Does anyone know of a link between breasfeeding and early miscarriage?

[TheBreastmilksOnMe]

I am trying to conceive DC2 and I suffered a missed-miscarriage earlier in the year. I am breastfeeding my DS who is 20months and he has around 3-4 feeds in 24 hours. I had heard somewhere that there was a link? Is there?

No there's no evidence for that. I also miscarried early before DD and while feeding DD before DS. But then I fed all through my pregnancy with DS.

If this was the case, you would miscarry if you had an orgasm as both cause oxytocin release and could conceivable cause uterine convulsions (you can't btw).

I'm sorry you miscarried but please don't worry, breastfeeding has nothing to do with it.

Try again. It will work out next time I'm sure.

Thanks so much for your reply WMMC, although it wasn't so much to do with the uterine contractions, it was more to do with the hormone levels that regulate ovulation and implantation that I had heard about, on another thread. Somebody said that whilst everyone has there own set level when their fertility will return whilst breastfeeding, it isn't a case of you are fertile or aren't but more of a case of stages:

1. you have a period
2. you ovulate and have a period
3. you do the above but don't produce the hormones to sustain implantation.
4. you do 1 and 2 and are able to sustain implantation.

So, you might be at stage 3, conceive and then miscarry, so I was wondering if this might happen at a later stage of pregnancy, IYSWIM?

If you mean prolactin, your levels will be higher than non-lactating women but not high enough to cause a problem. The implantation period takes a matter of hours - it's not a 'if you feed during this period your pregnancy will not be viable'.

Also I had no periods between my first miscarriage, through having DD, to my next miscarriage and then through to DS being six months old. Had this list been correct, DS could not have been born!

I would suggest that you've been unlucky, as I was, and that if you keep going it'll work next time. Remember most miscarriages are not reckoned as such - your period is a few days late, you don't assume or test unless you are looking for a pregnancy. I suspect levels of miscarriage are far higher than most people realise but it doesn't necessarily mean there is a problem - or indeed a reason beyond a bad sperm/egg that month.

Mmm I agree, it's reassuring to hear your take on it. Sorry to hear about your lost babies. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for this month. Thanks again.

I know it sounds silly but I have just accepted the loss of these two now because I think I've got the right number and it wasn't right at the time. I'd far rather miscarry early than late and each time the very next month I conceived a healthy baby.

Please don't get obsessed with this. I was just about to take my copy of Zita West's Guide to getting pregnant to the charity shop but if you think it'd help you, CAT me and I'll post it to you.

No, not silly at all I know what you mean, I've just come to terms with my miscarriage, for months I couldn't bear the thought of going through the 1st trimester again but now we have jumped back on the TTC wagon and are looking forward instead of backward but I know what you mean, it is easy to get caught up in it all and worry about everything that you should and shouldn't be doing and getting a little obsessed so thankyou for the book offer but i am keeping perspective and just getting on with it!

Good for you. It'll happen. Remember it takes the average couple 13 months to conceive a pregnancy from when they start trying. You have conceived once, so you are way ahead of most people. Even though you miscarried it shows things are working as expected. It's just a question of timing and luck really.