All About Pregnancy After Miscarriage

Many people worry about getting pregnant again after experiencing a loss. Here's everything you need to know about pregnancy after miscarriage.

If you've just experienced a pregnancy loss, you probably have some questions about your fertility. And while pregnancy after miscarriage is possible—sometimes even within a couple of weeks—the physical and emotional healing can take much longer.

But take heart: If you want to try again, it's very likely you will come out on the other side with the baby you've dreamed about. "If you've had one miscarriage, your chance of having a successful pregnancy isn't any different from anybody else's," says Jani Jensen, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist and assistant professor at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

So how soon after a miscarriage can you get pregnant, and is there an ideal time to begin having sex that could conceive a baby? Also, are you at a higher risk for complications after pregnancy loss? We spoke with experts to find out more about pregnancy after miscarriage.

Pregnant woman taking a selfie

Eunice Kim / Stocksy

When Can You Have Sex After Miscarriage?

The timeline for sex after a miscarriage depends on how you're healing. Most often, your body will complete the miscarriage on its own; otherwise, you'll need medication or a dilation and curettage (D&C) to surgically remove the contents of the uterus.

Visit your OB-GYN for a follow-up appointment about two weeks after the miscarriage, recommends Angela Chaudhari, MD, a gynecologic surgeon and assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

If everything looks fine, they'll generally give the green light for sex at this time, says Dr. Chaudhari. She notes, however, that people who had a D&C might need to wait a few weeks longer to control the bleeding.

Jani Jensen, M.D.

If you've had one miscarriage, your chance of having a successful pregnancy isn't any different from anybody else's.

— Jani Jensen, M.D.

How Soon After a Miscarriage Can You Get Pregnant?

If you're having unprotected sex, you can get pregnant when you begin ovulating again. This might be as soon as two weeks after a miscarriage (or it might be longer).

Some experts and organizations recommend waiting more than this to try again, says Zev Williams, MD, PhD, director of the Program for Early and Recurrent Pregnancy Loss (PEARL) at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. But it's not usually necessary.

Research shows there's little to no physiological reason for a prolonged waiting period. Take a 2022 interpregnancy interval study that found conceiving within three months isn't associated with increased risk of adverse pregnancy results. In addition, trying to get pregnant during the first few months after a miscarriage might result in higher conception rates than waiting longer.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) says some people might choose to wait until after their first menstrual period, since it will be easier to calculate their due date, but this isn't medically necessary. No matter the timeline you decide, remember to give yourself enough time to heal emotionally, mentally, and physically.

Your Hormones and hCG Levels After Miscarriage

For some people, waiting to get pregnant after miscarriage might be a wise choice for emotional and physical health. But more than that, it also gives your hormones time to settle.

Some people ovulate as soon as two weeks after a miscarriage, but it generally takes four to six weeks for their cycle to return. You might choose to wait until then to ensure that the pregnancy hormone hCG has dipped to levels so low that it's undetectable. "Resetting" the body by allowing a full menstrual cycle to occur lowers the odds of a false positive on a pregnancy test, which can happen if the hormones from the miscarriage haven't yet cleared from the body. This reset might also let you calculate a more precise due date.

The only way to know for sure if the pregnancy hormones have completely decreased down to "zero" is to receive a blood test (though a urine pregnancy test is fine too because it only picks up super-low amounts of hCG). Dr. Williams says people can ask their health care providers for a blood test after miscarriage, especially if they're hoping to try for another pregnancy as soon as possible. In general, he recommends waiting about six weeks after a first-trimester miscarriage for the test (though you can test whenever you're ready to try again, even if it's earlier than this).

Note that the further along in the pregnancy a person is, the higher their pregnancy hormones will be, so you might need to wait longer for hormone levels to normalize after second trimester miscarriage, says Dr. Williams. Your doctor will likely want to perform an evaluation for a second trimester miscarriage to determine possible causes.

What Causes Miscarriage?

About half of the time, first trimester miscarriage is caused by a chromosomal abnormality that makes the fetus incompatible with life. Pregnant people shouldn't blame themselves for the loss, because it's usually a random event. Talk to your health care provider about second trimester or recurrent miscarriages, as they might want to perform an examination for underlying problems.

Tips for Conceiving After Miscarriage

Getting pregnant after a miscarriage is no different than it was initially. You should time intercourse as close to ovulation as possible, and ideally have sex in the days leading up to it as well, says Dr. Chaudhari.

In addition to general recommendations for pregnancy planning—such as maintaining a nutritious diet and starting prenatal vitamins—parents-to-be should "check in" on their emotional well-being.

"You don't want to get pregnant simply to replace that pregnancy," explains Alice Domar, PhD, executive director of the Domar Center for Mind/Body Health at Boston IVF, assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School, and author of Conquering Infertility. "Start trying when you feel truly ready for the outcome, whether it's not getting pregnant, getting pregnant and having another loss, or getting pregnant and having a baby."

The most important thing is to always ask a health care provider when you should try to conceive again. Every miscarriage is different, and a health care provider can advise you on personal health.

Is It Easier to Get Pregnant After a Miscarriage?

There's some evidence that fertility may be higher in the first few months after miscarriage. For example, a study from the National Institute of Health, published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, studied more than 1,000 women. It found that 69% conceived within three months of miscarriage, compared with 51% of those who conceived after waiting longer. More information is needed, but the study suggests that there may be some advantages to trying to get pregnant sooner rather than later after a miscarriage.

Tip

You can get pregnant shortly after miscarriage, so remember to use birth control if you don't want to conceive just yet.

Are You Likely to Miscarry Again?

The odds of a successful, healthy pregnancy after miscarriage are definitely in your favor. In fact, research shows that over 85% of people who have experienced a miscarriage will go on to have a healthy, full-term pregnancy afterward, according to the American Pregnancy Association. Success rates are even better for those that conceive within three months of a pregnancy loss.

The Emotional Impact of Pregnancy After Miscarriage

Of course, getting the green light for sex and pregnancy after a miscarriage doesn't mean you're mentally ready for conceiving right away. Many health care providers feel that a person's emotional and mental health is vitally important to their physical health.

You and a health care provider are the best judges of when you, personally, are ready to try again. Consider factors like attitude, risks, and the situation surrounding the previous miscarriage, says Ricardo Huete, MD, Chief of OB-GYN at Torrance Memorial Medical Center in Carson, California.

What's more, this whirlwind of emotions won't disappear when you successfully get pregnant after a miscarriage. Indeed, if your last pregnancy ended in a loss, you may find yourself feeling overwhelmed with anxiety at every milestone you reach during your new pregnancy. It's also natural to downplay your excitement about having another baby after you've suffered a loss. You might do this to protect yourself, hoping to lessen your grief if you miscarry again.

Try leaning on family, friends, and health care providers for extra support—and realize that your partner might need additional attention, too. And remember, the odds are very much in your favor that your next pregnancy will go smoothly.

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Sources
Parents uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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