Trying Again After a Miscarriage or Is It Too Soon?

Updated on February 29, 2008
H.J. asks from Ashland, OH
33 answers

Hi! I am looking for any advice on anyone who has been through a "natural" miscarriage. I found out in December that I was pregnant. . however, in January I started spotting at 7 weeks. I went to the ER where they told me they everything measured up right, but when they did the ultrasound there was no heartbeat, and that it was going to miscarry. Sure enough about a week and half later I miscarried ( just like a really heavy period) and it lasted about a week and a half. After that I continued to spot lightly for about 3 or so weeks, then without the spotting ever stopping, I started my period. My period was just like normal, but once it was done, I continued to spot lightly (kind of a pinkish, brownish color). It's not much and it is not all the time. I have seen my doctor a couple times throughout this and he told me that we could start trying to get pregnant again once I had one regular cycle. Well, I have had that cycle, and want to start trying again, but am wondering if it is too soon. Is the spotting like this normal? I have read on the internet that you can spot up to six months but that seems like a long time. I would like to have another baby, but want to make sure that my body is ready to carry a child. Any suggestions or advice would be very helpful. Thanks in advance!

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R.M.

answers from Canton on

I had a miscarriage on Dec 15, 2006 at 6 weeks, it was my second miscarriage. Then I found out I was pregnant again on Feb 16 and had a beautiful healthy baby boy on November 10th (a week over due). I had a normal healthy pregnacy the whole nine months and my OB never had anything negative to say about me getting pregnant again so soon. In fact, you are very fertile following a miscarriage, just as you are after a normal delivery.

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R.B.

answers from Jacksonville on

My siser had a miscarriage about 10 weeks along. She was advised to wait three months before trying again. She did and now she and her husband have a beautiful healthy little girl!

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A.K.

answers from Columbus on

I also had a miscarriage. I know how much pain you & your husband must be going through. I was about 13-14 weeks pregnant when lost my baby. Baby stopped developing at 8 weeks. Went to er and doctor did exam and everything seemed okay, then ultrasound confirmed no heartbeat. I decided to go ahead since already in hospital to have d&c. Was in hospital a day, never spotted. You might want to go to doctor to see if you also need a d&c to clean out any tissue still there. We conceived after okay from doc and gave to birth to beautiful baby boy, Brody Qinn now almost six months. Good luck!

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A.H.

answers from Columbus on

It is abolutely ok to try again. I know it's scary, and I need to tell you that when you get pregnant again, you will be scared for a while too. I miscarried June 06 at 7 weeks. It was tough...my husband being out of town, having a 3 yr. old at home, etc. I got pregnant again in August, however, and gave birth to a wonderful baby girl in May 07. Good luck!

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E.S.

answers from St. Louis on

Several years ago my husband and I conceived our second pregnancy in December and I too, had the exact same situation as you. I went for the u/s and measurements were all fine, but there was no heartbeat (I was also 7 weeks). I opted to wait it out until I miscarried naturally which was about a week later(that was in February). We got pregnant again in March after my next period and that pregnancy went perfectly fine, and so have my two subsequent pregnancies. My miscarriage was devastating to both my husband and myself and I still think about it often. I pray that your next pregnancy will go well.

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K.F.

answers from Indianapolis on

I had a natural miscarriage between my two children, so I feel for what you're going through. I also thought that getting pregnant again was one of the best ways for me to get over it--and it proved correct for me. (I found part of what I was mourning was the baby, and part of it was not having the "timetable" that I wanted in terms of spacing the kids. Getting pregnant again quickly solved at least the second problem for me.) What I read on the internet and was told by my midwife was that I could get pregnant again as soon as I stopped bleeding. I'm not sure how spotting figures into that, so you may need to specifically ask your doctor. My bleeding was quick and intense (lasting 7 days or so) and then was done completely. I started trying to get pregnant as soon as my bleeding stopped and got pregnant 3 weeks after my miscarriage (before I even had a period). My new pregnancy continued fine and now I have a beautiful 14mo old girl!

On another note, I know that dealing with a miscarriage is so very difficult, after dealing with one myself. I had a friend (who had been through a couple miscariages) tell me at the time that she is thankful for her miscarriage because otherwise she wouldn't have her son (who wa born after the miscarriages). I thought I understood at the time, but now (after the birth of my daughter) I totally do. It's not that I don't mourn for my baby who died, but if I didn't have a miscarriage, I wouldn't have my daughter. Ever. Her unique combination would never had existed. And I just can't imagine a world without her anymore. So I also am thankful for my miscarriage. It's not that my miscarriage doesn't make me sad anymore--I've just learned how to be happy and sad about the same thing. Just a thought to keep in the back of your mind as you go through this all.

