Q: “When is it safe to start having intercourse again after a miscarriage, and when is it safe to start trying to conceive again? Is there any reason to wait a while?”
Answer from Dr. Peter H. R. Roberts, medical director of obstetrics and gynecology at Providence Portland Medical Center: For most couples, emotions serve as the best guide in determining steps to take after a miscarriage. The loss of a baby can produce intense feelings of disappointment and grief, and couples manage those feelings in different ways. Some feel better moving forward and trying to conceive again right away, while others prefer taking time for emotional healing before trying again. Both decisions are reasonable and safe.
It is usually fine to resume having intercourse once any bleeding associated with the miscarriage stops. Couples wishing to become pregnant again traditionally have been advised to wait until after the woman’s first regular period, not because it is unsafe to conceive before that point but because a regular period establishes a benchmark that can be used to date a resulting pregnancy. Today, ultrasound can establish the approximate date of conception, so the wait is no longer necessary for couples who wish to try sooner.
Couples experiencing repeated miscarriage, usually defined as three or more miscarriages in a row, may wish to wait until their doctor has performed a medical workup to determine if there is an underlying cause that can be treated. Older mothers and those with special health circumstances sometimes have such a workup after two consecutive miscarriages.
It important to remember, however, that most miscarriages – including repeated miscarriages – are due to chance and have little bearing on a couple’s future chances for a successful pregnancy.
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March 2003
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