductive health

• Omega-3 fatty acids support egg quality and healthy inflammation response

• CoQ10 may improve egg quality in some women

During pregnancy, they support your baby's development and your own health:

• They fill nutritional gaps in your diet

• They support the rapid cell growth your baby needs

• They help maintain your energy and wellbeing

But they cannot override chromosomal abnormalities or correct many of the underlying medical issues that lead to pregnancy loss.

If You've Experienced Loss

If you're reading this after a miscarriage, please hear me: this was not your fault. You did not cause this by missing a vitamin or not eating perfectly or having a stressful week at work.

After one miscarriage, your chances of having a healthy pregnancy are still very high. After multiple losses, it's worth having a conversation with a reproductive endocrinologist about testing for underlying causes—things like blood clotting disorders, hormonal imbalances, or structural issues that can sometimes be treated.

Moving Forward with Knowledge and Compassion

I'm not saying supplements don't matter—they absolutely do for preconception health and pregnancy support. I built my company Binto around personalized nutritional support because I believe in giving our bodies the best foundation possible.

But I also believe in the truth: that sometimes, despite doing everything "right," loss still happens. And when it does, it's not because you didn't take the right supplement or enough of it.

You deserve to move through grief without the added weight of misplaced guilt.

This month, as we honor pregnancy and infant loss, let's hold space for both hope and heartbreak. Let's support the mamas who are trying, the mamas who are grieving, and the mamas who are somewhere in between.

You're not alone in this.