There's No Reason to Delay Trying to Get Pregnant After a Miscarriage, According to New Study

After a woman experiences a miscarriage, many doctors advise waiting — some up to six months — before trying to conceive again, no matter how eager she is. However, according to new research, there's actually no benefit to a mom waiting a certain period of time.

The study's findings, published in the journal of Human Reproduction Update, is good news for those anxious to begin expanding their family after loss. "There is now ample evidence to suggest that delaying a pregnancy following a miscarriage is not beneficial and unless there are specific reasons for delay couples should be advised to try for another pregnancy as soon as they feel ready," said the study's leader, Sohinee Bhattacharya.

While the World Health Organization based its current recommendation that women wait six months on information from one study, this new research looked at 10 studies. Research concluded that although the WHO advises the delay due to safety concerns for the baby, it isn't any riskier for a child to be conceived weeks or months after a miscarriage.

In fact, researchers found a possible benefit. According to the data, you're 18 percent less likely to have another miscarriage when you get pregnant less than six months after a previous loss compared to those waiting the recommended six months.

"Women who get pregnant after less than six months between the pregnancy and the loss should not be worried about adverse pregnancy outcomes, and if nothing else actually they should be encouraged," said Enrique Schisterman, a senior investigator in epidemiology at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and coauthor of one of the studies used in the new findings.

However, Enrique points out that there's one area that needs further exploration: how far along a woman was in her pregnancy before miscarrying. "I think we need a little bit more data on the different underlying reasons for a pregnancy loss and see what the optimal interval is," Enrique said.