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Expert Q&A
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| By Michael D Benson, MD Attending Physician, Highland Park Hospital, IL | ||
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How long after a full term birth is it safe to get pregnant again?
There is no large body of scientific data answer to this question. The response is necessarily arbitrary. In general, most women are able to return to their normal activities four to eight weeks after the birth (vaginal or Cesarean). Any surgical wounds will have recovered most of their strength and most pain related to the childbirth process will have resolved. For those not nursing, most will begin menstruating again within three months. Most prohibitions on conceiving after childbirth are related to peripheral issues that include nursing and nutrition issues, the comfortable resumption of sexual intercourse, and patient fatigue. Many doctors will arbitrarily suggest a three months delay for those who wish to conceive right away, but again, the science is lacking.
There is some limited evidence in animal studies suggesting an increase in the risk of chromosome errors in those conceiving right after a prior pregnancy, but the strength of the evidence and its applicability to humans is questionable. In sum, if a patient has a burning desire to conceive again promptly, there is no compelling reason not to."
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