Ovulating after a miscarriage

[SteadFast]

Hi Ladies,
I am sure this question has already been asked but rather than searching I just thought I would ask again.
How soon after a miscarriage do you ovulate?
I have been reading about this topic online and have found some conflicting information. Some women have written in saying that after having a miscarriage they got pregnant again within weeks before ever even having a period. This would suggest that after having a miscarriage a woman ovulates before having her first period following the miscarriage. Is this true?
This means the miscarriage cycle is: miscarriage, ovulation, period
I would have thought the cycle went: miscarriage, period, ovulation
I found out I was having a miscarriage on 2/14. I passed the baby on 3/8. On 3/20 my HCG level still measured at 897. I passed what was still left over throughout the next 3-4 days. The bleeding ended by 3/24. My Dr told me to expect my first period within the next 4-6 weeks.
On 3/29 I experienced mild cramping and had lots of CM. 3/30-3/31 I continued to have lots of CM. 4/1 I had heavy cramping. Still no sign of my period though. Could these symptoms be associated to ovulation even though I have not yet had a period since the miscarriage?

 

[Button#]

So sorry for your loss.

Generally speaking you need to ovulate to have a period so it would make sense for it to go miscarriage, ovulation, period. Your cycle can be affected by the miscarriage though so ovulation and subsequently your period may be later. I have read your supposed to be more fertile after a miscarriage and a fair few ladies on here have never got their period, I'm hoping to be one of them!

 

[Hellymay83]

so sorry for your loss hun, I ovulated exactly two weeks after my mc, it's been 4.5 weeks since my mc now and af arrived on Monday. However I did have two positive pregnancy tests last week, I think maybe this was a chemical pregnancy.

It is 100% possible to get pregnant on your first cycle after a mc. My midwife from epau did advise me to wait until after my first period before starting ttc again, lots of people have said that this is just so they can date the pregnancy correctly however, since my last two positive tests I have been told that your first period after a mc is usually a lot heavier and a little 'abnormal' this is because the lining of your womb can stay a little thick after a miscarriage (making implantation difficult) and a period is the only way to expel that. This is a true statement for me as the lining of my womb was still 8mm at my scan to make everything had passed, it should have been around 4mm. Needless to say, my af this month is horrendous. Xx

 

[silverbell]

After my mc I had nearly 3 weeks of constant bleeding and then it completely stopped for 3 days and started again.

When I went for my check-up scan to ensure no products had been retained they told me that this second lot of bleeding was in fact my normal period and I'd already started growing follicles ready for another cycle.

I know this doesn't prove I ovulated prior to my first AF, but certainly my AF turned up very quickly post-miscarriage and, like you say, should only really be possible post ovulation.

 

[Nina83]

That's incorrect, you can have AF without ovulation, it's an anovulatory cycle.

After both my miscarriages I didn't ovulate before the first AF. I did get a +OPK, EWCM, dip in temps, by my temps following showed no sign of ovulation.
I do not have a problem ovulating, it must have just been my body screwed uop a bit after MC.

 

[Button#]

That's what I meant by generally speaking, I just wasn't clear obviously. Just meant to let the OP know that it's perfectly normal to ovulate after a miscarriage, although obviously possible not to as well.

 

[SteadFast]

Hi Ladies, I am so sorry that each of you have had to experience a miscarriage. Thank you for your input and sharing your personal experiences. I truly appreciate it!
I know that every woman's experience is different but I am feeling so confused as to what exactly is going on. To add to what I wrote in my original post, here is what has happened so far:
2/14: I was 8+2; US confirmed baby had stopped developing around 6 weeks
3/8: began heavy cramping and bleeding; passed the baby
3/8-3/15: bleeding
3/16-3/18: spotting
3/19: spotting increased to moderate bleeding
3/20: HCG measured at 897; bleeding
3/21-3/22: bleeding
3/23: bleeding/spotting ended
3/29: cramps; increased CM
3/30: increased CM
3/31: increased CM (pink tinted)
4/1: cramps; increased CM (pink tinted)
4/2: increased CM (pink tinted)

It seems early for my period to be coming due to the fact that at my last Dr. appointment on 3/20 (13 days ago) my Dr. told me that it would be 4-6 weeks before I had my first period AND at that appointment I still tested positive on a urine pregnancy test and a blood test showed my HCG levels still measured at 897.

Any opinions as to what is going on? Is my period coming earlier than my Dr. had expected or are these symptoms more likely related to ovulation?

 

[Nina83]

Steadfast, have you continued using HPT to check that your levels have gone down?
Your body might be "trying" to ovulate, that's why you might be getting cramps. If Your HCG is still positive, you won't ovulate, and AF won't come.
Or this might just be random spotting, which can happen. It does seem too soon for AF, I think you "need" to have 14 days without any bleeding.
I would ask for another blood test and US to make sure everything is going down as it should.

 

[silverbell]

Just to let you know that I did have AF 3 days after the bleeding from my mc had stopped. So it is possible. Everywhere online it says you have to have 2 full clear weeks of non-bleeding for it to be AF after a miscarriage, but this is clearly incorrect as my scan and consultants proved otherwise in my case. They did say it was unusual though and seemed a bit surprised.

 

[SteadFast]

Hi Nina,
At my Dr. appointment on 3/20 they gave me a urine pregnancy test (+) and a blood test (HCG 897). I have not since taken a HPT.
Thank you for the suggestion. I think maybe I will do a HPT tomorrow. If the test is still showing positive I will go in for a blood test to see exactly where my levels are at.
If the test is negative, do you think that I can then be assured that my levels are zero, or close enough to zero, that there would be no need to go in for a blood test? I ask this because I know that HCG has to be at a certain level to be detected on a HPT. Therefore, if the test result is negative, this does not necessarily mean my levels are down to zero. However, would this mean that my levels are low enough that no follow up would be necessary?
Today= 26 days since I passed the baby and 11 days since I stopped bleeding.

Hi Silverbell,
Thank you for sharing your experience. Going through this has truly proven that every woman's body deals with things differently and no two experiences are exactly alike. It is good to know about all of the possible scenarios.

 

[dairymomma]

With most of my losses, the doctor ordered up labs to track my hCG dropping though and it usually took 2-3 weeks for it to go back to 0. I'd get my first AF 3-4 weeks after that but don't remember ov symptoms in the time, never got pg either, so figured I didn't ovulate. I wasn't tracking ovulation though either. But it is possible to ovulate right after a miscarriage. I'm now 25 weeks and all is going well even though I found out about this pregnancy just 5 weeks after my last miscarriage and without AF showing up the first time. So yes, it is possible to ovulate after a miscarriage but I think it varies from pregnancy to pregnancy and alot depends on how your hormones react afterwards. With my other losses, it took weeks for my hCG to drop back down but with this last miscarriage, it took just 9 days. That's fast for me and I think the quick drop allowed my hormones to regulate faster making me ovulate.