Miscarriage
I have recently had a miscarriage - what herbs could help me recover and help me conceive again?The herbalist writes ...
A miscarriage can be triggered by many factors - hormonal, foetal abnormality, cervical laxity, rhesus negative factor, dietary factors etc - and does not always require a D&C. In most cases the womb expells everything itself without any further intervention required - but it is important to get checked over by your GP/gynaecologist. Any subsequent treatment is also dependent on how far into the pregnancy the woman was when she suffered the miscarriage.
If a D&C is required, then I'm afraid we cannot advise any alternative treatment to that. There can be a small risk of pelvic inflammtory disease (PID) developing after a miscarriage and your GP or gynaecologist is the best person to treat this. If the reason for the D&C is PID, in addition to getting the required treatment from your doctor, you could also visit a medical herbalist who can treat you properly - this is not a condition for self-treatment with herbs. Visit http://www.nimh.org.uk to find a herbalist near you.
About 1 in 3 pregnancies ends in a miscarriage, so although distressing, it is a very common event and something experienced by many women during their reproductive years. The majority of women go on to conceive and have a full term pregnancy after a miscarriage. It is a good idea, however, not to attempt to conceive again for 3 months, so that your sex hormones can readjust and your womb has chance to recoup. It also gives the woman chance to get over what can be a very distressing event.
Rose tincture is traditionally used for sadness due to loss and bereavement and it is also a superb female remedy used for regulating the sex hormones and as a uterine tonic.
Vitex agnus-castus can also regulate the sex hormones after a miscarriage and help with repeated miscarriages due to progesteronal insufficiency (these usually occur about week 6 to 12 of pregnancy), but repeated miscarrige would benefit from treatment by a qualified herbalist, in addition to investigation by your doctor to understand the underlying cause.
Once the woman is getting ready to conceive again, uterine tonic herbs such as Chinese angelica and Marigold can be helpful taken a month or two before conception, in addition to adopting a healthy diet, taking good qaulity prenatal supplements including folic acid, reducing/cutting out tea and coffee and alcohol, stopping smoking and eliminating as much stress from your life as possible (this dietary and lifestyle advice is not just for the woman either - it takes two to make a baby!). Stop taking these herbs as soon as it is possible that you are pregnant, and please check all contra-indications carefully.
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