If there's no pregnancy tissue left in your womb, no treatment is required. However, if there's still some pregnancy tissue in your womb, your options are: The risk of complications is very small for all these options. It's important to discuss them all with the doctor in charge of your care. If you have a miscarriage in your first trimester, you may choose to wait 7 to 14 days after a miscarriage for the tissue to pass out naturally. This is
called expectant management. If the pain and bleeding have lessened or stopped completely during this time, this usually means the miscarriage has finished. You should be advised to take a home pregnancy test after 3 weeks. If the test shows you're still pregnant, you may need to have further tests. If the pain
and bleeding have not started within 7 to 14 days or are continuing or getting worse, this could mean the miscarriage has not begun or has not finished. In this case, you should be offered another scan. After this scan, you may decide to either continue waiting for the miscarriage to occur naturally, or have drug treatment or surgery. If you choose to continue to wait, your healthcare professional should check your condition again up to 14 days later. Contact your hospital immediately if the bleeding becomes particularly heavy, you develop a high temperature (fever) or you experience severe pain. You may choose to have medicine to remove the tissue if you do not want to wait, or if it does not pass out naturally within 2 weeks. This involves taking tablets that cause the cervix to open, allowing the tissue to pass out. In most
cases, you'll be offered tablets called pessaries that are inserted directly into your vagina, where they dissolve. The tablets usually begin to work within a few hours. You'll experience symptoms similar to a heavy period, such as cramping and heavy vaginal bleeding. You may also experience vaginal bleeding for up to 3 weeks. In most units, you'll be sent home for the miscarriage to complete. This is safe, but ring your hospital if the
bleeding becomes very heavy. You should be advised to take a home pregnancy test 3 weeks after taking this medicine. If the pregnancy test shows you're still pregnant, you may need to have further tests. You may be advised to contact your healthcare professional to discuss your options if bleeding has not started within 24 hours of taking the medicine.Expectant management
Medicine
Surgery
In some cases, surgery is used to remove any remaining pregnancy tissue. You may be advised to have immediate surgery if:
- you experience continuous heavy bleeding
- there's evidence the pregnancy tissue has become infected
- medicine or waiting for the tissue to pass out naturally has been unsuccessful
Surgery involves removing any remaining tissue in your womb with a suction device. You should be offered a choice of general anaesthetic or local anaesthetic if both are suitable.
After a miscarriage
A miscarriage can be very upsetting, and you and your partner may need counselling or support. You may also have questions about trying for another baby and what happens to the miscarried foetus.
For more information, read what happens after a miscarriage.
Page last reviewed: 09 March 2022
Next review due: 09 March 2025
Overview
This article answers some of the questions you might have about trying for another baby when you may be dealing with feelings of loss and emotional ups and downs after a miscarriage.
How soon after a miscarriage can you get pregnant?
If you want to try for another baby after a
, it’s fine to do this as soon as you feel emotionally and physically ready. If you do try again, it’s possible to get pregnant within weeks.
But how long it takes you to feel ready to try again will be unique to you.
Miscarriage can be a traumatic experience, and you may have feelings of loss, sadness,
or
. These feelings don’t always happen straight away and can appear days, weeks or even months later.
There’s no right or wrong way to feel about getting pregnant after a miscarriage. You may feel exhausted at the thought of trying for another baby. Or you may be determined to try again. Whatever your
, don’t be afraid to ask for help from family, friends or your doctor.
Your partner may also have feelings that they’re struggling to deal with, which they may find hard to talk about – especially if they feel their role is to support you. It’s important to discuss how you’re both feeling.
If you and/or your partner aren’t ready to become pregnant again, you should consider using birth control (
) as soon as possible.
Read more about
.
Your menstrual cycle after a miscarriage
Everyone is different, but you can expect your
to return within 4 to 8 weeks of a miscarriage.
usually happens before that, so getting pregnant after miscarriage is possible within weeks.
Once your periods have returned, there’s no medical reason to delay trying for a successful pregnancy after miscarriage. However, doctors usually recommend that you avoid sex until any miscarriage symptoms, such as bleeding or pain, have stopped completely.
Are you more fertile after a miscarriage?
