Question I have to daughters 2 1/2 and 1 and I got pregnant last year when my youngest was 6 months old. I was pretty scared that my body wasn't ready for another baby but we decided to be excited. In December I went in for my 16 week check up only to find no heart beat and when they did the ultrasound they discovered the baby had died. I had a D/C the next day. They never discovered the reason for the death but my husband and I decided that we would try for another baby this August. To our surprise (we were being very careful) I found I was pregnant again last week and had a blood test to confirm. My question is that my OB and my new OB don't seemed to be that concerned but I was told after my D/C that getting pregnant this early would cause me to be high risk. Do you think that sounds right? I am very scared. I did the math and would be 5 weeks today.
AnswerDear Anna,
Many women who miscarry get pregnant again right away and go on to have healthy, full-term babies. The general recommendation is that giving your body three cycles to regulate itself again and get hormone levels stabilized is the ideal. However, it does not mean that you are at an extremely higher risk for another miscarriage because you did not finish out three full cycles.
Each pregnancy is different. The reason for miscarriage is varied, and most often the cause cannot be identified. During the 1st trimester, 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. Other causes for miscarriage include (but are not limited to):
-Hormonal problems, infections or health problems in the mother
-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
-Maternal age
-Maternal trauma
In general, ANY woman under the age of 35 years old has about a 15% chance of miscarriage. A woman who has had a previous miscarriage has a 20-25% chance of having another (only a slightly elevated risk than for someone who has not had a previous miscarriage).
Since the cause of most miscarriages is due to chromosomal abnormalities, there is not much that can be done to prevent them. All you can do is be as healthy as possible throughout this pregnancy. Try not to stress about what may or may not happen because stress is not a positive influence either. Take each day as it comes and try to have faith.
I hope this information has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well and will have a good thought for you! Congratulations!
Brenda
