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Trying to conceive shortly after miscarriage may increase chances of conception

Among couples who had lost a pregnancy prior to 20 weeks gestation, those who tried to conceive again within 3 months of the loss had the same or increased chances of having a live birth, compared with those who waited longer, according to recently published data.

The researchers suggested that current recommendations that couples wait to try and conceive between 3 and 6 months after a pregnancy loss may be unfounded due to new data, according to a press release.

“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 3 months can conceive as quickly, if not quicker, than women who wait for 3 months or more,” Enrique Schisterman, PhD, chief of the Epidemiology Branch at NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), said in a press release.

Researchers analyzed data from the Effects of Aspirin in Gestation and Reproduction trial to assess the correlation of the time between pregnancy loss and conception and chance of live birth. The trial included women (n = 1,228) aged 18 to 40 years who had experienced one or two prior pregnancy losses.

Results demonstrated that 76.7% of participants began trying to conceive within 3 months of a pregnancy loss.

Compared with couples who waited longer than 3 months to conceive, couples who conceived within 0 to 3 months following a pregnancy loss were more likely to have live births (51.1% vs 68.6%). Additionally, those who waited less than 3 months to conceive were more likely to have a pregnancy with a live birth, compared to couples who waited more than 3 months (53.2% vs 36.1%), according to the researchers.

“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 3 months after a loss may be unwarranted,” Karen Schliep, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in the NICHD Epidemiology Branch, said in the release. – by Casey Hower

Disclosures: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.