Recurrent miscarriage

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Recurrent Miscarriage

A normal pregnancy lasts 40 weeks. The commonest complication affecting pregnancy is a miscarriage which is the death of the baby, before the 20th week of pregnancy. Most miscarriages occur before 12 weeks, with about 1 in 6 pregnancies resulting in miscarriage. However, recurrent miscarriage is defined as the loss of 3 or more consecutive pregnancies before 20 weeks. The chances of having a successful fourth pregnancy is then only 50/50.

The first pregnancy is extremely important. If it ends in a miscarriage, then there is an increased risk of further miscarriages. In half of the women who do have recurrent miscarriages, no cause can be found, even after intensive investigations.

Risk factors
The factors which put a woman at risk of miscarriage are:
*Cigarette smoking and regular alcohol drinking
*Weakness of the neck of the womb - known as cervical incompetence, it results in`late' miscarriages at about 20 weeks
*Infections - severe "Influenza, German Measles, Listeriosis (a flu like illness sometimes picked up from soft cheeses or pate),Toxoplasmosis (an illness picked up from cats)
*A family history of repeated miscarriages -often a warning sign that a woman may be more prone to this problem.

There is NO evidence to suggest that use of the contraceptive pill, or working in front of computer screens causes miscarriages, nor does having an uncomplicated termination or abortion increase the likelihood of having one.

A new treatment for reccurrent miscarriage is `immune' therapy. This involves taking blood from the woman's partner, treating it and reinjecting his white blood cells back into the woman. This seems to have a beneficial effect in 70% of cases.

Doctors can predict women at risk of having a miscarriage by measuring levels of the hormone `Luteinizing Hormone'. This controls ovulation and was found to be raised in 65% of women whose pregnancies ended in miscarriage. Doctors are now working on how to bring the level of this hormone down.

Further information and help can be found at: The Miscarriage Association http://www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk
IMPORTANT NOTICE : This content is from the Dr Chris Steele personal archive and is provided for convenience only. Information contained here may no longer agree with the most up to date medical advice. Please check with a medical professional before taking any action.

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