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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staff
Physical recovery
Physical recovery from miscarriage in most cases will take only a few hours to a couple of days. Expect your period to return within four to six weeks. In the meantime, call your doctor if you experience heavy bleeding, fever, chills or severe pain. These signs and symptoms could indicate an infection. Avoid having sex or putting anything in your vagina — such as a tampon or douche — for two weeks after a miscarriage.
Future pregnancies
It's possible to become pregnant during the menstrual cycle immediately after a miscarriage. But if you and your partner decide to attempt another pregnancy, make sure you're physically and emotionally ready. Your doctor may recommend waiting at least one menstrual cycle, if not longer.
If you experience multiple miscarriages, generally more than three in a row, consider testing to identify any underlying causes — such as uterine abnormalities, coagulation problems or chromosomal abnormalities. In some cases your doctor may suggest testing after two consecutive losses, but two losses is still often due to chance and not to an underlying medical cause. If the cause of your miscarriages can't be identified, don't lose hope. Even without treatment, about 60 to 70 percent of women with repeated miscarriages go on to have successful pregnancies.
- Tulandi T, et al. Spontaneous abortion: Risk factors, etiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnostic evaluation. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 13, 2008.
- Tulandi T. Patient information: Miscarriage. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 13, 2008.
- Miscarriage. March of Dimes. http://www.marchofdimes.com/printableArticles/681_1192.asp?printable=true. Accessed Aug. 13, 2008.
- Early pregnancy loss: Miscarriage and molar pregnancy. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp090.cfm. Accessed Aug. 14, 2008.
- Blighted ovum. American Pregnancy Association. http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/blightedovum.html. Accessed Aug. 14, 2008.
- Puscheck EE, et al. The impact of male factor on recurrent pregnancy loss. Current Opinions in Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2007;19(3):222-228.
- Tulandi T, et al. Spontaneous abortion: Management. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 13, 2008.
- Cytotec (prescribing information). New York, N.Y.: Pfizer; 2006.
- Cunningham, FG. First-trimester abortion. In: Schorge JO, et al. Williams Gynecology. 1st ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw Hill Companies; 2008. http://accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=514. Accessed Aug. 13, 2008.
- Misoprostol: Drugdex DrugPoint Summary. Micromedex Healthcare Series. http://www.micromedex.com/. Accessed Sept. 19, 2008.
- Sifakis S, et al. High-dose misoprostol used in outpatient management of first trimester spontaneous abortion, Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics. 2005;272(3):183-186.
- Blum J, et al. Treatment of incomplete abortion and miscarriage with misoprostol. International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics. 2007;99(2)(suppl):S186-S189.
- Stephenson M, et al. Evaluation and management of recurrent early pregnancy loss. Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2007;50(1):132-45.
- Patient's fact sheet: Recurrent pregnancy loss. www.asrm.org/Patients/FactSheets/recurrent_preg_loss.pdf. Accessed Sept. 25, 2008.
