When to Start Trying Again After 2 Miscarriages?

Just a note: I have two friends who had 2 miscarraiges in a year (each one did), and both happened to end up having a clotting disorder. They went on aspirin, then when getting pregnant, they immediately had to start injections of blood thinners. I know it IS very common to have 2 miscarraiges, but something to think about! (Also, one of them had a completely normal preg years before this happened)

Definitely get your progesterone level checked before trying again. I switched doctors after I had a miscarriage because I didn't like how callous the doctor was about my miscarriage. I found a compassionate doctor who agreed to do testing after my first miscarriage instead of waiting until after three. I got pregnant three months after my miscarriage and I'm glad I didn't wait, because somehow in my mind I've combined the pregnancies and it seems now that I was just pregnant with my daughter for a really long time.

V.,
Sorry for your losses. I have not had 2 miscarriages, but I did have 1. My doctor told me to wait 2 cycles and then I could try again.

I don't see why it would be different for you, since you didn't have a D&C with eitehr miscarriage. I was also told that they wait for 3 miscarriages before they start genetic testing on the fetus to see if there's a genetic reason.

I hope it helps.

I want to start by saying that you will be in my prayers. A miscarraige is a very hard thing to go through, much less 2 of them. I would have to say that the best time to try again is when you feel healthy and you are ready emotionally. My husband and I tried 3 months after our second miscarraige. And it only took 4 months to get pregnant. That pregnancy was totally normal and now I have an awnry 2.5 year old to show for it. I had no problems with the next pregnancy either. You just have to give yourself some time (however long or short you need) until YOU are ready. There is no right time, just the right time for you and your husband. I should mention as well that I didn't have to take any hormones or anything. Just prenatals and folic acid. Take care of yourself and good luck!

I am so sorry for your loss. I am also so sorry that your doctors are so thoughtless.

I have been in your shoes and I have had doctors tell me similar things. We had one child die at 31 weeks and another died at 14 weeks. I decided to get a second opinion. I found Dr. Hilger's in Omaha. He checked my hormone levels and found that I was low in T3 and progesterone. He trains doctors from all over the world. Check the Pope Paul the VI Institute for a doctor nearer you.

I am currently pregnant with a little girl and all is going well. I have had to supplement hormones through the entire pregnancy, but it is well worth it.

Not many doctors will check progesterone, but it causes many miscarriages. I took the approach that I wanted to make sure that I was healthy so that I could successfully carry a child. After all carrying to term is what a female body is created to do best so when it doesn't work, there must be something causing it. There is two years between the death of our last child and this pregnancy, but that was not planned. That is how long it took me to get some answers and for the opportunity to arise.

about 4-5 years ago we had our first mis-carriage - ended up getting a D&C to find out we had a molar pregnancy (which is an empty sac with grape like things growing inside at an excellerated pace). We tried getting pregnant right away. 1 year later we had a normal mis-carriage after taking clomid. about 2 weeks after the 2nd mis-carriage we got pregnant again and he is now 2-1/2 years old. We've been trying for #2 since our son was six months old. We went on Letrozole in June 2008 and in July we had mis-carriage #3. Thats when my doctor started all the testing - she told us not to try again until after all the testing was over (but typically our doctor just wants people to wait 1-2 cycles to get their body back in order) After all the testing they found nothing wrong - we stil have a few tests to run but we chose to wait on them cause they are pricey ones. We went back on the Letrozole and this is our last month on in and still no baby :(. If we don't get pregnant this month I guess we will have to pay for the rest of the testing to be done. It is a very difficult and trying process. Good luck to you and I hope it works out for you. Sometimes we just need time, and as I know it is very hard to wait and a very emotional time in our lives.

Hi V.-
You have a great positive attitude and humor about this- fantastic!!
Sounds like you also have stress?? and mixed messages.
You are ready to try when YOU are ready.
My girlfriend had 5 miscarriages like you- I have 2- then success- her 5 kids, me twins after reading a book she told me to read. The yeast syndrome. Older book but it helped us and 2 other girlfriends of mine not only concieve but carry full term single and multiple births- our bodies were a healthier environment?? maybe ??? who knows. Has to do with pH.
Best of luck and 2009 can be your year of many successes and blessings.

About me- 48 yo med. prof., wellness coach, and mom to 7 yo twin girls.

