Miscarriage or pregnancy loss: coping with emotions, hormone changes, and depression
Learn how to cope after miscarriage or pregnancy loss. Understand common emotions, hormone changes, and when to seek help for depression.
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Pregnancy loss can be a profoundly difficult and disorienting experience, no matter when it occurs. You might feel a range of emotions, including anguish, sadness, anger, fear, and guilt. You may be grieving the plans and visions you had for your family and future. You may also feel as though your loss is “invisible” if others don’t recognize its impact on you.
In this article, you’ll learn about the emotional and hormonal changes that can occur after a miscarriage or pregnancy loss, the importance of monitoring your emotional health, and available support resources.
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Revisado por nuestros expertos clínicos y médicos
Bijal Toprani, PT, DPT
Hormone changes and emotions after pregnancy loss
Early in your pregnancy, you experienced dramatic increases in hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and relaxin. After a pregnancy loss, these hormone levels plummet. Hormone changes play a key role in mood and emotions. Knowing what to expect can help you prepare for these changes and give yourself grace as you cope with grief and loss. Common emotions and mood changes include:
Sadness and crying
Fatigue
Anxiety and irritability
Difficulty concentrating
Difficulty sleeping
Rapid mood swings
Coping with depression after miscarriage or pregnancy loss
There’s no timeline for coping with grief and the emotions that come with loss. But some emotional issues can be a cause for concern if they interfere with your ability to function. Depression after miscarriage or pregnancy loss is common. It often begins with mood changes that persist and become more severe. It involves intense feelings of sadness, anxiety, fatigue, difficulty concentrating and sleeping, and an inability to perform basic self-care.
If you are experiencing extreme mood changes, thoughts of harming yourself, or feelings that interfere with your ability to care for yourself or others, seek help right away. Call or text the 988 Lifeline here. Your provider can help you manage things with medication, therapy, support groups, and more.
Support and resources
There are many miscarriage and pregnancy loss support resources available to you. Here are some organizations and websites that provide resources to help cope with grief, miscarriage, or pregnancy loss:
Miscarriage and pregnancy loss
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) pregnancy loss resources
Stillbirth and infant loss
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) stillbirth resources
Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support (links to local in-person and online support):
General mental health support
National Maternal Mental Health Hotline: 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262)
Suicide & Crisis Hotline: Dial 988
You may also find it helpful to connect with others who have experienced pregnancy loss. There are many support groups available in-person and online via social media platforms. You can also ask your medical or mental health provider for a referral to a group in your area.
Regular exercise reduces stress, improves mood, and boosts overall well-being. It also helps relieve pain, which can get in the way of doing what you love. An exercise therapy program can help you feel better.
Hinge Health members can access customized plans and chat with their care team. They experience an average 68% reduction in pain* within the first 12 weeks—and those with mental health symptoms experience a 58% average decrease in anxiety and depression. Learn more*.
Self-care after a loss
Self-care after a pregnancy loss is more important than ever. You need time to rest, heal physically, adjust to shifting hormones, and process your emotions. Self-care looks different for everyone. It often includes getting enough sleep, eating nutritious foods, and making time for movement and activities that you enjoy.
It can be hard to imagine taking pleasure in activities after a loss. But taking time for small pleasures like a warm bath or a walk in nature can help you slowly regain your footing. Movement (particularly outdoors) can be especially beneficial when you’re recovering from a loss.
How Hinge Health can help you
If you have joint or muscle pain that makes it hard to move, you can get the relief you’ve been looking for with Hinge Health’s online exercise therapy program.
The best part: You don’t have to leave your home because our program is digital. That means you can easily get the care you need through our app when and where it works for you.
Through our program, you’ll have access to therapeutic exercises and stretches for your condition. Additionally, you’ll have a personal care team to guide, support, and tailor our program to you.
See if you qualify for Hinge Health and confirm free coverage through your employer or benefit plan here.
This article and its contents are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or professional services specific to you or your medical condition.
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References
Weir, K. (2018, May). Healing the wounds of pregnancy loss. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2018/05/pregnancy-loss
Westby, C. L., Erlandsen, A. R., Nilsen, S. A., Visted, E., & Thimm, J. C. (2021). Depression, anxiety, PTSD, and OCD after stillbirth: a systematic review. BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 21(1), 782. doi:10.1186/s12884-021-04254-x
Mutiso, S. K., Murage, A., & Mukaindo, A. M. (2018). Prevalence of positive depression screen among post miscarriage women- A cross sectional study. BMC psychiatry, 18(1), 32. doi:10.1186/s12888-018-1619-9
Tal, R., Taylor, H. S., Burney, R. O., Mooney, S. B., & Giudice, L. C. (2021). Endocrinology of Pregnancy. PubMed. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK278962/
Resnik, R., Lockwood, C. J., Moore, T. R., Greene, M. F., Copel, J. A., & Silver, R. M. (2019). Creasy and Resnik’s maternal-fetal medicine : principles and practice(8th ed.). Elsevier.
Balaram, K., & Marwaha, R. (2020). Postpartum Blues. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554546/
Schiller, C. E., Meltzer-Brody, S., & Rubinow, D. R. (2015). The role of reproductive hormones in postpartum depression. CNS spectrums, 20(1), 48–59. doi:10.1017/S1092852914000480
Chand, S. P., & Arif, H. (2020). Depression. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430847/
Postpartum Depression. (2021, December). American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Retrieved from https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/postpartum-depression