Life after Miscarriage

Preparing for a Healthy Pregnancy After Miscarriage

By Kim Seidel

Take it from a woman who has experienced miscarriage twice: "There is life after miscarriage," says Christine Walker, a mother of three healthy children.

Her first miscarriage occurred in September of 1999. She was 10 weeks along during her first pregnancy. Walker's main symptom was having thick, brownish discharge for two days. She called her doctor, who told her to come in for an ultrasound. Sadly, the pictures showed no heartbeat.

Two months later, she conceived again. She and her husband Dave welcomed their oldest son, Schuyler, into the world in July 2000. They had another healthy baby, Connor, in August 2002.

The roller coaster ride continued when she experienced a second miscarriage in April 2003, and then delivered a third child, daughter Sloane, in March 2004.

"I felt very lucky to have been able to conceive, period, not to mention so quickly afterwards," says Walker, who lives with her family in Winnetka, Ill. "I'd say to keep focused on the goal, do what you can and let nature take its course."

"About 20 percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage," says Dr. Frederick Licciardi, associate director of The New York University Fertility Center in New York, N.Y. "Most of these losses are at an early stage usually from just after the missed period through about eight weeks."

Miscarriages at eight to 12 weeks also occur, but at a lower rate, Dr. Licciardi says. Miscarriages after 12 weeks are even lower.

"For most patients, the delivery rate after a miscarriage is very, very high," Dr. Licciardi says. "Just because one miscarriage occurs shouldn't worry a woman. In fact, some say women who have had miscarriages do better in the end than those who have not been pregnant."

By far, the most common cause of a miscarriage is that the embryo was genetically abnormal, Dr. Licciardi says. Other causes include anatomic problems in the woman, such as abnormally shaped uteri, which many women are born with.

Other rare causes of miscarriages are related to abnormal blood clotting or anti-body production in the mother. "While these conditions can be severe, most women with miscarriages don't have these rare issues," Dr. Licciardi says.

Finally, miscarriage is often all about age. "As a woman ages, her odds of miscarriage increase," Dr. Licciardi says. "The same factors that cause an increase in Down Syndrome as a woman gets older increase the odds of other genetic abnormalities and miscarriage."