Depression After Miscarriage

Written and Fact-Checked by: Jenna Carberg

Can You Have Postpartum Depression After a Miscarriage?

Yes, depression, anxiety and trauma symptoms are common after a miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or stillbirth. Many people are surprised by how hard a pregnancy loss hits, especially an early one that others may not have known about. Your grief is real, and so are the mental health effects that can follow.

Clinicians don’t usually use the term “postpartum depression” for depression after an early loss, but the symptoms, risks and treatments overlap. What matters most is recognizing when you are struggling and getting support.

How Common Is Depression After Miscarriage?

The largest prospective study followed 737 women after early pregnancy loss at three London hospitals:

1 month after loss 9 months after loss
Post-traumatic stress 29% 18%
Moderate to severe anxiety 24% 17%
Moderate to severe depression 11% 6%

Compared with women whose pregnancies continued, those who had a loss were about twice as likely to have moderate to severe anxiety and nearly four times as likely to have moderate to severe depression one month later.

Other research points the same way:

  • A 2025 meta-analysis of 29 studies found about 1 in 3 women had anxiety or depression symptoms within six weeks of a miscarriage, with higher rates in low- and middle-income countries.
  • Across 29 studies of perinatal loss, which includes miscarriage, stillbirth and newborn death, women were about twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression and 75% more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety as women without a loss.

Symptoms are common but not universal. Most women do not develop a mental health condition, and distress generally eases over time, though for many it is still present months later.

After Ectopic Pregnancy and Stillbirth

  • Ectopic pregnancy: in the London study, rates at 9 months were somewhat higher after ectopic pregnancy (21% post-traumatic stress, 23% anxiety, 11% depression) than after miscarriage.
  • Stillbirth: a systematic review found parents who experience stillbirth have a considerably higher risk of depression, anxiety and PTSD than parents of live-born babies. Social support, relationship status and how care was handled after the loss affected how severe symptoms were.

Even though a stillbirth happens after delivery, many people also experience the physical recovery and hormone changes that follow any birth, on top of grief.

Signs to Watch For

  • Sadness, emptiness or hopelessness that doesn’t lift, or gets worse
  • Losing interest in things you used to enjoy
  • Constant worry, panic or dread, especially about your health or a future pregnancy
  • Flashbacks, nightmares or avoiding reminders of the loss, which can signal post-traumatic stress
  • Intense guilt or blaming yourself
  • Trouble sleeping, eating or concentrating
  • Pulling away from your partner, friends or family
  • Thoughts of death or of harming yourself

Screening questionnaires like the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 can help you put a number to what you’re feeling and share it with your doctor.

Grief vs. Depression

Grief after a pregnancy loss is normal and can come in waves for a long time. Depression and grief often overlap, but they are not the same.

  • Grief centers on the loss itself: yearning for the baby and the future you imagined. Moments of comfort or even joy are still possible.
  • Depression tends to spread to everything, with persistent low mood, loss of interest and feelings of worthlessness.
  • Prolonged grief disorder was added to the DSM-5-TR in 2022 for grief that stays intense, distressing and disabling long after a loss. Research shows it is distinct from depression and PTSD, though it often occurs alongside them. The diagnosis is debated, including concerns about treating normal mourning as an illness, and it has not been studied specifically after pregnancy loss.

You don’t need a diagnosis to deserve support.

Who Is at Higher Risk?

In the London study, two factors stood out:

  • A current or past mental health condition: 75% of women with a current diagnosis and 55% with a past diagnosis met criteria for anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress, compared with 30% of women with no history.
  • A previous pregnancy loss: 48% vs. 30%.

Many other factors, including how far along the pregnancy was, whether there was an overnight hospital stay or whether you already have children, did not predict distress. The researchers concluded that all women should be considered at risk.

Low social support also matters. In a large UK study, the link between miscarriage and later depression was stronger when social support was low, and risk rose with the number of miscarriages.

