The Healing Harvest: Gentle Recovery After Miscarriage.
Well, first I’d like to apologize that you’re here. Please know, I truly pray for the women (& men) who stumble across this blog post because it’s relevant in their lives.
Miscarriage is one of the most heartbreaking, gut wrenching experiences a woman can walk through and yet, it’s far more common than we often talk about. So, lets talk about it.
Whether you were a few weeks along or well into your pregnancy, loss is loss and your body deserves healing and nourishment.
As a dietitian who works with women in agriculture, many of whom are stronger and more stoice than the average woman, it’s important to say this upfront: you don’t have to power through this alone. You deserve care, nourishment,a dn rest, just like any new mother would. Your body did something incredible, even if the outcome wasn’t what you’d prayed for..
The Role of Nutrition in Post-Miscarriage Healing
After a miscarriage, your body experiences hormonal shifts, blood loss, inflammation, and often nutrient depletion. Supporting recovery with intentional nutrition can help:
Rebalance hormones
Restore depleted nutrients
Support mood and energy
Rebuild a strong foundation for a future pregnancy and fertility.
Replenish Lost Nutrients
Blood loss, whether light or heavy, depletes crucial micronutrients like iron, folate, and B12. These are essential for things like oxygen transport, mood regulation, and cellular repair.
Some foods to prioritize and expedite healing:
Iron rich foods: beef liver, beef or any red meat, dark meat chicken and turkey, cooked spinach, and lentils
Folate rich foods: avocados, asparagus, chickpeas, oranges, beets
Vitamin B12: eggs, salmon, dairy, shellfish
Pro-tip: Pair iron rich meals with Vitamin C to enhance absorption. So, meals like chilli, stir frys that include beef and peppers, sweet potato and beef bowls, steak fajitas, spaghetti squash bolognese, stuffed bell peppers, and one pan salmon with roasted brussels and citrus fruits like orange slices and lemon ze
2. Support Hormonal Detox and Balance
After miscarriage, estrogen and progesterone rapidly drop. Your liver and gut are working overtime to metabolize these hormones and clear inflammation.
Nutrition strategies to aid this process can look like:
Increased cruciferous vegetables: broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, bok choy, sprouts, etc. to increase estrogen clearance and detox
Increase fiber: ground flaxseeds, oats, berries, and chia seeds to bind with excess hormones and toxins for excretion through bowel movements
Hydration: critical for lymphatic drainage and flow, and hormonal regulation.
3. Prioritize Protein and Healthy Fats
These macronutrients are the building blocks of tissue repair, hormone production, and blood sugar balance, especially helpful when emotions and energy levels are feeling like a rollercoaster.
My top recommended protein sources:
Eggs, please include the egg yolks
Warm collagen based protein source
Slow cooked meats
Cottage cheese
Greek yogurt
My top recommended fat sources:
Avocados
Olives
Olive and Avocado oil
Ghee, butter, and tallow
Fatty fish like salmon
Nuts and seeds
4. Consider Targeted Supplementation
I typically recommend reaching out to a professional and including your OBGYN in the conversation when it comes to supplementation. But, after food, supplements can be a powerful ally in the short time.
Post miscarriage supplements to ask your provider about:
Iron bisglycinate or beef liver if ferritin iron is low
Omega-3’s for inflammation and mood
Magnesium glcyinate for sleep, muscle tension and hormone regulation
CoQ10 if you’re planning to try to conceive again soon.
ALWAYS consult with your provider and/or registered dietitian before starting anything new, especially if you’re on medications or planning for another pregnancy, soon.
5. Gentle Movement, Deep Rest and Grief Care
Nourishment isn’t just food, it’s permission to NOT be okay. It’s saying “no” to tasks that can wait and “yes” to long showers, naps in the middle of the day, and quiet moments outside.
Some ways to support your healing, emotionally:
Daily walks for circulation, fresh air, and mood
Journaling or prayer to process emotions
Therapy or support groups
Castor oil packs over the liver or pelvis AFTER bleeding stops. Check with a provider first.
Labs to Consider After a Miscarriage
Miscarriage is NEVER your fault, but it can be a signal from your body that we maybe need to do a little digging into some things. Rather than jumping straight into trying again, many women benefit from taking a pause to ask some questions and their physicians for some labs.
The following labs can offer insight into your nutrient reserves, hormonal balance, inflammation levels, and more, so that we can support healing AND future fertility with confidene.
COMPREHENSIVE IRON PANEL:
Post miscarriage blood loss can leave iron levels depleted in some women, affecting energy, cognition, thyroid function and future pregnancy outcomes.
Ask for:
Ferritin
Serum iron
TIBC and transferrin saturation
Hemoglobin & hematocrit
Optimal ferritin is typically > 50ng/mL when trying to conceive, not just within the “normal” range.
FULL THYROID PANEL:
Thyroid dysfunction, especially Hashimoto’s, is an under-recognized contributor to miscarriage. Functional ranges matter.
Ask for:
TSH
Free T3 + Free T4
rT3
Thyroid Antibodies (TPOab & TgAb)
A TSH above 2.5 in early pregnancy can be linked to higher miscarriage risk, even if technically considered “normal.”
MICRONURTIENT ASSESSMENT:
Pregnancy, even brief, can draw heavily on your nutrient stores, especially if you experienced morning sickness, nausea, and/or food aversions.
Many women are left depleted in the following:
B vitamins, especially B12, folate, and B6
Vitamin D-25-OH
Magnesium
Zinc
Selenium
COMPREHENSIVE HORMONE EVALUATION:
Once cycles resume, testing your sex and stress hormones can uncover imbalances that may have contrinbuted to loss or impact fertility. Options include serum labs or functional testing like the DUTCH complete.
Markers to evaluate:
Estradiol + progesterone (day 19-21)
DHEA
Testosterone
Cortisol (saliva or urine, preferably)
INFLAMMATION AND IMMUNE MARKERS:
Chronic inflammation, gut permeability, or autoimmune activity can quietly interfere with pregnancy.
Consider checking:
hsCRP
Homocysteine
ANA or other autoimmune panels, if your doctor feels they’re indicated
GIMaping (I do these) or stool testing in your physician’s office for gut driven inflammation
Remember, these labs are not about invoking fear, but rather about empowerment. You deserve answers. You deserve to feel nourished, stable, and safe in your body again before stepping forward.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or unsure where to begin, you don’t have to figure this out alone. This is what I do. Let’s rebuild your foundation, together.
A Final Word
If you’ve experienced a miscarriage, know this: your grief is so valid. Your experience matters and your healing is not a race.
Healing after miscarraige is about rebuilding, slowly, intentionally, with care and compassion. Nourishing your body is one of the most powerful ways you can honor what it’s been through and support the future you still deeply desire. If you’re craving guidance or need someone to walk alongside you, please reach out so you don’t have to navigate this road alone.