M.S.

answers from Columbus on

First of all, I am sorry about your miscarriage. Even if it's early, or an unplanned prgnancy, it can be devastating.

I would definitely go by your doctor's recommendations regarding when it's safe to go ahead and try again. If your MD says it's ok, then you are in the green. After a miscarriage, your uterus is really fertile. It is still "primed and ready" to take a new pregnancy. I have heard many, many times a woman getting pregnant right after a miscarriage and will go on to have a healthy pregnancy.

Good luck to you! Let us know how it goes!!:)

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W.M.

answers from Toledo on

H.,

I am sorry to hear about your miscarriage. As A women who has had 3 miscarriages I have alway choose the natural method I would not let them do a DNC with a DNC it is harder to get pregnant. As long as you were 7 weeks yes your body is ready to be pregnant. Mine always happened at 4-5 months. And then I would need to wait a few months but yes you are ok to try. Hope this helps!

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D.Z.

answers from Cleveland on

I am so sorry you miscarried! I know how heart breaking it is as I miscarried at 15 weeks my 1st pregnancy. Like your doc, mine told me that I needed to wait for 1 regular cycle, which we did. And, I got pregnant again the next month and gave birth to a now 3 3/4 old wonderful baby girl! Now, I didn't spot, so you just might want to give your doctor a call and check it out. But, there is hope!

Good Luck!

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B.H.

answers from Dayton on

I had an almost identical miscarriage experience. The doctor told me the same thing. You can start trying as soon as you have your first normal cycle. Emotionally, i wasn't ready to start right away. However, i have a friend who conceived two months after her miscariage and her daughter is now 2 years old.

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J.C.

answers from Dayton on

Same thing happened to me. Doc even said I needed to wait until I had a regular period again. I did, we started trying soon after, 3 mos. later I was preggers and our baby is now 7 mos. old.

Good luck!

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M.C.

answers from Youngstown on

I am sorry for your loss. I had a miscarriage last year at 7 weeks as well. It was my first pregnancy. Same thing...I started spotting and called my Dr. & went in for an emergency ultrasound & they said there was no heartbeat. Two nights later I misscarried. My bleeding slowed down but did not stop. My Dr. said within 2-3 weeks I should stop bleeding, but 6 weeks went by & I was still bleeding. My Dr. put me on the hormone progesterone to "shock" my system into going back to normal. It worked. The bleeding stopped and I had a regular cycle. We started trying right away and it took six months for us to get pregnant again. I am now almost 5 months pregnant and so excited. I would consult your doctor about the spotting. I don't know if spotting that long is normal, but it doesn't sound right to me. My doctor told me that after a misscarriage sometimes your uterus can go a little wacky and do whatever it wants, which is why I needed hormones to shock it back into doing whats normal. Ask your doctor and good luck to you!

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R.D.

answers from Indianapolis on

Does your dcctor know about the spotting? Did he consider what you had a normal cycle? I had a miscarriage years ago. I did not have the spotting you are describing. I did have the normal period, got pregnant the next cycle, and had a healthy baby boy next pregnancy. Actually, I went into labor at 32 weeks with the baby born before him, and didn't have any problems like that with him, delivered him at term. I had a 'natural' miscarriage in that we did nothing to cause it, but did follow hcg levels after the miscarriage to make sure they returned to <5 to make sure everything returned to normal. Good luck to you on your next pregnancy.

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A.M.

answers from Indianapolis on

I am so sorry about your miscarriage. I had the exact same thing happen to me in March of last year. I was also seven weeks and there was no heartbeat on the ultrasound. I miscarried naturally. My doctor told me I needed two normal cycles before we could try again. I did start to have "cycles" again but they were anything but normal. After months of spotting and irregular bleeding I finally tried Clomid last November. It is truly a miracle drug! It completely reset my system and gave me back my body and my mood. I was so depressed for all those months, mostly because my hormones were all messed up. We are still trying to get pregnant (with our third)and hope that now my cycle is normal again we will have more luck. I wish I hadn't waited so long to get help - I just kept thinking it would get better on its own. Good luck to you!

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N.K.

answers from Cleveland on

I had a miscarriage my third pregnancy(I had two previous successful ones) my doctor told me to wait three months before trying again and I think I got pregnant the third month and had a successful pregnancy and have also had another baby so in total I have four children and five pregnancies. Hope all goes well for you.

