How Long Should You Wait to Have Sex After a Miscarriage?

If you've had a miscarriage, your health care provider will likely advise you to wait a short period before having penetrative sex again.

In most cases, it's safe to resume sexual activities once your miscarriage-related bleeding has stopped; it usually lasts for one to two weeks. Other doctors might recommend waiting six weeks or more, especially if there were complications or if the pregnancy was more advanced.

Everyone will heal and feel differently after a miscarriage, of course, but here is some more information about how long after a miscarriage you can have sex, along with some other considerations as you heal.

How Long Should You Wait to Have Sex After a Miscarriage?

Generally, health care providers advise people to avoid placing anything inside the vagina—including tampons, fingers, toys, or having penetrative sex—for several weeks after a miscarriage to prevent infection and injury.

Usually, once your bleeding stops, it's physically safe to resume sexual activities. Bleeding often stops within one to two weeks, but getting your health care provider's go-ahead first is best.

Also, it's possible to begin ovulating as soon as two weeks after miscarriage, so if you don't want to get pregnant, you should use some form of birth control.

All About Sex After a Miscarriage

After a miscarriage, the cervix, which is the opening to the uterus, remains partially open, allowing bleeding and tissue to pass through. This is true even if you needed surgery for your miscarriage.

While this is a necessary step for healing, it also increases the risk of an infection. Because the cervix is open, bacteria could pass from the vagina through the cervix and into the uterus.

While the organs heal, keeping things out of the vagina can help with healing.

If you've had surgery for your miscarriage, you may also need extra time for healing.

Healing after a miscarriage

Everyone's healing after a miscarriage can look different. Usually, by the time miscarriage-related bleeding stops, your cervix should be closed again.

Once your cervix is closed, your risk of infection goes down and it's generally considered safe to resume any sexual activities that you feel comfortable with. However, there's no exact timeline, and you may also deal with other healing symptoms, like fatigue and discomfort.

Talk to your doctor about your healing. Your doctor may recommend a pelvic exam to ensure you are fully healed, too.

Your period after a miscarriage

Your menstrual cycle can also return almost immediately after a miscarriage. If you ovulate right away, it's possible to conceive as soon as two weeks after a miscarriage.

If you don't want to get pregnant right away again or your doctor has advised waiting, you will want to use contraceptive methods when you do have sex after a miscarriage.

If You Aren't Ready To Be Intimate

Not wanting to be physically intimate after experiencing a miscarriage is normal. Here are some tips for how to approach hesitation for sex after a miscarriage:

• Give yourself permission to process your feelings and grieve your miscarriage. You may not want to be touched, intimately or otherwise, let alone have sex.
• How long this grieving process takes varies greatly for everyone. Take as much time as you need.
• If your partner is ready to be intimate and you are not, talk to them and explain how you're feeling.
  

Take time to grieve and practice open communication with your partner. Doing so can reduce confusion or conflict and offer a space for both of you to express your feelings.

Emotional Healing After a Loss

In addition to the physical healing that has to happen with a miscarriage, many people will often go through a period of emotional healing.

Everyone is different, of course, but the hormonal changes after a miscarriage are similar to the postpartum period after birth. That means that it's possible to develop postpartum depression after a pregnancy loss.

If you notice any depression symptoms, you should seek appropriate care. A primary care doctor is an excellent place to start. They may suggest talk therapy, prescribe medication, or both.

Even if you don't have postpartum depression after a miscarriage, many people find that therapy can be helpful in processing grief, as well as the challenges of pregnancy after a loss if someone decides to try to conceive again.

Coping With Pregnancy Loss

Some strategies that might help with healing after miscarriage could include:

• Reaching out to family and friends for support
• Finding a support group
• Journaling
• Taking time off from work, if you are able
• Honoring your baby with a memorial or keepsake