I recently had a miscarriage and read a lot of recommendations stating not to wear tampons or have sex for either one or two weeks after. Most of this seemed based on theoretical risk of infection, and it would have been really nice to know if avoiding these things is actually based on any data. Can you point to any data supporting this, and whether the one- or two-week recommendation is more data-driven?
—Hates wearing pads
First, I am so sorry for your loss, and I hope you are healing both physically and emotionally.
The recommendation to avoid tampons and sex is, as you note, based on the theoretical risk of infection. This is not an evidence-based recommendation — that is to say, there is no data that would suggest that tampon use or sex within a short time is associated with a greater infection risk. There is certainly nothing that would distinguish one week from two weeks, as generally this advice is given as “one to two weeks,” as if those are the same. In a sense, I suppose they are, since neither is based on data.
One note is that the other reason sex is sometimes frowned upon, at least without protection, is the advice that women experience one menstrual cycle before trying to get pregnant again. It turns out there is also no strong evidence to support this, at least not to support its role in better pregnancy outcomes. It is easier to date a pregnancy (i.e. to figure out the due date) if you’ve had a period before you conceive, but that’s the main value there.
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