After a Miscarriage

This is from my favorite Natural Fertility blog:

After A Miscarriage… What To Do

by Hethir Rodriguez, MH, CMT

One common question we receive is… “What do I do after a miscarriage?”.

Believe it or not, miscarriages are a common occurrence. As scary as that may sound, one in four women experience a miscarriage. So if you have stumbled upon this website because of a recent loss, we are here for you…

The concerns most expressed frequently are:

“Why did this happen? I did ———-fill in the blank—-, do you think that could have caused it?”

“What are my chances of getting pregnant after a miscarriage?”

“I just had a miscarriage, how do I get my period back?”

“I just had a miscarriage, what can I do so I can get pregnant right away?”

“We want to try again as soon as possible, what can we do?”

While determining the cause of a miscarriage requires immediate testing at the right times (some tests require segments of the placenta or blood drawn before the miscarriage), many times the results are still diagnosed as an “unknown cause”. Why is this, you ask? Well, one reason is that reproductive medicine is still in its infancy, with 50% of women being told they have “unexplained infertility” after numerous tests, and hardly any answers for women who have had a miscarriage. The other reason is that many miscarriages happen because they are supposed to happen. If the embryo is not viable, the pregnancy will end. This is how a healthy reproductive system works. So don’t automatically assume that something is wrong with you if you have had a miscarriage.

What are you to do? Well, thankfully nature provides. You can look to nature to help you prepare your body for your next pregnancy. There are herbs, foods, supplements, therapies and mind-body techniques that can be used to your advantage. You can read about natural therapies for helping to prevent another miscarriage on Natural-Fertility-Info.com, but this article is going to focus on what you can do after you have had a miscarriage to help your body heal and get your fertility back on track. Here are some suggestions. Read over them and then listen to your body, tune in, and see what resonates with you…

1. Rest, recuperate and be gentle.
Many women want to get pregnant right away after a miscarriage, wanting to hurry up and move on. I felt like this after my first miscarriage. As I look back ,I believe hormones had something to do with feeling that way, as well as realizing how much I actually wanted a child after being pregnant ( our pregnancy was a surprise). It may be different for each person, but the body really needs to rest and sort itself out. It would not be best for your body or hormonal system to try to force your period to come early. Generally, it may take 2 weeks to 2 months for the menstrual cycle to come back, the pregnancy hormones to balance back to pre-pregnancy levels, and for your body to replenish its reserves.

Be gentle on yourself. Take some time to explore what you are going through and rest and focus on taking care of yourself. You don’t have to rush back to work right away. Work can wait!

2. Nourish yourself.
Pregnancy demands a lot from your body, as does a miscarriage. Nourish yourself with whole foods that are iron rich, full of fiber ,and contain vibrant colors. Eating a natural fertility diet will help to support your body in healing and replenishing nutrients.

3. Protect yourself from infection.
Directly after a miscarriage it is a good idea to help support your body in warding off infections that can occur. Avoid hot tubs, douching, taking baths, or having sex until the bleeding subsides. Some natural therapies that are known to help prevent infection are:

Aged garlic capsules or fresh garlic

Vitamin C

Grapefruit seed extract

Oil of Oregano

Use each supplement as bottle suggests.

4. Support the uterus and liver.
After the bleeding has stopped and a new menstrual cycle is beginning you may want to perform a natural Fertility Cleanse. The best time to start a Fertility Cleanse is the day after your period has stopped, so you may want to plan ahead. This will help to support the liver in cleansing old/excess hormones, medications taken, and in turn help to balance the hormones. The Fertility Cleanse is also very effective at helping to support the uterus in cleansing itself. Some times there is old stagnant blood left in the uterus which could use some help getting out. The Fertility Cleanse is a gentle cleanse that can be done in conjunction with a nourishing fertility diet to help support and bring your body back to balance. It is best not to try to conceive while doing the Fertility Cleanse.

5. Massage the uterus.
When you feel ready, all bleeding has stopped, and you are not on your period, you may want to start massaging the uterus. This can help to relax the uterus, help bring fresh new blood to the area, and tonify the uterine tissues. It is a wonderful way to prepare your body for getting pregnant after a miscarriage. Uterine massage can be preformed by a uterine massage therapist or you can learn to do it for your self in the Self Fertility Massage DVD.

It’s wonderfully relaxing and soothing to your body if you start with a castor oil pack and hot water bottle. Then follow that with some essential oils (one or two drops of rose, lavender or geranium) and begin the massage. Be gentle with yourself and with the pressure that you use as you become accustomed to massaging your uterus. Emotions may come up, let them happen and soon they will be released.

6. Educate and prepare.
Prepare for conception by educating yourself on your options. There are many natural things you can do to help prepare your body for a full term, healthy pregnancy. I have covered them in this guide: 5 Steps To Decreasing the Chance of Recurrent Miscarriages.

Miscarriage Q&A

Q: “Why did this happen? I did —-fill in the blank—-, do you think that could have caused it?”

A: I have no easy answer for you. Without testing it is hard to tell why the miscarriage occurred. We can begin to analyze every little thing we did.. maybe it was the hot tub, or that one drink, or maybe because we had sex, etc… The list can go on and on. There is no way of knowing without getting some testing done, and most doctors won’t test until the 3rd miscarriage unless you demand it, since miscarriages are so common.

Q: “I just had a miscarriage, how do I get my period back?”

A: The best way to get your period back after a miscarriage is to let your body do its work. Allow the body the time it needs to balance everything out. If it has been a couple of months and you still have not gotten your period, then you may want to step in and try some natural therapies to bring your period back.

Q: “What are my chances of getting pregnant after a miscarriage?”
A: The statistics show that the chance of getting pregnant after a miscarriage are the same as during any other cycle.

Q: “I just had a miscarriage, what can I do so I can get pregnant right away?”

A: Basically the same thing as anyone who is trying to get pregnant. Support your body by:

Eating healthy

Eat a natural fertility diet

Use herbs and supplements to help bring the body into balance

But make sure to allow enough time for you to rest and your hormones to get back to normal. Many doctors say you can start trying again after your first complete menstrual cycle.

Q: “ What are the causes of miscarriages?”

A: There are many, but the most common are:
* Immunological (body is attacking the embryo)
* Hormonal (low progesterone)
* Chromosomal (you could have some impact on this by protecting your DNA, both women and men will need to work on this)

Q: Are there natural therapies I can use to help to prevent another miscarriage?”

A: Yes. We have had many clients have a healthy pregnancy following many miscarriages. For the best opportunity, take the steps needed for at least 3-4 months before trying to conceive. You can learn about how to prevent a miscarriage here…