Pregnancy just after miscarriage appears safe. (No Increase in Preterm Birth).

ASHLAND, ORE. -- There appear to be no adverse neonatal outcomes associated with immediate pregnancy following a single spontaneous abortion, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Pacific Coast Obstetrical and Gynecological Society.

Traditionally women suffering a spontaneous abortion have been advised to avoid becoming pregnant again for at least 2-3 months, noted Dr. Patricia A. Robertson, professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California, San Francisco. But studies have shown that maternal stress and grieving associated with a miscarriage are less profound if another pregnancy follows soon after the miscarriage, Dr. Robertson said.

To determine whether medically pertinent reasons exist to delay pregnancy, she and her associates conducted a retrospective review of 268 medical records of women who were treated for a spontaneous abortion to find those who became pregnant within a year. They then assessed neonatal outcomes of those pregnancies, comparing women who became pregnant immediately and those who waited at least two menstrual periods or 100 days.

Nineteen women became pregnant before experiencing a menstrual period or after a single menstrual period, while 45 women delayed pregnancy for at least several months.

Women in the two groups were similar, except that there were no Hispanic women who became pregnant immediately Nine of 45 patients who delayed pregnancy were Hispanic. Cultural practices may play a role in this finding, Dr. Robertson said.

The mean interval between pregnancies was 28 days for women in the immediate pregnancy group and 160 days for those who delayed pregnancy.

The gestational age at the time of their previous spontaneous abortions was significantly ...