6 Tips To Reduce Your Risk Of A Miscarriage

Estimates suggest that anywhere from 10-20 percent of pregnancies end in a miscarriage, so it’s likely far more common than you realize unless you or someone you know has gone through the experience.

Unfortunately, there is no playbook that you can follow that can guarantee a safe and healthy pregnancy, and it’s entirely possible that you’ll follow all the advice in this blog and still end up having a miscarriage. That said, if you follow our advice and you strive to make healthy choices throughout your pregnancy, you can reduce your risk of a miscarriage. In today’s blog, we share some tips for reducing your risk of a miscarriage during your pregnancy.

Reducing Your Risk Of A Miscarriage

There is no way to completely eliminate the risk of a miscarriage, but if you strive to do the following, we’re confident that you’ll be increasing your likelihood of a healthy pregnancy. This advice will likely align with the personalized advice from your OBGYN, but remember that their individualized advice trumps any general information you find on the web.

1. Pre-Conception Diet And Exercise – A healthy pregnancy starts before conception, as you’ll want to provide an ideal environment for conception to take place. You can do this by eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise. Consuming a range of healthy vitamins and nutrients and pairing your diet with moderate intensity exercise before conception has been shown to improve the odds of a healthy pregnancy.

2. Stop Smoking – Tobacco use during pregnancy has been linked to an increased risk of miscarriage. You may find it easier to quit before you become pregnant instead of waiting until you’re experiencing hormonal changes, but later is better than never. It’s also helpful to avoid secondhand smoke before and during your pregnancy. If you need help managing your nicotine cravings, talk to your OBGYN.

3. Caffeine and Alcohol Intake – Studies have found that the rate of miscarriage is higher among women who consumed two or more caffeinated beverages in the weeks leading up to conception. Another study found that alcohol consumption during pregnancy can increase your risk of miscarriage by nearly 20 percent, so be very mindful of the beverages you’re consuming leading up to and during your pregnancy.

4. Maintain A Healthy Weight – It is normal and expected that you gain weight during your pregnancy, but you’ll want to try to gain weight along a healthy trajectory throughout your pregnancy. Gaining too much weight too quickly can increase your risk of a miscarriage, so talk with your doctor about how much weight they expect you to gain throughout your pregnancy and what type of weight changes they may expect to see between this appointment and your next appointment.

5. Take Prenatal Vitamins – Your doctor will likely recommend that you take a prenatal vitamin if you are trying to become pregnant or once you have become pregnant. Prenatal vitamins that contain folic acid, calcium, iron and Vitamin D can all provide the right type of environment for healthy fetal development, in turn lowering your risk of a miscarriage. Talk to your doctor about which prenatal vitamin is right for your situation.

6. Avoid Illicit Drug Use – Finally, certain drugs like marijuana, cocaine and amphetamines can increase your risk of a miscarriage. If you believe you may have trouble stopping drug use while pregnant, please reach out to your OBGYN or a substance abuse counselor. We are not here to judge, we only want what’s best for you and your unborn child.

Remember, even if you follow all the above tips, there’s no way to totally eliminate miscarriage risk, so you are not to blame if you do what you can to reduce your risk and your pregnancy fails to make it to term. We want to do everything in our power to help you and your baby have a healthy pregnancy, so if you have any questions or need assistance with any aspect of your pregnancy, please don’t hesitate to ask.