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L.K.

answers from Columbus on

HI H.,
I wouldn't say it's too soon. I miscarried after having my daughter and it was a natural miscarriage and then 2 months later I was pregnant with TWINS, who are now 15 months old.
If u feel good and the bleeding has stopped I would say it's ok to try again- GOOD LUCK!!!
Lisa
____@____.com

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D.I.

answers from South Bend on

I had 3 miscarriages before having my oldest son. My doctor told me to wait about 6 mo. before my husband and I tried again to be sure my body was completely healed. I was also told that spotting in the beginning is normal, but if you are spotting at around 2 or 3 months it is not normal. Your body is not completely healed yet so I would wait a while. We didn't wait a full 6 months after my last miscarriage though. I had that in Nov. 96 and was pregnant with my oldest boy in Feb. 07. I went to a high risk doctor because with having the miscarriages they keep a closer eye on you than a reg. ob/gyn. If you do choose to try again now I would reccommend seeing a high risk doctor. The spotting issue that you have is normal after a miscarriage so don't worry about that it will eventually stop.

I am a stay at home mom, married for almost 12 yrs. and have 3 boys ages 10,7 and 4. Good luck and I wish you and your husband the best on having another baby!

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A.H.

answers from Cleveland on

I also had an almost identical experience! I miscarried at the end of September, got pregnant again that December and had a beautiful baby boy the following August!! I am sorry to hear about your loss, but I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. That baby wasnt meant to be, but you are lucky to have two children and I am sure you will have another!! best of luck.

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M.S.

answers from Cincinnati on

I am so sorry to hear of your loss.
I had same experience - at 8 weeks.
I also had 2 children from healthy pregancies already and I never thought I would lose one to miscarriage.
No one knows what it feels like to lose a baby until it happens to you. And everyone deals in they're own way.

We tried again as soon as Doc gave green light.
Gave birth to DS almost 1 year to the day of losing the last one. Easy healthy uneventful pregnancy too.

Peace to you.

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J.G.

answers from Cleveland on

im sorry to hear of your loss i also have expericend that twice two years in a row i would find out in jan. i was preg and by march it would be over the only thing i can say is give your self time to heal than try that is all i can say good luck with everything

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A.T.

answers from Cincinnati on

Hi, H.!

I too, like most of these women, have expereinced miscarriage. My first son was about 10 months old when I found out I was pregnant again, not planned. I miscarried at about 10 weeks, but the Dr. said the pregnancy was only about 6 weeks along. He advised me to wait two full periods before trying again. Since we weren't really trying, that was okay. About 6 months later, I found out again that I was pregnant. My Dr. immediately put me on progesterone suppositories to help sustain the pregnancy, but again, I miscarried at about 7 weeks. I was very scared. Dr. did all kinds of tests, but nothing was found. I bled and spotted longer than the Dr. thought was right so he went in and cleaned everything out. It was not an actual D&C, but something he did right in his office. In about 2 days, all bleeding and spotting stopped. That was in August of 2004. In February of 2005, I conceived again. My Dr. had told me to get in as soon as I thought I was pregnant for a blood test. I was immediately put on progesterone and this time it worked. I had a small amount of spotting, but went on to carry that baby full term. I believe that your body does need a little time to heal, but I think it would be a good idea to check with your Dr. about the spotting. I pray that you can conceive again and have a totally healthy baby.

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H.B.

answers from Toledo on

I went through a similar experience with my first pregnancy (11 yrs ago). The doctor told me the same thing . . . wait for one normal cycle before trying again. We followed that advice, and we were pregnant again about 7 weeks after my normal cycle ended. In my situation, the advice given by the doctor was right on point . . . there were no problems carrying that baby full term.

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L.G.

answers from Cleveland on

I had a miscarriage at the end of nov(2003) at 12 weeks. The baby stop at 6 weeks growth. From there I got pregnant in Feb and had another miscarriage with in a week of finding out. We decieded to wait awhile before trying again. Well someone had other plains because I ended up pregnant right after with our now 3 yr old. MY sugestion to you would be to listen to your body it will tell you when it is ready. Good luck

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D.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

I had a miscarriage in July and the doctor told me after 2 normal cycles I could try again. We waited til after one and got pregnant right away. I am now 25 weeks and things are normal. As soon as you suspect you suspect you are pregnant and get a positive test call your OB right away. Mine had me come in for all kinds of test and things to monitor the baby very early. Good luck!