Partners Grieve Too

Partners can also struggle, though usually less than the person who was pregnant. In a study of 192 couples, 7% of partners had post-traumatic stress one month after the loss, compared with 34% of women. Partners’ anxiety and depression were also lower but not absent. Grief can look different for each person, which can strain relationships. ACOG notes that your feelings may differ from your partner’s.

Hormones After Miscarriage

After a miscarriage, the pregnancy hormone hCG falls. In a large study, levels dropped by about 21% to 35% within two days and 60% to 84% within a week, depending on the starting level. Doctors use this to confirm a miscarriage is complete.

You may read that your mood will improve once your hormones return to normal. There’s no evidence linking the hormone timeline to when emotional symptoms ease. Emotional healing often takes longer than physical recovery. Learn more about hormone changes after pregnancy.

Pregnancy After a Loss

  • A meta-analysis of 19 studies found that women pregnant again after a loss had notably higher anxiety and somewhat higher depression than other pregnant women.
  • A prior miscarriage was linked to more anxiety in the first trimester of the next pregnancy, and a prior stillbirth to more anxiety in the third trimester.
  • A history of miscarriage has been linked to a higher chance of postpartum depression after a later birth, but that finding weakened when lower-quality studies were removed.

If you’re pregnant again, tell your provider about your loss so they can offer extra support. See anxiety during pregnancy.

What Helps

Support and Follow-Up Care

The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) says clinicians should recognize that early pregnancy loss can cause significant distress for women and their partners, offer a follow-up appointment and provide information about support and counseling services. ACOG advises talking with your ob-gyn or a counselor if you or your partner are having trouble coping.

Does Counseling Help?

The research is mixed:

  • A 2012 Cochrane review of six trials found not enough evidence that a counseling session after miscarriage improved well-being.
  • A 2021 meta-analysis of randomized trials across all types of perinatal loss found psychosocial support significantly reduced depression, anxiety and grief.

Most of this research tested brief interventions. If you have ongoing depression, anxiety or trauma symptoms, standard treatments such as therapy and, when needed, medication are effective.

Find a therapist who specializes in pregnancy loss and perinatal mental health

Support Groups

Talking with others who have been through a loss can reduce isolation. ACOG points to Share: Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support as one option. See pregnancy loss support and support groups.

Get Help Now If You Need It

Pregnancy loss is linked to a higher risk of suicide. If you are having thoughts of ending your life or harming yourself, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day. You can also call or text the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262).

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you get postpartum depression after a miscarriage?

Depression is common after miscarriage. In one large study, 11% of women had moderate to severe depression one month after an early loss, along with high rates of anxiety and post-traumatic stress.

How long does depression last after a miscarriage?

Symptoms usually ease over time but can last. In the same study, 6% still had moderate to severe depression and 18% post-traumatic stress symptoms nine months later.

Is it normal to feel anxious after a miscarriage?

Yes. Anxiety affected about a quarter of women one month after an early loss, and anxiety is often higher in a later pregnancy.

Can a miscarriage cause PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress symptoms are common, affecting nearly 3 in 10 women one month after early pregnancy loss in a large study.

How do I know if it’s grief or depression?

Grief focuses on the loss and comes in waves, while depression tends to affect every part of life. They often overlap, and either can be a reason to seek support.

Do hormones cause depression after miscarriage?

Hormones drop after a miscarriage, but there’s no evidence linking that timeline to depression or recovery. Grief, trauma and personal history play a major role.

PostpartumDepression.org Team
Written by:

Jenna Carberg was diagnosed with postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter in 2016. It was a healthy birth but in the following days, Jenna's mood changed quickly. Doctors suggested that it might be the "baby blues", but her husband Chris suggested she seek a second opinion. Jenna was diagnosed with postpartum depression and began a journey that lasted 9 long months with significant ups and downs. Jenna's mental health care and her experiences became a passion for her to share with the world. She and her husband Chris founded PostpartumDepression.org as a support website designed to help women suffering in silence and their loved ones.

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