B. J

I say try again as soon as you are ready. It would be about three months with a D&C so your body can heal, but if you lost your baby naturally you can try again when you are ready.
I lost one not 2 but that is what my Dr. told me. I lost mine in September/October and was pregnant in December (not finding out until january). I didn't do anything to stop myself from getting pregnant and didn't "try" either, but was pregnant in a few months. Do what you are comfortable in doing. According to what I have heard there should be no reason not too try or let nature take it's course. Good luck. I am sending some baby dust your way.

P.S. I do have to say that I was put on progesterine the last two pregnancies after I miscarried. I had some early spotting with them. I also had them check my numbers to see if they were doubling every 2-3 days. Make sure you ask for these when you chose to try (progesterine level and if your hcl numbers are doubling). Was your last pregnancy a chemical pregnancy too. Mine was when I lost it at 7 weeks. Ask for an early altrasound about 6 weeks and have them keep a watch after that.

As far as how many times does it have to happen before they recomment testing..... I think that depends on the dr and where you are at. I think around here, it is three, but I'm not positive.

For the how long should you wait..... I have had one m/c (at 8 weeks) and my dr told me to wait 3 months before trying again. I've heard of women trying right away after a m/c. I think dr's recommend for you to wait, to give your body time to return to 'normal' after a m/c, and needs time to get back to where it was, but I think they tell you to wait to give you time to heal emotionally as well.

You are in my thoughts and prayers!

i know my doctor would have done more of a checkup if we had 2 miscarriages to see if there is another medial reason for the miscarriages.
i would encourage your doctor to do that. however,
as far as waiting, i would wait a while, just to ... remove the miscarriages from the real pregnancies... just for emotional reasons. you dont want to replace immediatly the pain of miscarrying.
really, there is a huge emotional toll with miscarriage that not a lot of people realize. we had one miscarriage, and 10 months later i was pregnant, but i went to the greif meeting for miscarriages and i was surprised how hard i cried! it was really nice to get that off my system. i mean, after a miscarriage, you cry at first, but then you try not to deal with it again. .. so
check your clinic, see if they have a grief meeting of some kind. ours offered us a package - they actually bury the tissue (i had a d&c) in the cemetary.. and tell you about the greif meeting.
anyway.
good luck, remember that good healthy living and relaxation is the best thing for conception. :D
also, there is a conceive magazine that you can subscribe to if you are so inclined. :D
also, the pregnancy book by william sears would be a good idea too. :D

Two years ago I experienced 2 m/c's and 2 d&c's... and then I got pregnant with my daughter who is 4 mo old. A few things- make sure you are taking a good prenatal and have your progesterone checked. Old school says wait 6 mos. My cycles were so off after the first, I didn't plan to get pregnant either time- and both were VERY quickly after the d&c, my doc liked to have one cycle to be able to date from. Good luck.

I also agree with getting progesterone checked. I used clomid and progesterone creme with my first daughter, 2nd pregnancy I concieved with nothing and had a miscarriage, third pregnancy used clomid again (which has progesterone in it) and carried another healthy baby. Progesterone helps those first few weeks of pregnancy. It seems that you can get pregnant, but not keep the pregnancy.

Something to check out and not invasive at all. Many blessings to you!

I've had 2 non-consecutive miscarriages each time they were early ~ 8-10 weeks and were spontaneous so I didn't need a D&C. Each time I was told we could start after 1 cycle.

I've heard that they will do genetic testing after the 3rd miscarriage.

I know that it's a horrible experience to go through and it does help to talk about it. You are at your most fertile right afterwards, so it might be the best time to try as long as you feel up to it.

Good Luck

I had several miscarriages off the bat and I didn't wait or space it out I would miscarry and immediately try again (being that your extremely fertile that way) and I finally had a good pregnancy and then years later wanted 1 more and tried again no problems again. Now I have 2 little girls. Just keep trying.

I also have read that it is wise to get your progesterone levels checked before you start trying to concieve, and also your estrogen (which can be too high). My friend learned that she was miscarrying due to high estrogen levels and low progesterone levels, then went on to have a very successful pregnancy.

I just had my second miscarriage this summer. I had one before my daughter then we had our daughter, and then we just had one. With the last miscarriage the doctor told me to wait three cycles before I should start trying, but since I am a teacher I asked what would happen if I didn't wait the three months and she told me it is more for them to make sure the first pregnancy has ended before the next one started. I had an ultrasound right after I had my miscarriage and they told me everything was out. So we started trying after one cycle and got pregnant right away. We are expecting our second child in June. She also told me that when you have two miscarriages they are not concerned that there is something wrong with you. She told me they start to get concerned when you have three or more miscarriages in a row. Good luck with everything. M.

