The heartbreak of a miscarriage and the fear of having another are very common experiences. When women become pregnant after miscarriage, they frequently ask me what they can do this time time to prevent a miscarriage from happening again. Here’s what I told one woman the other day in answer to this question:

Unfortunately, the majority of miscarriages are nature’s way of taking care of something that isn’t meant to be. Most miscarriages occur because there’s something abnormal about the pregnancy (chromosomes or otherwise) that will never result in a healthy outcome. The process of miscarriage occurs when your body realizes that, and the pregnancy is ended.

There are no medications or interventions that have been shown to reduce the chances of first-trimester miscarriage in the normal population of childbearing women. That includes taking progesterone and/or aspirin.

Blood tests and early ultrasounds can be useful for reassurance that a pregnancy is progressing normally, but they only reassure, or diagnose miscarriage early. There is nothing that can be done to affect the outcome in the end.

If you’ve only had one miscarriage, then your chances of having another one are not higher than those of any other woman. But, if you’ve just missed your period, that risk could be as high as 50%. It’s the chance anyone takes when trying to create a family.

So celebrate the fact that you are once again pregnant, and focus on the Holidays. The pregnancy will take care of itself…

Best wishes!

–Dr. W

Related Topics: After a Miscarriage, First Trimester Problems