In the past, people were sometimes advised to wait 6 months to improve their chances of getting pregnant after a miscarriage. However, it’s safe to try for a baby whenever you feel ready, as long as miscarriage symptoms have stopped.
Many people go on to have normal pregnancies, even after a number of miscarriages.
There are also some ways you can help boost your fertility and prepare your body for pregnancy if you’re trying again, including eating the right nutrients. Read more about
.
Am I more likely to have a second miscarriage after a first?
While miscarriage is common – it affects between 10% and 20% of pregnancies – most people will be able to have a healthy pregnancy after a miscarriage.
Multiple miscarriages are quite rare, and less than 1 in 100 people loses 3 or more pregnancies in a row. If this does happen, you may be sent for tests to find out why you’re having miscarriages. However, the cause of recurrent miscarriage is unknown in about 50% of cases.
If you’re worried, talk to a doctor, especially if you think you have any risk factors for miscarriage. These can include:
- age – as you get older, your eggs drop in number and quality, and problems with sperm can also increase with the age of your partner
- lifestyle factors – such as , and
- working with heavy metals and some pesticides
- working with high-dose . Ultrasound scans, medical X-rays and airport X-ray machines don’t fall into this category and are safe during pregnancy
Age-related risk of miscarriage
The latest statistics suggest that your risk of miscarriage by age is as follows:
- 45 years and older – 93%
- 40-44 years – 51%
- 35-39 years – 25%
- 30-34 years – 15%
- 25-29 years – 12%
- 20-24 years – 11%
- 19 years and younger – 13%
How to lower your risk of miscarriage in early pregnancy
In early pregnancy, the most common known cause of miscarriage is genetic problems (chromosomal abnormalities) that stop your baby (foetus) from developing properly – and these can’t be prevented.
Often, the reason for a miscarriage isn’t known – so again, there’s nothing that could have been done to stop it happening.
But there are some things you can do to lower your risk of miscarriage, including:
- going to antenatal and other medical appointments and following any advice given to you by doctors or midwives
- making sure you’re a healthy weight before you get pregnant – ideally, your should be between 18.5 and 25
- managing weight gain if you become overweight or obese while pregnant – speak to a doctor about how to do this safely in pregnancy
- avoiding , or using recreational drugs during pregnancy
- eating a and before trying to conceive
- , including some cheeses and raw or cured meats
- avoiding infections that can harm your baby, such as – you can protect yourself from rubella by getting vaccinated before you get pregnant
- managing any medical conditions that increase your risk of a miscarriage, such as
When to speak to a doctor after a miscarriage
You can speak to a doctor about any fertility concerns you may have after a miscarriage. You may be offered tests if you’ve had trouble getting pregnant, or if you’ve had 3 miscarriages in a row.
A doctor will be able to advise you about treatment options for any
, as well as how to take care of yourself if you’re planning another pregnancy.
Find useful information on getting pregnant with our .
Health questions answered
When should I take a pregnancy test after miscarriage?
You may choose to wait 7 to 14 days for the tissue to pass out naturally if you’ve a miscarriage in the first 3 months of pregnancy. If the pain and bleeding has decreased or stopped completely, this usually means the miscarriage has finished. You should take a home pregnancy test after 3 weeks. If the test shows you're still pregnant, speak to your doctor for further tests.
What is a ‘rainbow baby’?
Some people use this phrase to talk about a baby born after a miscarriage or loss of pregnancy. Other people avoid using it, as they don’t feel it reflects their loss. However you feel, remember that support is available to help make things easier to manage.
Will I be able to have a successful pregnancy after a late miscarriage?
It’s much less common to have a miscarriage later in pregnancy, and less than 2% of pregnancies end in late miscarriage (between 12 and 24 weeks). If it does happen, your doctor will do tests to try to find out why. This information can help you understand the chances of it happening again. But you’re likely to be able to have a healthy pregnancy in the future – particularly if the tests are normal.
Key takeaways
- a miscarriage can be traumatic, and may affect different people in different ways
- you may not find a reason for your miscarriage
- if you feel ready, there’s no need to delay trying for another baby after a miscarriage
- miscarriage can have a delayed emotional impact. It’s best to speak to a doctor if you're struggling
- there’s a good chance that you can have a healthy pregnancy after a miscarriage