Q. I just had a miscarriage. How soon can my husband and I start trying again?
A. That varies, and there’s no absolute correct time to start trying again. The answer really depends on both your medical and emotional circumstances.
After you have a miscarriage, it can take the body two or three months to return to ovulating normally, with normal levels of hormones (such as progesterone). Because of these abnormal hormone levels, the endometrium—the lining of the uterus—may not be as supportive of a pregnancy that occurs right after a miscarriage (or any pregnancy). So it’s generally recommended that a woman wait until a couple of normal ovulatory cycles—or a couple of seemingly regular periods—before trying again.
For women who are undergoing treatment with drugs that stimulate ovulation, the advice is somewhat different. In this case, the medication could overcome any ovulation problem that might occur in the natural cycle after a miscarriage. So women undergoing fertility treatments can usually resume treatment after one normal menstrual cycle.
These are the medical recommendations. Obviously there are other factors, and each couple has to wait until they’re emotionally ready to try again, too.
