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After Your Miscarriage

by — Last updated: 2013-09-10 in Pregnancy

Table of Contents

Miscarriage — spontaneous pregnancy loss before 20 weeks — is a common occurrence. Are you familiar with the symptoms and types of miscarriage, and would you know what to do in the aftermath?

It is important to follow up with your doctor at an agreed time following your miscarriage, to ensure that your uterus is empty. In the meantime, contact your doctor immediately if you are showing signs of infection.

These can include a fever, foul-smelling vaginal discharge, heavy bleeding (soaking pads every 10 minutes for more than two hours), and nausea and vomiting. Uterine infections following miscarriage or abortion can quickly become a medical emergency if they are not treated. 

Read More: Psychological Recovery From Miscarriage
Post-miscarriage uterine infections happen in about three percent of all miscarriages, and are not always due to retained tissue.

Watch out for signs of infection even if you had an ultrasound showing that your uterus was empty and the miscarriage complete. 

While a woman is bleeding after a miscarriage or abortion, she should never have sex, insert objects into the vagina, or sit in any type of water (bath, hot tub, swimming pool), to prevent infection. She should also avoid heavy lifting and exercise.

What should you do if you are dealing with a diagnosed miscarriage but still get a positive pregnancy test? Post-miscarriage woman should know that the levels of hCG, the hormone that a pregnancy test reacts to, drop down gradually over a period of time. Getting a positive pregnancy test after miscarriage is normal. A quantitative serum human Chorionic gonadotropin (QHCG) test may be used in the very early weeks of pregnancy to determine if the pregnancy is likely to continue or to miscarry. 

Miscarriage is, as you have learned, a very common occurrence. Having a miscarriage does not mean that you will never be able to get pregnant again. Many couples who have had a miscarriage immediately want to know when they can try for another baby, but there is some controversy surrounding this question.

Many doctors advise their patients to wait two or more full menstrual cycles before trying to conceive again. However, recent research shows that it is completely safe to try to get pregnant very soon after miscarriage.

Once the post-miscarriage bleeding subsides completely and the woman has had a medical check-up to ensure all fetal tissues were expelled, she could wait until she has a menstrual period. After that, she can safely try to conceive again.

A study from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland showed that women who get pregnant again within six months of a miscarriage actually have a higher chance of having a healthy pregnancy than the general population. Obstetrician Sohinee Bhattacharya, who participated in the research, reassures women that their next pregnancy is likely to have a positive outcome and that they “should try to conceive as soon as they feel physically and mentally ready”.