Women are more likely to have a successful pregnancy if they conceive sooner after a miscarriage rather than waiting, researchers have found. The University of Aberdeen team said conceptions within six months were less likely to result in another miscarriage or preterm birth. Previous advice had urged women to wait at least six months before trying to conceive following a miscarriage. However, the team behind the study said the latest results were categorical. It follows similar results after a study of women from across Scotland in 2010. The fresh review has been published in Human Reproduction Update. 'Physically ready'Dr Sohinee Bhattacharya, a senior lecturer in obstetrics at Aberdeen University, told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: "We found that the best outcomes of pregnancy were actually obtained if women got pregnant within six months of having a miscarriage. "The advice that comes out through this evidence base is that couples should not delay pregnancy because they think it might improve their chances of having another successful pregnancy, but should actually try and conceive as soon as they feel mentally and physically ready." She added: "It is not clear why this is the case. One explanation might be that if somebody has had a miscarriage they might take particularly good care of themselves, be more motivated and may even be more fertile - but that is just speculation at this point." Dr Bhattacharya said there was now enough evidence to change World Health Organisation guidelines that state couples should wait. Image source, Thinkstock Image caption,The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said counselling should be offered Janine Elson, spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), said: "Unfortunately, miscarriages are very common with one in five women experiencing a miscarriage in the first three months of pregnancy. "A miscarriage affects every woman differently and it can be devastating for her partner as well. "We welcome this robust review by the University of Aberdeen which confirms previous findings that conceiving less than six months following a miscarriage is not associated with a risk of repeat miscarriage and has no impact on the risk of stillbirth, pre-eclampsia or low birth weight babies. "This study provides couples with reassurance that trying to conceive soon after a miscarriage is safe, however, it is important that they both feel physically and emotionally ready before trying to conceive again. "Counselling should be offered to help manage the psychological stress miscarriage can cause. Women must ensure that any pain and bleeding has stopped and they are taking folic acid before resuming sexual activity." 'Encourages couples'Ruth Bender Atik, national director of the Miscarriage Association, said: "This review is very important. "It encourages couples who want to try to conceive soon after miscarriage, and also reassures those who worry that they may have miscarried because they conceived too soon after a previous loss. "Above all, it confirms that couples can choose to try again whenever they feel ready to do so." Related Internet LinksThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Women and couples who experience a miscarriage are often told by clinicians to wait three months or longer before attempting to conceive again. However, according to a new study, not only is there little support for these recommendations, but new findings suggest women who try to conceive within three months may have a greater likelihood of getting pregnant and having a live birth. The new study, published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, departed from prior studies on the topic which, according to the researchers, have predominately focused on when a woman should become pregnant after a pregnancy loss—as opposed to when a couple should start trying to conceive again. The researchers looked at 1,083 women, the vast majority of whom had lost a pregnancy before 20 weeks, and had not experienced pregnancy complications like a tubal pregnancy or the growth of abnormal fetal tissue in the uterus. The women, who were part of a large trial that took place from 2007 to 2011, were followed for six menstrual cycles. If they got pregnant during that period of time they were followed until their pregnancy outcome was known. They found that most women—over 76%, in fact—did try to get pregnant again within three months of losing a pregnancy. And compared with the women who waited longer than three months to try to conceive, the women who started right away were more like to get pregnant—and have that pregnancy lead to a live birth. Nearly 70% of the women who attempted within three months got pregnant—compared to 51% of the women who waited. And among those who did not wait, 53% had a live birth. There was no difference in complications between those who did and did not wait. “Recommendations to delay pregnancy attempts for at least 3–6 months among couples who are psychologically ready to begin trying may be unwarranted and should be revisited,” the study authors write. (The authors also acknowledge that a couple may still want time to heal emotionally after the loss.) “Although emotional compared with physical readiness may require individual couple assessment,” the authors write, “previous research has found that a speedy new pregnancy and birth of a living child lessens grief among couples who are suffering from a pregnancy loss.” The researchers note that issues like the “depletion hypothesis” (suggesting the woman will not have high enough levels of folate) partially explain some of the possible negative outcomes that could arise from getting pregnant after a live birth, but this doesn’t apply to pregnancy loss and attempted pregnancy since most miscarriages happen before 20 weeks. The study has limitations, since women self-reported when they started trying to conceive again, which could mean dates are not precise. Still, the study authors say they found no physiological reason to delay attempts to conceive after a pregnancy loss. Contact us at . |
Why is it easier to get pregnant after a miscarriage
Copyright © 2024 muatrau Inc.
