EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah – The sooner, the better. A new study shows there’s no need for couples to put off pregnancy after a miscarriage, and researchers say couples should try to conceive again within three months of having a miscarriage.
Eleven years ago, Claudine Hatch and her husband were eager to welcome their first child.
“We dealt with infertility for about three years," she said. "Finally, we were pregnant and we were over the moon!”
Her daughter came four weeks early at 22 weeks, and Claudine suffered a miscarriage.
“She only lived for half an hour and then she passed away in my arms," Hatch said. "I got to spend every moment of her life just loving her and kissing her and holding her."
The heartbreaking experience left Claudine wondering if she should try to conceive again.
“I was terrified," she said. "The thought of having to bury another baby was more than I could wrap my mind around.”
Dr. David Matthews guides his patients through their options at Riverton Hospital.
“I'm OK with them trying right away, as soon as they feel like they're ready,” Dr. Matthews said.
He draws from research that shows women shouldn’t put off pregnancy attempts after miscarriage.
“There's been some smaller studies that have suggested that women that get pregnant before six months actually had a higher percentage of successful pregnancies compared to those that waited more than six months," he said.
The most recent study, published in the Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, shows out of the 765 couples that started trying to get pregnant within three months, 77 percent gave birth to a live baby when compared to 23 percent of the 233 couples who waited to try again.
Claudine learned she was pregnant four months after her miscarriage. She had a healthy baby boy, and today she’s the proud mother of four living children.
“For me the biggest thing has been serving other people and to give back to make my daughter's life meaningful," Hatch said.
In this particular study, researchers did not look at the emotional side of trying to conceive again after a miscarriage.
Doctors say there’s no specific timeline, but it is crucial for couples to heal emotionally before they try again.
