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You've Had a Miscarriage

10 Steps to Reduce the Risk of Miscarrying Again

By Dr. Henry Lerner, OB/GYN

The process of having a miscarriage can be frightening, painful and tremendously disappointing. If you have just had a miscarriage, you may be upset and confused about what you have just been through. You may feel that something you did brought on your miscarriage. You may be fearful that you will never have a baby – or another baby, if you already have children.

But while these may be natural ways to feel, by learning why miscarriages occur and what you can do to reduce your risk the next time you try to conceive, you can help relieve these feelings of confusion, fear and guilt.

There is a beautiful poem, probably familiar to you, called the Serenity Prayer. It was written in 1932 by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. Part of it goes like this:

God,
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
Courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference

I feel this prayer provides a very useful model for thinking about and coming to terms with having had a miscarriage.

The first thing you need to know is that most miscarriages are spontaneous, natural events that occur because of random, accidental miscombinations of the chromosomes of the egg and sperm during conception. These are spontaneous acts of nature over which you have no control. You did not cause your miscarriage and bear no responsibility for it. This is also the reason why, at least for the present, medicine cannot prevent these sorts of sporadic miscarriages.

Want to see more?

• Understanding Pregnancy Loss: Blighted Ovum and Chemical Pregnancy
• Pregnancy After Loss: Are You Ready to Try Again?
• When a Miscarriage Isn't Nature's Way
• Check out our Article Library.
• Talk about it!

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