Expert: Pat G - 9/30/2011

Question
Hi, I recently found out I was pregnant and tragically I had a miscarriage at 5 weeks, this has broken my heart and I'm so scared to even get pregnant again as I don't want to go through this again I am trying to be positive about it but I'm so sad, 5 years ago I had a surgical abortion at 10 weeks do you think this could be anything to do with the miscarriage I just don't understand or is there anything wronge with me please help, I'm desperate to try for another baby but I'm so scared of this happening again.

Answer
Hello, selina,

I'm sorry for your loss. This is difficult.

Surgical abortion can cause miscarriage. However, it is much more likely to happen in the second trimester in that case, about halfway through pregnancy. If the baby you lost had attached where you had scar tissue from the abortion, this could cause miscarriage. As far as I know, scar tissue cannot be fixed, but for a later miscarriage, they do something called cerclage, where they fasten the cervix shut. Surgical abortion damages the cervix so often it cannot hold the weight of a full term baby. This is why it is important to tell your doctor about your abortion history when you get prenatal care.

Someone close to me had two miscarriages (both were very difficult emotionally) and then tried IVF, and this produced ten babies, but she lost all of those as well. She never had an abortion. Then finally, she had a surprise pregnancy at the age of 35, and now has a healthy baby boy. You just don't know. I think just about every woman who tries to have children has at least one miscarriage. I don't know of any exceptions, personally. It's just something that happens. Some children just don't live very long, unfortunately, but keep in mind that you have experienced love for that child for the time you have, and you can rejoice in this. Yes, it's very, very tough, but most women heal emotionally over time. There are support groups, such as Roots and Wings. I don't know if you have a group like that in UK, but ask around. You probably have La Leche League. Ask them.

One thing that may help is if you adopt. The woman I described had adopted two children before she had her son. For some reason, this does occasionally make a successful pregnancy possible. If you do adopt, and you want to breastfeed, you can do that. Ask La Leche League for help. I adopted and breastfed.

There is a risk that you will have a second miscarriage or more, but if you want to bear children, you will have to take that chance. Pray to God for strength, and I will say a prayer for you as well. I pray that God will comfort your heart. Please take care. Feel free to write back any time.