Getting Pregnant after Miscarriage before First Period

It is natural to want to get pregnant immediately after a miscarriage so as to temper the grief you are feeling after suffering from such a devastating event. Other couples feel that they need time to grieve after having a miscarriage, especially if the miscarriage occurred later on in the pregnancy.

You ovulate about 4 weeks after you have had a miscarriage and can technically get pregnant right after that. Many experts, however, recommend that you wait at least one cycle (one normal period) before trying to get pregnant again as it takes time for the uterine lining to be normal and your risk of miscarriage if you get pregnant before your first period is slightly increased.

You may need the time to grief your loss and to have your hormones stabilize to get pregnant. This is another reason why you might not want to get pregnant right away. Still another is the fact that you won’t have a reliable “last menstrual period” that helps define how far along you are in pregnancy. This can lead to confusion over when the baby is due unless you have an early ultrasound during your pregnancy.

There is no scientific proof that you are more fertile 2-3 months after having a miscarriage but some people believe this is true. In addition, you may have suffered from a medical complication from the miscarriage that needs to be taken care of before you try to get pregnant again. This is another reason why you might want to wait at least one cycle before trying to get pregnant again and you will need to see your doctor during that time to make sure you are healthy enough to get pregnant again.

Getting Pregnant Again

Just because you had a miscarriage doesn’t mean you will have another, even if you don’t wait until you have first period prior to getting pregnant. About 15 percent of the time, you will have another miscarriage, which is the standard incidence of miscarriage in any pregnancy. If you have had 2-3 miscarriages, your chances of miscarrying again go up to about 25 percent.

You may not be as overjoyed by this second pregnancy, especially since the grief is so recent if you get pregnant right away before having a first period. You may be downright anxious about getting pregnant again and about the health of this new pregnancy. Here are some tips to reduce this anxiety:

• Don’t go about having a baby shower or buying baby things until the pregnancy is well-established.
• Ask your doctor or midwife to monitor the pregnancy more closely so they can intervene if possible.
• Don’t be upset if people are giving you advice about this new pregnancy. Follow the advice of your midwife or obstetrician carefully, however.
• Remember that your positive pregnancy test is proof that you are pregnant.
• Know that every pregnancy is different and this pregnancy may very well end in your having a healthy baby.
• Wait for the heartbeat. Once this is visible on an ultrasound, the miscarriage rate is only about 10 percent.

If the doctor can hear the heartbeat with a Doppler device, the chances of miscarriage drop even further—to around 5 percent.

Should you see a Specialist First?

You may wish to see a specialist in fertility before trying to get pregnant right away. Reasons why you might want to see a specialist include being older (older than 35 years of age), having 2-3 miscarriages in the past, or having some kind of medical illness (like diabetes) that increases your chances of having another miscarriage. If you have had fertility issues, seeing a specialist may help you get pregnant with a healthy baby.

References:

• https://www.huggies.com.au/pregnancy/miscarriage/pregnant-after
  Accessed 4/27/16.