Pregnancy After Miscarriage

When a woman experiences the devastation of a miscarriage, making the decision to try to get pregnant again can be a difficult one.

“After a woman loses a pregnancy, it’s important for her to consult with her OB/GYN physician to try and find out why,” says Andrew Markowitz, M.D., an obstetrics expert at the Women’s Health and Menopause Center. “All of the physicians at the Women’s Health and Menopause Center are committed to referring a woman to the best specialists in genetics or reproductive endocrinology to help increase her chances of a subsequent healthy pregnancy.”

A couple has an 85 percent chance of having a successful pregnancy after losing an unborn child. However, those chances do decrease when a woman has had two or more miscarriages, is over 35, has an illness that affects pregnancy (like diabetes) or has an ongoing fertility problem.

There isn’t necessarily a specific amount of time a woman should wait until she and her partner try to conceive again. However, Dr. Markowitz encourages women to wait several weeks to help increase the chance of a healthy pregnancy. A woman is typically “medically” safe for another pregnancy after two to three normal menstrual periods. Of course, this timeframe is dependent on the physical and mental health of the mother.