Mailbag 20: What does the Fox say?
This is a transcription of a portion of a Healthful Woman podcast.
Rachel’s Question
Our first question is from Rachel. “Hi, Dr. Fox. Loved your podcast so much during my pregnancy.” Thanks, Rachel. “I’m still breastfeeding my eight-month-old, and just had a chemical pregnancy. Is there any proven correlation between breastfeeding and miscarriage/chemical pregnancy?”
Dr. Fox’s Response
All right. Thanks for the question, Rachel. Sorry you had the miscarriage, the chemical pregnancy.
For our listeners who may not know what that means, a chemical pregnancy is basically a very early miscarriage where the only “evidence” of a pregnancy is a positive pregnancy test, either a urine test or a blood test, meaning it’s prior to seeing anything on ultrasound. And so, the term for that is a chemical pregnancy, but it’s basically a very early miscarriage.
In terms of your question, Rachel, no. As far as we know, there is no correlation between breastfeeding and miscarriage. Meaning, if you were to get pregnant while breastfeeding, there is not an increased chance of miscarriage compared to somebody else. Now, it is more difficult to get pregnant while breastfeeding. It is somewhat of a natural contraceptive. It’s not entirely reliable, which is why we don’t advise women to rely on breastfeeding for contraception if they don’t want to get pregnant, but it is more difficult to get pregnant while breastfeeding.
However, if one does get pregnant while breastfeeding, it does not increase the risk of miscarriage. Whether someone should or shouldn’t stop breastfeeding while they’re pregnant is not related to the risk of miscarriage. It’s related to whether there’s enough nutrients for both the mother and the newborn or the baby who is breastfeeding, and the developing pregnancy. That’s a complicated question with different answers on it, but it’s not because of a risk of miscarriage. That is not…fortunately, that’s not an issue. So, I’m sorry you had the chemical pregnancy, the miscarriage, but it was not related to your breastfeeding.
Learn More on the Healthful Woman Podcast
Dr. Fox answers several other questions about whether or not a mother being a carrier for cystic fibrosis could have any negative impact on the baby in the womb, mobility following an epidural, natural variation in gestation length, whether or not someone with half a uterus can deliver vaginally, and maternal CMV infection in the first trimester. To learn more, check out the full podcast episode.
Maternal Fetal Medicine blogs are intended for educational purposes only and do not replace certified professional care. Medical conditions vary and change frequently. Please ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding your condition to receive a proper diagnosis or risk analysis. Thank you!
