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No Need to Delay Getting Pregnant Soon After Miscarriage, Study Says
Filed under: In The News, Infertility, Research Reveals: Babies, Pregnancy Health, Development Health, Research Reveals
Study shows there's no need to wait Credit: Getty Images
Having a miscarriage can be emotionally devastating -- perhaps even more so for women who don't already have children -- and many doctors recommend taking a break before trying to conceive again.
However, a new study published in the British Medical Journal suggests getting pregnant again quickly -- within six months of an initial miscarriage -- may improve a woman's odds of having a healthy pregnancy.
About 20 percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage before 24 weeks, and women who have one miscarriage are at an increased risk not only of miscarrying again, but also of having complications in a subsequent pregnancy.
But doctors and medical organizations differ on how long a woman should wait before conceiving again. The World Health Organization recommends waiting at least six months, and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists simply recommends allowing enough time for physical and emotional healing.
Delaying conception can be problematic: Women who suffer miscarriages tend to be older and therefore already may have a more difficult time conceiving. After the age of 40, women have a 30 percent chance of miscarrying; the risk rises to 50 percent after the age of 45.
Researchers from the University of Aberdeen reviewed data from more than 30,000 women who visited hospitals in Scotland between 1981 and 2000. They looked specifically at women who had suffered miscarriages in their first pregnancies, then got pregnant again.
They found that women who had become pregnant within six months of losing their first pregnancies were less likely to suffer a second miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy than women who became pregnant six to 12 months after the miscarriage. The women who got pregnant more quickly also were less likely to need to deliver by Cesarean section, deliver prematurely or have low birth weight babies.
The authors conclude that "it is unnecessary for women to delay conception after a miscarriage."
Related: Pollution Could Increase Risk of Miscarriage, New Study Shows
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
8-10-2010 @ 11:41AM
Alicia said...It may be physically more healthy, but out of four pregnancies, my mother miscarried three times and I can tell you, she was not emotionally capable of another pregnancy after any of them. Heck, after the first one (a year before I was conceived) she couldn't even handle watching television, according to my dad. Of course every woman is different and while she never talks about it, I'm not sure my mother's over the lost children, even 21 years later. The most she'll discuss her pregnancies is calling me a "miracle baby" for being the only survivng child and a premie.
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10-14-2010 @ 9:48AM
terra said...I don't believe this article not to say it isn't true but I have had 3 miscarriages and a daughter that was born at 26 weeks she is my miracle child because she survived. Every woman is the different what works for some may not work for all. Best advice is to do what is in your heart. I did. But I also did internet research and I read an article stating if a woman became pregnant within 6 months of a miscarriage she's at a greater risk of miscarriage but then that depends on socioeconomic status and things of that nature. Trying for children is a really trying and tough time I wish every woman good luck and well wishes in the reproductive process.
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2-19-2011 @ 11:31PM
Leah said...I have had 4 miscarriages. My most successful pregnacies have been right after loosing a baby. My high risk Dr. told me it was because I had left over HCG levels in my body from the pregnacy before to help hold the second baby. I know it may be different for every woman, but for me I know if I have a miscarriage that I should get pregnant right away to have a healthy pregancy. I now have 5 healthy kids!!
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