Pregnancy After Loss

Are You Ready to Try Again?

By Julia Rosien

"You don't stop grieving and then start trying," Douglas says. "Some women know very quickly when they are ready to try again, while others need more time with their grief before embarking on another journey."

"Expect to be afraid," Luminare-Rosen says. "Many women have trouble bonding with the new baby until after the date of the previous loss has passed."

Your body may need time to heal after a miscarriage, especially if you've had surgical procedures. Dr. John Sussman, Douglas' co-author, advises waiting at least one normal cycle to physically give the body a rest after a miscarriage. "After a stillbirth or full-term pregnancy loss, I advise waiting at least three months," he says.

While some health care providers and couples opt to take a subsequent pregnancy easy, not treating it like a high-risk pregnancy, others feel it's better to keep a tight eye on how everything is progressing. "I advocate early and intensive prenatal care after a miscarriage," Dr. Sussman says. "We want to assure ourselves that everything is off to a good start, so we monitor hCG levels and perform an ealy ultrasound to verify the presence of a fetal heartbeat."

Want to see more?

• Helping Hands: Groups That Navigate the Infertility Roller Coaster
• Out of Place: Ectopic Pregnancy
• A Sister's Shoulder: Helping a Friend Survive Miscarriage
• Not Forgotten: Remembering the Children
• Check out our Article Library.
• Talk about it!