QuestionI am 25 years old and I had my first miscarriage last September at 10 weeks. Apparently it was an empty egg, they said that this shouldn't hurt me when trying to get pregnant again. I miscarried naturally, had some problems getting back into a regular cycle and was put on low dose birth control.
My husband deployed right after, came home in April and found out in early May that we were pregnant again. I miscarried last week, according to my LMP I would have been at 6 weeks. No sac ever formed. I also miscarried naturally this time. The bleeding only lasted 3 days, stopped for one day, and I've been spotting the last two. (My husband and I had sex 2 nights ago, I'm assuming that is the cause for the spotting.)
I am very, very nervous about trying again. I was told by my Dr. that I am fine, 1 in 5 women miscarry even if they don't know it, this is common, wait one cycle and try again. Then I was told (by some friends) that the waiting one cycle is mainly for emotional reasons, that because I miscarried so very early, and there was no sac, I am safe to try again as soon as I ovulate.
My Dr. is running some blood work next week to ease my mind, but I was hoping for some information before then. What are the odds of this happening to us again? My husband and I both want to be parents so badly, but this is such a hard thing to go through. I never thought I would ever miscarry, let alone twice.
Thank you so much for any information you might be able to give.
AnswerDear Jennifer,
I am sorry to hear of your difficulties. Please know that you really are not alone. SO many women go through exactly what you are going through.
The most common cause of miscarriage is chromosomal abnormality - meaning that something is not correct with the baby's chromosomes. Most chromosomal abnormalities are the cause of a faulty egg or sperm cell, or are due to a problem at the time that the fertilized egg went through the division process. The woman's body will recognize that there is a problem with the pregnancy and nature will take over in miscarrying the pregnancy.
Other causes for miscarriage include (but are not limited to):
-Hormonal problems, infections or maternal health problems
-Lifestyle (i.e. smoking, drug use, malnutrition, excessive caffeine and exposure to radiation or toxic substances)
-Implantation of the egg into the uterine lining does not occur properly
-Advanced maternal age
-Maternal trauma
For women in childbearing years, the chances of having a miscarriage can range from 10-25%, and in most healthy women the average is about a 15-20% chance - the 1 in 5 statistic your doctor talked about.
Now, you do need to know that those friends of yours were wrong. The recommendation to wait through a normal menstrual cycle has absolutely nothing to do with your emotions. Actually, the general recommendation is to wait through 2-3 normal menstrual cycles but each doctor will assess the woman's situation and make an individual recommendation. This is to let the body to heal completely and allow time for those hormones to get regulated back into a normal, cyclic pattern again.
My concern would be that you have not completely miscarried yet. Your bleeding does not sound like the volume of a full period, let alone a miscarriage. Without the formation of a gestational sac, there may not be quite as much, but I would mention the lack of bleeding to your doctor next week.
Personally, I would actually suggest having protected sex for a month or two to let your cycles regulate and then just quit protecting the sex and see what happens. Most often, when you there is less pressure and stress about it, that is when everything falls into place.
I hope this has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well.
Brenda
