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Whole30 after a Miscarriage?


wholemhk

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This past weekend, I had a miscarriage at 5 weeks.  It has been incredibly hard but I'm starting my healing process so that I can move forward.  I am thinking of doing a Whole30 to give myself something else to focus on, while at the same time hopefully resetting my hormones.  My husband and I would like to try again as soon as possible, but I was told to let my body have a period first.  I've heard it can take a while, and my hope is that doing a Whole30 will help everything level out quicker.  Does anyone have any experience with a Whole30 after a miscarriage to help them conceive? 

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First off, I'm SO sorry for your loss.  I had a loss last year between 8-9 weeks and it took a lot out of me.  It's an awful thing to go through and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

It's helpful to have a period before trying again for 2 reasons: 

1. Your doctor can have a better idea of when you conceived.

2. I've known enough women that thought they got pregnant right away, only to realize their HCG was still dropping after their loss.  If you've tracked your levels down to 0, this is irrelevant.  

There are still conflicting theories about letting your lining thicken after a cycle or two, but I've heard from multiple people (including my previous doctor) that that's not true.  As long as you get the green light from your doc, you can likely try whenever.

I didn't do another Whole30 until a few months after my loss.  I had to correct what caused the loss, first (thyroid) and between changing thyroid meds and my loss, I didn't have the energy to eat much, let alone eat clean.  But, I was successful my second month trying again.  That coincided with another Whole30.  

You have my sympathy.  I wish you luck.  Any questions, or if you need to chat with someone that's been through it, reach out!

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Thank you so much for your response.  I definitely plan on waiting until I have a period before trying again, which is what my doctor also recommended.  I'm hoping that by starting a Whole30 it will help bring on my period in a relatively normal time frame, since I'm worried it will take forever due to the miscarriage.  I already have long cycles to begin with, which makes TTC tricky.  I'm also super anxious about this happening again, and desperately want to try to "fix" what went wrong, even though I was told it was nothing I did.  I'm sorry to hear that you went through this too.  It's encouraging to hear you conceived again shortly after...it gives me hope! 

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Wholemhk, I'm am so sorry for your loss.  I too had a missed miscarriage early this fall - we found out we were pregnant with twins that ended in two blighted ovums - heartbroken doesn't even begin to describe the emotions I went through.  Very difficult time for me and my hormones definitely stayed out of whack for a while, which just intensifies all of those feelings.  I had a D&C so my experience might be different from yours but i didn't get my period back until after taking Progesterone(I believe) end of November early December.  Even then it took my cycle a little time to return to normal - got my first period and then two weeks later got it again - now I seem to be back on track but it's only been two months so I'm also hoping a benefit of the Whole30 will be to help my body/cycles return back to normal.  I honestly think taking 30  + days to focus on your wellness is a wonderful idea right now, you need time to heal and reflect and care for yourself and this seems like the perfect way to do that.  Would love to follow along with you if you do decide to do a Whole30 - I am only 6 days in so we could keep eachother motivated!  Wishing you all the best!  - Amy

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6 hours ago, wholemhk said:

Thank you so much for your response.  I definitely plan on waiting until I have a period before trying again, which is what my doctor also recommended.  I'm hoping that by starting a Whole30 it will help bring on my period in a relatively normal time frame, since I'm worried it will take forever due to the miscarriage.  I already have long cycles to begin with, which makes TTC tricky.  I'm also super anxious about this happening again, and desperately want to try to "fix" what went wrong, even though I was told it was nothing I did.  I'm sorry to hear that you went through this too.  It's encouraging to hear you conceived again shortly after...it gives me hope! 

I, too, have long cycles, at least 40+ days.  Took me 8 weeks after my d&c to get a period and it was absolutely horrendous. I have endometriosis and coupled with the change in thyroid meds, I should have expected that. Had I done a whole 30 between my loss and then, I'm guessing it would have been a better period. Something else to consider. 

Awarner, I'm sorry for your losses as well. 

 

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Karen, I'm so sorry for your loss too.  I'm curious...did your endometriosis improve after Whole30?  I've read a few success stories that claimed it did.  I was treated for a mild endometriosis a few months back with an antibiotic, mine was associated with painful cramping which luckily has since stopped.  I would never have thought my diet could have been affecting that. 
 

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  • Whole30 Certified Coach

I posted a bit on here last year about my m/c at 10 weeks. It was one of the hardest things I've ever gone through.  I ate my way through my feelings for a while and then eventually was able to string together what I think may have been a W60.  Eating real foods will certainly never decrease your chances of regulating your cycle or conceiving and it is probably the *best* thing you can do for *you* - so if you feel like you have the time and energy to devote to it - go for it!

And don't blame yourself at all for the m/c.  When embryos are viable it takes a heck of a lot to end a pregnancy... so an early pregnancy loss is almost certainly not related to anything mom did or didn't do.  So don't feel like you need to "fix" anything.  

I was in fertility treatments so I was getting hcg measurements (took a while for it to be negative - I think I even got a period before it was <5) and ultrasounds as we waited to try again.  The staff at the fertility clinic told us we could start trying on our own right away - that all that "wait for 6 months stuff" is not true and more based on waiting for the woman to be emotionally ok to try again.  However, they wouldn't use meds until my labs and U/S were ok.

