London, Aug 6 (IANS): After the trauma of a miscarriage many women take a break to recover before they begin to try again for a baby. But they may in fact be increasing their risk of having another pregnancy with complications.

Women who conceive within six months of a miscarriage have the best chance of a healthy pregnancy with the lowest likelihood of another miscarriage, the Daily Mail quoted a British study as saying.

Official National Health Service (NHS) advice is that women should wait at least three months before trying again for a baby, while the World Health Organisation counsels a six month gap, says the British Medical Journal.

But waiting is unnecessary and could be detrimental, say Aberdeen University researchers, especially to women over 35, who are more likely to have trouble conceiving and have a higher risk of birth defects.

The team from Aberdeen analysed data for almost 31,000 women who had suffered a miscarriage and fallen pregnant again.

Those who conceived within six months after a miscarriage were 44 percent less likely to have a second one than those who had an interval of six to 12 months before falling pregnant again.

They were also 52 percent less likely to have an ectopic pregnancy - where the foetus lodges in a fallopian tube and has to be removed - or a termination.

The study found women who conceived within six months were 10 percent less likely to need a Caesarean or to have a premature baby, and 16 percent less likely to have a low birth-weight baby.

Women with an interval of more than two years were around twice as likely to have an ectopic second pregnancy or a termination.