Pregnancy After Miscarriage: Tests & Healthy Measures To Take

Written by shreeja pillai
Last Updated on

Miscarriage can be excruciating both emotionally and physically. While the recovery time for a miscarriage can be as early as two days, bouncing back from the emotional grief caused due to the loss can take longer. If you have had to lose a baby for whatever reasons, it is natural for you to need maximum time for healing.

An important truth you need to know and remember is that miscarriage is not the end to child birth. Most women conceive into a healthy pregnancy after an abortion or miscarriage. If you are planning for a pregnancy after miscarriage, there are many facts related to pregnancy after miscarriage that you must keep in mind.

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Pregnancy After Miscarriage:

Here are a few things to help you evaluate your readiness to conceive again, tell you the best time to plan the conception, talk about the various tests that your doctor may recommend and the healthy measures that need to be taken.

Once you are ready both mentally and physically to conceive again, it is advisable to take some precautionary measures. Consult your doctor to understand whether you are really prepared physically to carry on the process. There are a lot of factors that have to be taken into consideration in order to evaluate your readiness to try conceiving, both physically and emotionally.

Evaluating The Frequency of Miscarriages:

While few women experience a single miscarriage, others tend to have this unpleasant experience more than once. In some cases, a miscarriage can occur even before knowing the status of being pregnant. Usually a miscarriage tends to happen before the 20th week of pregnancy. It is important to introspect on your health status to avoid further miscarriages after consulting your doctor.

Tests Before Planning A Pregnancy:

After a miscarriage, your doctor will usually check for your health status once you are mentally ready to plan another pregnancy. There are different kinds of tests done to ascertain as to where you stand with your chances of pregnancy after miscarriage and whether your body is viable enough to do so.

Your doctor will suggest any of the below depending on your individual case history. Getting to know the kind of tests that are usually done can help you to be prepared mentally.

Here are some of the tests that your gynecologist might suggest:

1. Blood Tests:

A blood test is usually suggested to detect any underlying problems with your hormones or immune system. The doctor will advise this based on your past history with miscarriage.

2. Chromosomal Tests:

One of the underlying factors for a frequent miscarriage is your chromosomes. You and your partner will be asked to undergo blood test to analyze any possibilities of the chromosomal makeup that affects carrying the pregnancy through.

3. Ultrasound:

An ultrasound is generally done to check the health of both your cervix and the uterus. The scan is done either internally or externally depending on the circumstances. Your doctor will want to ensure a thorough internal examination before giving you a green signal to go ahead with conception.

4. Hysteroscopy:

This is a process where a small telescope called hysteroscope is inserted through your cervix into the uterus. The doctor will then expand the uterine cavity by injecting with saline to study the uterine walls and the fallopian tubes. This is usually done to examine the health of your fallopian tubes and the uterine system.

5. Hysterosalpingography:

This technique involves dye to highlight your uterine cavity and fallopian tubes to study via X-Ray. This is recommended based on what your gynecologist wants to study in specific to determine the future viability.

6. Sonohysterogram:

A fluid is injected into your uterus through the vagina and the cervix. Then the health of the lining is checked via an ultrasound by the doctor.

Best Time For Pregnancy After A Miscarriage:

It is quite possible to get pregnant immediately after a miscarriage as your uterus returns to normal functioning post the event. However, a lot depends on your mental ability to move forward and plan the pregnancy.

While there is no such thing as an ideal time, most experts recommend waiting at least for six months before rushing into another pregnancy. While some cases have reported women conceiving before six months progressing to a healthy delivery later on, this is largely also based on the number of miscarriages you have had in the past.

Special Case Of Molar Pregnancy:

In case of a molar pregnancy, where your placenta develops into an abnormal cyst mass rather than fetus, a miscarriage is inevitable. You can wait up to six months after a molar pregnancy to plan conceiving again.

Healthy Measures For Pregnancy After A Miscarriage:

It becomes all the more important for you to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle while planning pregnancy after a miscarriage. This also has long term benefits, enabling you to deliver a healthy baby without complications. Ensuring timely and nourished diet is of utmost priority before and while you conceive again.

The following are usually suggested by your doctor while contemplating pregnancy:

1. Folic Acid Supplements:

You may have to take folic acid supplements few months before conception. Folic acid protects your fetus and increases the chances of fertility. Folate or folic acid is also referred to as a ‘pregnancy superhero’. Folate is said to ensure healthy development of spinal cord and central nervous system in the babies. Folic acid reduces the chances of neural tube defects in the fetus during the prenatal stages.

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