Getting Pregnant After Miscarriage
You have gone through the emotional and physical pain of your early pregnancy loss. Most women who experienced miscarriage blame themselves for the pregnancy loss and are searching the cause of miscarriage. Miscarriage is not caused by your work, stress, exercise, sex or morning sickness. Stop blaming yourself. Give yourself some time to get over the loss before you try to get pregnant again.
You may be worrying about getting pregnant after miscarriage. Will the same thing happen again? Let’s look at the causes of miscarriage.
Miscarriage Cause
For many couples, the cause of miscarriage is often unknown. However, it is not your fault. It’s not due to something you have done or not done. Majority of miscarriages are caused by chromosomal abnormalities and usually occur in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Fortunately, the chromosomal abnormalities occur randomly and are non-recurrent.
Miscarriage does not cause infertility. Most women have no difficulty having ovulation after miscarriage and get pregnant again. Most successfully carry their pregnancy to full-term. However, there is a minority who experience recurrent miscarriages.
Cause Of Recurrent Miscarriage
Recurrent miscarriage can be caused by many factors. Some of the reasons for miscarriage may be lifestyle factors, chromosomal problems, low progesterone, uterus abnormalities or your medical condition. Your doctor can give you diagnostic tests to determine if you have any of these problems.
1. Lifestyle Factors
Stay away from tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs which are known to increase your risk of miscarriage. Consult your doctor if you have difficulty discontinuing these activities and lead a healthy lifestyle.
2. Chromosomal Problems
Most miscarriages are caused by chromosomal abnormalities. When the egg and sperm unite, a very complex series of steps take place before a fetus is formed. Problems with the number and structure of chromosomes may occur and miscarriage happens. Most women have healthy pregnancy after one miscarriage. However, a small percentage of couples inherited the chromosomal problem from their parents. In this case, recurrent miscarriages will continue to take place. Your doctor can diagnose this rare condition through genetic tests.
3. Low Progesterone Level
Low progesterone level can cause miscarriage during early pregnancy. Your body secretes progesterone to thicken the lining of your uterus so as to support the fertilized egg. If your progesterone level is low, your pregnancy cannot be properly supported resulting in bleeding and early miscarriage. Your doctor can do a simple blood test to check your progesterone level and prescribe progesterone supplementation if necessary.
4. Abnormalities of the Uterus Or Cervix
If you have an abnormal uterus or cervix anatomy, you can still have children but the risk of having miscarriage is higher. Uterine problems such as uterine fibroids, septate uterus, Asherman’s syndrome and endometrial polyps can result in a miscarriage. Incompetent cervix is a condition where the cervix is too weak to stay closed and usually results in later pregnancy loss.
5. Medical Conditions
Some medical conditions like pelvic infection, diabetes, insulin resistance syndrome, thyroid disease, thrombophilia, lupus, antiphospholipid syndrome and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) can increase your risk of miscarriage.
6. Ectopic Pregnancy
In an ectopic pregnancy, the embryo implants and grows outside the uterus, usually the fallopian tube. When the embryo grows to a certain point, the fallopian tube will be ruptured causing severe complications and miscarriage. Symptoms of ectopic pregnancy are vaginal bleeding and pelvic pain.
Signs of A Miscarriage
The symptoms of a miscarriage are vagina bleeding or cramping during pregnancy. If you experience signs of a miscarriage during pregnancy, see your doctor straight away.
Reduce Your Miscarriage Chances
You can take some preventive actions to reduce your risk of miscarriage and have a healthy pregnancy.
- Go for a complete medical checkup before you get pregnant again. Discuss the risk factors and causes of your past pregnancy loss with your doctor.
- Ask your doctor for prenatal vitamins and other medication if necessary.
- Have a healthy lifestyle with nutritious diet, exercise and avoid alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs.
- Plan your pregnancy, monitor your menstrual cycle and ovulation period.
- If there is any sign of pregnancy, see your doctor immediately for early checkup and diagnosis.
- Share your concerns and questions with your doctors about your past pregnancy loss.
- Follow your doctor’s instructions and make sure you go for regular checkup so that your doctor can monitor your health and pregnancy closely.
Keep in mind that you can have a successful pregnancy even though you have experienced pregnancy loss in the past. Getting pregnant after miscarriage may also help to heal the pain of your previous pregnancy loss. Take preventive actions to reduce miscarriage chances. You will soon be able to have a baby of your own.