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K.C.

answers from Indianapolis on

Hi H.,

I wanted to respond to your question and give some advice. I have an 18 month old daughter and I too have experienced a miscarriage after having her. In fact, I have had THREE in a row! They were all under 10 weeks pregnant. I know how you feel and I am sorry for your loss. It is scary to try again, I know. After my first miscarriage last March, my doctor told me to wait three complete cycles before trying again. I did this and did not end up pregnant again for another two months after waiting for the three cycles to pass. After the second one, I waited two cycles and after the third I waited another two cycles. That is what I was told to do. I never have experienced the continual spotting like you afterwards, just the week long bleeding during the miscarriage like a bad period. However, I really believe that my hormones became extrememly out of wack after being pregnant so many times and then miscarrying. Your body may need time to adjust and get your hormones back into sync. I have seen a fertility specialist who has ran so many tests on me and found nothing to explain for my recurrent miscarriages. My best advice is to try when you are ready again. Having one miscarriage does not warrant seeing a specialist just yet. Yet, if you continue to miscarry you might want to be seen just to rule out anything that may be contributing to your loss. Eventhough I do not have any answers to explain my miscarriages, I have to realize that maybe, it was just not my time to be pregnant again and that I have no control over it. The truth is we do not have any control over it. You could become pregnant and miscarry again, even if you wait six months or a year. Do what is right for you when you are ready. I know this is not real profound advice, but it is what I am doing right now for myself.

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S.T.

answers from Columbus on

H. I am 43 and just delivered my last children almost 4 months ago. I have a 5 and 3 yr old and as you can see now a 4 mo old. We tried 2 times regarding having another baby after the second child and the first was a miscarriage and the second was a blighted ovum...(spelling?) meaning I showed pregnant but not really pregnant. I was on a sales calls working full time when the first one happened and then the second just happened too. You cannot predict these things they just happen. Once your regular period starts back up give yourself 3 to 6 months and then try again. Don't look at miscarriage as a bad thing. It happened for a reason....meaning abnormalities may have been an issue and it terminated on its own or something else. If you are healthly and happy it will happen again....be patient. I look at my new little man and don't know what I would have done without him. Life if about a serious of ups and downs....look up and start trying again....

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A.T.

answers from Indianapolis on

I too had a miscarriage- after the MD did the D&C, they told me i could start trying anytime after that... It took me awhile to get pregnant after that , so go for it!!!

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D.S.

answers from Toledo on

I'm very sorry for your loss. I also found out in Dec. that I was pregnant and miscarried at 7 weeks. My husband and I are trying again to get pregnant. I don't think it's to early to start especially if you want another baby really bad. My doctor told us that as soon as I had a normal period I could start trying again. I wish you all the luck on getting pregnant again.

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K.J.

answers from Columbus on

I had a miscarriage that sounds very similar to yours. My doctor told me to wait through 3 normal cycles and then start trying again. I did that and got preganant again and now have a healthy 10 month old baby. Miscarriage is hard, let yourself heal and grieve too.

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A.D.

answers from Indianapolis on

I am really sorry to hear about your loss. I do have some concern that your spotting could be from some retained tissue sometimes this can happen and the uterus does not completely expel everything. I have experienced this before and the spotting can be very annoying and after about six months of this I had a D&C and sure enough that was the problem and after that my spotting stopped. A D&C done properly will complicate you being able to conceive in the future. I am a proud mother of four and have had to have 2 D&C's due to retained tissue. You are ok to start trying again and I encourage that. Your body does not take long to heal from a early miscarriage. Good luck on your adventure of being a mom for the 3rd time.

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S.A.

answers from Fort Wayne on

In 2005/2006 I went through 2 miscarriages. We found out we were preg. in Oct. '05 and I miscarried that baby naturally 5 weeks later. I had all of the bleeding/spotting that you are describing but I got preg. again soon after not trying to. However we lost that baby 7 weeks later. So experiencing 2 miscarriages back to back the dr. told us to wait 2 entire periods before trying again. So we did that and I watched my ovulation cycle very closely and we became preg. again by June. This time our preg. went to full term and we have a beautiful daughter. I must say that was a very difficult time for my husband and I to experience two miscarriage right in a row but eventually we carried to term.
So my suggestion would be to go through one more period and then try again. See if that'll work.
Good luck and Best wishes!

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S.E.

answers from Cleveland on

I had two miscarriages. Both were early on but I had a D&C both times. After the first one I waited only one cycle and got pregnant right away. Well, I misscarried that one. I wonder if I did get going again too soon. The next time I waited I think 4 months. He is 11 months old now. After that, I did read that the risk of miscarrying again is higher if you don't wait very long. My own experience says, wait another cycle or two.

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K.P.

answers from Cleveland on

I had a very early miscarriage within a few weeks of being pregant, and within six weeks I was pregant again and things went as smooth as possible. The doctors never gave me a waiting period. I think that as soon as you are ready that you should start trying again and I am sure that it will happen! All the best to you!!!

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