When Do You Ovulate After a Miscarriage?

Miscarriages or pregnancy loss are very difficult events for any couple to go through. Usually there is a process of grieving before a couple wants to try again to get pregnant after a miscarriage.

However, once they’re ready to try, questions come up: When does ovulation restart after a miscarriage, is it safe to try to conceive, and what are the chances of miscarriage happening again?

How Soon Does Your Menstrual Cycle Restart After Miscarriage?

You will usually have your first period about 4–6 weeks after a miscarriage or pregnancy loss. However, ovulation may occur (and you may be able to get pregnant) just 2 weeks after a miscarriage.

Your reproductive years are from the first menstrual cycle (menarche) to the final menstrual cycle (menopause). Ovulation can occur approximately between days 13-15 of a 28-day cycle. Ovulation is when your ovary releases an oocyte from a follicle. The oocyte then travels to the fallopian tube and awaits fertilization with sperm.

After ovulation, you have about 12–24 hours for fertilization to occur. However, it’s worth noting that sperm can live inside a female body for up to 5 days, so the window for intercourse to result in pregnancy could be longer than anticipated and is dependent upon when ovulation occurs. 

If the egg is not fertilized during that time, it disintegrates (breaks down), and menstruation (your period) begins approximately two weeks (14 days) 11–16 days later.

Tracking ovulation can be helpful. Some doctors recommend waiting until your period has restarted so that the date of a new pregnancy after a miscarriage can be more accurately calculated based on your menstrual cycle. In general, we would advise you to work closely with your healthcare provider at this time.

Ovulation Test Kits

Optimal fertility can vary significantly, even with predictable menstrual cycles. Monitoring menstruation and tracking changes in cervical mucus, libido, pain, or mood can be helpful in predicting ovulation about 50% of the time.

One of the ways to track ovulation following a miscarriage is to use an ovulation predictor kit (OPK).

OPK kits are used to detect the levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) that are excreted in the urine. The goal is to identify the LH surge that typically happens 24–36 hours prior to ovulation. False-positive test results can occur in about 7% of cycles. It’s also important to factor in that since sperm can survive in a woman’s body up to 5 days, if you have sex daily or every other day for five days prior to ovulation, this can increase the chances that sperm will be present when ovulation occurs.

Other Signs & Symptoms

Ovulation usually goes unnoticed in many. Outside of menstrual cycle tracking, there are some symptoms that most can learn to track or pay attention to in order to help understand when to take ovulation tests:

Your Basal Body Temperature Falls

One of the most objective ovulation symptoms is that your basal body temperature drops a little bit just before ovulation. Approximately 24 hours after ovulation, your basal body temperature rises and stays up for several days. If you're trying to get pregnant, it's advisable to take your temperature regularly around the time of suspected ovulation to understand when it is occurring.

According to Healthlink BC, basal body temperature averages between:

• 97°F (36.1°C) and 97.5°F (36.4°C) before ovulation 
• 97.6°F (36.4°C) and 98.6°F (37°C) after ovulation 

Discharge Changes 

The changes in your cervical mucus over the course of your cycle also hold clues about when you might be ovulating.

If your cervical mucus is:

• Dry, damp, absent or sticky: It’s unlikely you’re ovulating
• Clear and slippery: The probability of ovulation and thus conception is highest 

Your Cervix Softens and Opens Up

As you approach your most fertile time, your cervix softens. This is sometimes known as having a short, high, open, and wet cervix (SHOW). 

You May Experience Slight Twinges or Cramping

Mittelschmerz translates literally as “middle pain” and is the name for the slight twinge or cramp that some women experience when the follicle releases the oocyte on the day of ovulation during your menstrual cycle. 

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Mittelschmerz pain occurs on the side of the ovary that's releasing an egg (ovulating). The pain may switch sides every other month, or you may feel pain on the same side for several months. Keep track of your menstrual cycle for several months and note when you feel lower abdominal pain. If it occurs midcycle and goes away without treatment, it's most likely mittelschmerz.”

Some Light Spotting May Occur

When the ovaries release the egg, a mature tiny follicle ruptures to allow the egg to be released. This may be a cause of spotting for a day or so.

Increased Libido or Sex Drive

A common sign of ovulation is an increased sex drive. 

Getting Pregnant After Miscarriage

There are two perspectives to consider when asking the question of whether you're ready for pregnancy following a miscarriage: Are you emotionally ready, and are you physically ready to start trying again?

Emotional Readiness

While your body might return to normal soon after a miscarriage or pregnancy loss, at an emotional level, there’s usually grieving involved in the recovery process.

It’s important to take the time to mourn your loss and give adequate time for grieving. If this is a particularly difficult loss for you (and/or your partner), you might want to seek professional grief counselling or therapy to work through the complex emotions.

It’s important to acknowledge that this loss is different for everyone, though comfort may be found in talking to others who’ve been through the same thing. At the end of the day, don’t compare your timeline to others. Take the time you (and your partner) need to grieve and recuperate before trying to conceive again.

Physical Readiness

Your healthcare provider will probably tell you to abstain from sex for two weeks after a miscarriage to prevent infection and allow adequate time to heal. This can be individualized, so it is important to discuss the timing of return to sexual activity with your health care provider. 

Depending on the cause of your miscarriage, they might make other specific recommendations about your care and when you should try again.

The WHO recommends waiting about six months before trying to conceive again. However, according to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists (ACOG), there is no reason to wait that long for many women. They say:

“You can ovulate and become pregnant as soon as two weeks after an early pregnancy loss. If you do not wish to become pregnant again right away, be sure to use a birth control method. You can use any contraceptive method, including having an intrauterine device inserted, immediately after an early pregnancy loss. If you do wish to become pregnant, there is no medical reason to wait to begin trying again. You may want to wait until after you have had a menstrual period so that calculating the due date of your next pregnancy is easier.”

Outlook for Pregnancy After Miscarriage

Miscarriages are more common than many realize and 2-5% of couples trying to conceive will experience repeat pregnancy loss.

According to the Mayo Clinic: “Miscarriage is usually a one-time occurrence. Most women who miscarry go on to have healthy pregnancies after miscarriage. A small number of — will have repeated miscarriages.”

“The predicted risk of miscarriage in a future pregnancy remains about 20% after one miscarriage. After two consecutive miscarriages, the risk of another miscarriage increases to about 28%, and after three or more consecutive miscarriages, the risk of another miscarriage is about 43%.”

The likelihood of an early pregnancy loss increases for older women. According to the ACOG, early pregnancy loss occurs in more than one-third of pregnancies in women over 40.

When Should You Try Again to Get Pregnant?

It is a very personal decision if and when you try to get pregnant after a miscarriage. Work closely with your healthcare provider to make sure you’re ready—emotionally and physically—to try getting pregnant after miscarriage.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Chimsom T. Oleka, M.D, Written by Jane Flanagan — Updated on November 1, 2021.

We hope you found this post informative — but remember: we’re not doctors and this post is not medical advice! While all posts are fact-checked and well researched, we always recommend you chat with your doctor about any questions or concerns you might have regarding a medical condition. We’re here to support and educate, but never with the aim of disregarding professional medical advice you’ve been given. Phew, now that that’s out of the way, you can go on living unapologetically free.