Miscarriage and Nutrition
Miscarriage sucks. There is no other way to put it. I have had my fair share of women who have experienced miscarriage reach out to me for nutrition counseling, and have experienced it personally (read part of my story here). Although every single case and situation is different, in general these are recommendations that I start with:
1. Understand that miscarriage is unfortunately very common, and the chances of it occurring because you didn't take a certain supplement or ate an apple that wasn't organic one day is very VERY slim. 1 in 4 pregnancies result in miscarriage, and it may be due to tons of things that are out of your control. Know that many women who have experienced a miscarriage do become mamas. It is hard to not know the cause of it, but often nothing "caused" it. Don't hold yourself so responsible. But you are allowed to be sad. I'll say it again...it totally sucks. .
2. Getting your Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D levels checked is a good way to know if you should be supplementing these nutrients that may play a role. Don't go gangbusters with supplementation if you don't have a known deficiency. If you do need supplementation, make sure you choose Vitamin D3 and Methylated B12. Follow recommended dosage that your doctor provided. You can check your vitamin D level with a simple at-home test. I used this one.
3. Be sure you are taking a quality prenatal vitamin. While its unlikely that taking a prenatal vitamin will be the ticket to getting you pregnant, it will provide nutrients that your body needs to support a healthy pregnancy. And the antioxidants found in many of them MAY help certain aspects of your fertility. This is one of my favs.
4. Stop using any recreational drugs. Many people are told to stop using marijuana (along with alcohol and smoking cigarettes), but are not specifically told that other drugs like cocaine should NOT be used too. .
5. Consider having your male-partner have a semen analysis as well as an analysis of his sperm DNA fragmentation %. The DNA fragmentation evaluation is not always included in a standard SA and studies are now linking an increased % of fragmentation to recurrent miscarriage rates. Knowledge is power, y'all! . He can also make some simple changes to his diet. I shared many tips in my book Fueling Male Fertility.
6. Limit caffeine to 200 mg a day max. Or cut it out completely. Just warn everyone around you before you cut out the caffeine cold-turkey. I am on day 4 of caffeine detox and my husband is currently hiding from me in his home-office. .
7. Selenium deficiency has been linked to recurrent miscarriage. Selenium is a super-easy nutrient to get in. Just make a point to eat ONE Brazil nut every other day. Easy-peezy.
With all of these tips, keep in mind that the March of Dimes says that 70% of all 1st-trimester miscarriages are due to chromosomal abnormalities. Take it easy on yourself and know that one day you will be a mama too .