- Par Michelle Roberts
- Health Editor-in-Chief for the digital department
Photo credit, MichaelUtech
Contrary to current advice, getting pregnant in the months following an abortion or miscarriage does not appear to pose additional risks to mother and baby, say researchers who looked at recent real-life data.
This recommendation is intended to give the woman time to recover.
But a study published in PLoS Medicine, which analyzed 72,000 conceptions, suggests couples could try having a baby sooner.
The Tommy’s association, which supports the loss of a baby, says that women who feel ready to try again immediately after a miscarriage should do so if there is no medical reason against it.
The WHO says further research on pregnancy spacing is already underway and will help update advice.
The Norwegian research, which spanned eight years from 2008 to 2016, found no major difference in outcomes when a new pregnancy occurs before six months have elapsed.
This is a different finding from previous work in Latin America which, along with other studies, informed the WHO recommendations on pregnancy spacing.
The authors of the latest Norwegian analysis believe that advice needs to be reviewed so that couples can make informed decisions about when to have a child.
Asking parents to wait six months after a miscarriage or abortion may be unacceptable to some, especially when new medical data doesn’t seem to back it up, they say.
They recommend further studies.
Photo credit, Getty Images
pregnancy after miscarriage
Experts agree that being healthy increases the chances of conceiving a child.
Women are advised to take folic acid tablets daily while trying to get pregnant and up to 12 weeks pregnant.
Folic acid reduces the risk of giving birth to a baby with brain, spinal or spinal cord defects, such as spina bifida.
About 1 in 5 women (20%) have an early miscarriage in their lifetime. Often no cause is found.
If you’ve had just one miscarriage, there’s usually a very good chance that your next pregnancy will go well. Recurrent miscarriages are rare.
The charity Tommy’s advises that if you’ve had a miscarriage before, it may be worth asking your doctor if there are any medical reasons why you should wait a while before trying to get pregnant again.
But emotional health is also something to consider. Some couples feel they need time to prepare emotionally and physically for another pregnancy.
“You may need to give yourself time to grieve your lost baby before you think about the future. Other couples think trying again will help them come to terms with what happened,” explains Tommy.
“It’s an individual choice or a choice you have to make as a couple if you have a partner.”