One thing that is certain is that your first period will not resemble anything you’ve had before.
To make sure this is really your first period, make sure it has been at least four weeks since your miscarriage AND you have had about 20 days of no bleeding or spotting. For the estrogen threshold to be met, you should not be bleeding anymore. Otherwise the lining is not being rebuilt, and you are still experiencing progesterone withdrawal.
You can expect this first period anywhere from four to seven weeks in most normal cases, although you have to restart the counter if you have a renewed case of serious bleeding. See the Waiting for Your Period section for more on this.
There really is no “normal” for this first period. It can be:
| Very heavy (but not making you feel faint) | |
| Very light (but more than spotting). There should be a fair amount when you wipe. | |
| Terribly crampy, or not at all | |
| Be heavy and drop off immediately to spotting | |
| Be light and drop off to spotting | |
| Spot for several days, stop, then come full-blown with heavier bleeding |
These periods are not normal, and are not actually a period:
| Light spotting that only spots for days on end | |
| Light spotting that comes and goes | |
| Heavy bleeding that makes you go through a pad every hour or two for more than a week. |
Those scenarios mean the miscarriage may not have completed or your hormones are not getting back to normal and may need help. For more, read carefully through the Waiting for Your Period section.
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There are five distinct stages of recovery: