Genogram Maker
Genogram symbols

Miscarriage Symbol in a Genogram

In the standard McGoldrick–Gerson notation, a miscarriage (spontaneous abortion) is a small filled circle hanging from the couple’s line, placed among the children in birth order. An induced abortion is a small X, a stillbirth is a small symbol with an X through it, and a current pregnancy is a triangle.

Father46Mother44Son14
Fig. 1 — Miscarriage exampleOpen in Genogram Maker
  • Miscarriage
  • Pregnancy
  • Induced abortion
  • Stillbirth

What it means

  • Pregnancy losses sit in the sibling row, in the order they happened.
  • Add the year if you know it; the sex can be shown if it was known.

Compared with similar symbols

PregnancyTriangle.
MiscarriageSmall filled circle.
Induced abortionSmall X.
StillbirthSmall symbol with an X through it.

When to use it

  • Any pregnancy loss the family mentions. Losses often shape later children’s roles.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving losses out entirely.
  • Mixing up the miscarriage and abortion symbols.

Genogram Maker draws this symbol for you and adds it to the key automatically. Open the example above and edit it.