Hormones and grief are a dangerous combination. Back in the dark ages I had 3 miscarriages (all at 8 weeks) in less than a year. It killed my marriage and damn near killed me. I do NOT think there is a set amount of time you need to wait, but I do think it's wise to wait until your hormones and emotions are BOTH on an even keel again....

Good Luck!

Have them check your progesterone levels after you ovulate (use a kit so you know when you do ovulate for sure). I have had 2 m/c and the last one needed a d&c. A month later we started trying and they put me on prometrium (progesterone) the 2nd half of my cycle, I was pregnant and had no problems. I had tried for that 2nd one about a yr and my doc said I could have been conceivieng but bc of low prog. the pg wasn't sticking. I've been pg 4 times, so I knew that wasn't the issue and have had 2 live births..one thanks to the extra progesterone. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers...I know how disappointing and frustating it is!

Hi. Hope this helps... When my sister-in-law miscarried, I am pretty sure the doctor told her to wait at least three months; this was to let her body rest a little before she tried again, & hopefully get everything back on track. My doctor told me the same thing when I miscarried, sixteen years ago. Take prenatal vitamins before you start trying. Eat well, avoid alcoholic drinks, & quit smoking (if any of this applies to you). It is important to exercise regularly, too. You mentioned stress; not good if you are trying to get pregnant. Try to relax. Subscribe to FitPregnancy Magazine. It has good info. & good advice. Good luck to you!

I had a "chemical pregnancy" in July 2005 and a miscarriage that happened when I was 9 weeks along in October 2005. We were told to wait until I got my period and then we could start trying again. I was also told that because they were very different kinds of miscarriages that this was an indication that it was NOT me that was the issue. We were pregnant again in December 2005 with my second daughter. She was and continues to be very healthy and such a blessing! I also have two other children that were conceived super easy without any problems beforehand. Hang in there. I know it is hard...

I had two miscarriages in a year and I am so sorry that you have had to experience that - I wouldn't wish a miscarriage on anyone. My doctors told me that when I was ready try again. As long as there weren't any complications with the miscarriage I think you are good to go. The only time frame I have ever seen is to wait one cycle, but it doesn't seem to really matter.

It took over a year after the second for us to get pregnant and I was encouraged by my boss actually to go and insist on testing. I took some meds (clomed - sp?) and got pregnant the first cycle. We had a healthy baby girl and I am currently 12 weeks pregnant with #2. This conception took us 7 months and I had just gotten a script from my doctor but got pregnant before I got to take it.

The hardest advice I can give is try not to worry about it. But don't wait to talk to your doctor about your options. For me it helped just to know how long we would have to try before looking into our next option. Somehow it made me feel a little more in control.

Good luck to you and your husband as you try to add to your family.

I have had 3 miscarriages total. My first one was at 12 weeks. Then we had a healthy baby girl. (Took us 6 months to conceive her even though we started trying immediately after the miscarriage.) Then, we went on to have 2 more miscarriages at 5 and 6 weeks. (Those being only 1 month apart from one another...) All 3 came out naturally with NO d&c. (The doc wanted to do one with the first miscarriage because we new the baby had died but we chose to wait it out. After a week, I bled on my own. I just couldn't bring myself to have the d&c because I didn't want the docs to be wrong and me abort my baby. I was praying for a miracle but God decided my baby would be best in heaven.)

We went to the regular doc for answers and they could not help. They ran a bunch of tests and everything came back fine. Then they wanted to start getting more invasive and put dye up my uterus and such and we said NO WAY! The doc was a jerk and insensitive and we got the feeling that he was running more tests for the money... So we went to a natural doctor.

The natural doc (and his chiropractor daughter) went through our history and asked a ton of questions. Checked out diets and everything and came up with that my body couldn't handle a pregnancy because I was not healthy enough. We were NOT eating very well. (Fast foods, pop, frozen pizzas, etc. were the main bulk of our diet.) So, they wrote up a plan for us and my husband and I both did a colon clense and started taking the recomended vitamins and fish oils, we switched to eating only organic, etc. and 5 months later (THE FIRST MONTH WE STARTED TRYING) we were pregnant. We now call that Jack.

There could be many different reasons as to why you lost your babies and you will get many different opinions. As for when you should conceive again, that depends on what you chose to do about why you miscarried. If you think is was just a fluke, then you should start trying whenever you feel like it. If you think it may be the same reasons we had, you may choose to hold off a couple months to build your body up to be healthy enough to hold a pregnancy to full term.