MEDICALLY TREATED MISCARRIAGE IN ALAMANCE COUNTY, NORTH-CAROLINA, 1988-1991

The authors attempted to identify all medically treated miscarriages i n Alamance County, North Carolina, between September 1988 and August 1 991. Clinical and demographic characteristics of the cases were evalua ted, and risks were calculated in relation to total pregnancies, inclu ding induced abortions. Miscarriage cases usually had positive pregnan cy tests, and a sizable proportion (66% of whites, 72% of blacks) had a pathology report indicating the presence of a conceptus. Nineteen pe rcent of the cases were identified in hospitals, a more common source for women who were unmarried, young, of low education, and had pregnan cies of advanced gestational age. The risk of medically treated miscar riage was 7.7% among whites and 5.5% among blacks, with higher risks a mong older women. The lower risk among blacks, especially those with l ower levels of education, suggests underascertainment, possibly result ing from a failure to seek treatment.