BUT... after 18 months of trying  with infertility treatments for maybe ~8 cycles... we just stopped trying for 2 months.  And then this happened :)

31766378254_a8eb3d6e7f_n.jpg

So hang in there :) Feed your body well, treat yourself well and enjoy the process of trying to make a baby... and I hope in a year from now you aren't getting any sleep either ;) 

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7 hours ago, awarner said:

Karen, I'm so sorry for your loss too.  I'm curious...did your endometriosis improve after Whole30?  I've read a few success stories that claimed it did.  I was treated for a mild endometriosis a few months back with an antibiotic, mine was associated with painful cramping which luckily has since stopped.  I would never have thought my diet could have been affecting that. 
 

It absolutely has. It hasn't been a cure by any means, but when I eat well, my symptoms are significantly less. If I fall off the wagon, they flair up again. I swore off pain meds and hormones a few months after an unsuccessful surgery in 2009 and haven't looked back. I wasn't sure I'd be able to get pregnant after all I've been through, and my loss was certainly a huge setback, but I'm proud to say my endo is much better because I've taken control of my health. 

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6 hours ago, littleg said:

I posted a bit on here last year about my m/c at 10 weeks. It was one of the hardest things I've ever gone through.  I ate my way through my feelings for a while and then eventually was able to string together what I think may have been a W60.  Eating real foods will certainly never decrease your chances of regulating your cycle or conceiving and it is probably the *best* thing you can do for *you* - so if you feel like you have the time and energy to devote to it - go for it!

And don't blame yourself at all for the m/c.  When embryos are viable it takes a heck of a lot to end a pregnancy... so an early pregnancy loss is almost certainly not related to anything mom did or didn't do.  So don't feel like you need to "fix" anything.  

I was in fertility treatments so I was getting hcg measurements (took a while for it to be negative - I think I even got a period before it was <5) and ultrasounds as we waited to try again.  The staff at the fertility clinic told us we could start trying on our own right away - that all that "wait for 6 months stuff" is not true and more based on waiting for the woman to be emotionally ok to try again.  However, they wouldn't use meds until my labs and U/S were ok.

BUT... after 18 months of trying  with infertility treatments for maybe ~8 cycles... we just stopped trying for 2 months.  And then this happened :)

31766378254_a8eb3d6e7f_n.jpg

So hang in there :) Feed your body well, treat yourself well and enjoy the process of trying to make a baby... and I hope in a year from now you aren't getting any sleep either ;) 

Such inspiration!

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  • 3 weeks later...

I know there's nothing anyone can do or say to ease the pain from loss like that, but I'm so sorry and you're not alone.

I'm finishing day 19 of my first Whole30 after two years TTC and two miscarriages. No pregnancy yet, but I feel so much better! I can tell that my body is resetting and getting healthier. My husband is doing this with me and we can only hope it helps us get a successful, fullterm pregnancy. We want a baby! Regardless, this has been a great way to focus on getting healthy in multiple ways, healing and doing something to bring us closer together after our losses and trying times.

My sister has PCOS and has struggled with miscarriages and infertility as well. She and her husband decided to try for another baby soon after she did one of her Whole30s. It was the first time her cycle was regular in years and they conceived their first month trying! I'm crossing our fingers it will happen for us.

I would definitely recommend doing Whole30 to recooperate from miscarriage and try to get back on track. Of course, no one can tell you what you need to recover. Do whatever you feel is best for you. Good luck!

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On 2/20/2017 at 10:43 PM, Mfduds02 said:

I know there's nothing anyone can do or say to ease the pain from loss like that, but I'm so sorry and you're not alone.

I'm finishing day 19 of my first Whole30 after two years TTC and two miscarriages. No pregnancy yet, but I feel so much better! I can tell that my body is resetting and getting healthier. My husband is doing this with me and we can only hope it helps us get a successful, fullterm pregnancy. We want a baby! Regardless, this has been a great way to focus on getting healthy in multiple ways, healing and doing something to bring us closer together after our losses and trying times.

My sister has PCOS and has struggled with miscarriages and infertility as well. She and her husband decided to try for another baby soon after she did one of her Whole30s. It was the first time her cycle was regular in years and they conceived their first month trying! I'm crossing our fingers it will happen for us.

I would definitely recommend doing Whole30 to recooperate from miscarriage and try to get back on track. Of course, no one can tell you what you need to recover. Do whatever you feel is best for you. Good luck!

Thats an amazing story about your sister! I think I'm finally ready to start a Whole30 soon.  I thought I would be ready right away, to take my mind off the anger I was experiencing, but I quickly realized I wasn't in the right mindset just yet.  My doctor suggested testing my vitamin D levels, and they came back very low, so she has me taking 2,000 IU/day.  I've read that low levels of vitamin D could be cause for miscarriage but there's really no way of knowing if that's what caused mine.  Hoping I can get my levels up to a healthy amount before conceiving again! I heard it can take a while, so fingers crossed! 

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