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For couples who endure the heartache of a
miscarriage knowing when to try again is a very personal decision. Medical
experts can offer their opinions into the mix, but ultimately it is up to the
individuals to decide when they are ready. Now, a team of scientists has
suggested couples who try to conceive again within three months, have a greater
chance of becoming pregnant. Their findings revealed that those couples are 71
per cent more likely to conceive again. The study doesn’t prove that trying
for a baby again after miscarriage will cause the next pregnancy to happen
sooner or result in a healthy baby nine months later. But, it does suggest that
some women don’t need to follow the traditional advice of holding off trying
again for three months after early pregnancy loss.
Senior researcher Dr Enrique Schisterman, of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said: 'Couples often
seek counseling on how long they should wait until attempting to conceive
again.
'Our data suggest that women who try for a new
pregnancy within three months can conceive as quickly, if not quicker, than
women who wait for three months or more.'
Researchers followed nearly 1,000 couples after an
early pregnancy miscarriage. Of the 1,000 couples in the study, 765 couples
tried to get pregnant again within three months. Within that group, 77 per cent
eventually gave birth to a live baby. In contrast, 23 per cent of the 233
couples who waited longer to start trying had another baby. The scientists
sought to explore how timing of conception efforts might impact pregnancy
outcomes after loss. The team examined data on women with one or two prior
losses. Most of the women in the study were 29 years old, while their partners
were close to 30. Half of the women in the study lost a baby during weeks eight
to 13 of pregnancy. An additional 44 per cent experienced a loss before eight
weeks. Each of these losses occurred within the first trimester – the most
common time for miscarriage. During the first six menstrual cycles after the
miscarriage, 644 couples in the study got pregnant again. Of that group, 491
had babies. Most of the babies were full-term, though 22 arrived early.
Dr Karen Schliep, added: 'While we found no
physiological reason for delaying attempts at conception following a pregnancy
loss, couples may need time to heal emotionally before they try again. For
those who are ready, our findings suggest that conventional recommendations for
waiting at least three months after a loss may be unwarranted.'
Past studies have linked short intervals between
pregnancy with higher risks of complications, including blood pressure, low
birth weight, membranes breaking too early and preterm delivery, wrote Dr
William Hurt of Duke University School of Medicine in an editorial. Many women
may be able to conceive again without delay after a miscarriage, but they
should consider these risks when deciding the right time for a baby, Dr Hurd
told Reuters.
Dr Hurd said: ‘After every miscarriage, but
particularly recurrent miscarriage, most clinicians recommend that a woman and
her husband should both make sure they are emotionally ready to deal with
another possible loss prior to attempting to get pregnant again.’
The study was published in the journal Obstetrics
and Gynecology.
Source: DailyMail
nice article
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