The loss of a pregnancy is a devastating experience. Mothers fall in love with just the idea of their baby, and the realisation that that dream will not become reality is a heartbreaking blow, whether it be at 6 weeks or 16 weeks. But what happens when you keep miscarrying? SAHM looks at your options when you just can’t seem to stay pregnant.
Miscarriage is defined as the spontaneous or unplanned expulsion of a foetus from the womb before it is able to survive independently (Wikipedia). In other words, it is when the foetus has not survived, from anywhere to conception to 20 weeks and is passed from the body.
Most miscarriages occur before the 14th week of pregnancy, with a reported one in every 4 Australian women experiencing a miscarriage, and some not even realising because it happens before they know they are pregnant. The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health found for every three women who have given birth in their early 30s, one has had a miscarriage. Repeat or recurrent miscarriage is when a woman has had two, three or more miscarriages in a row and occurs in 2% of women trying to have a baby.
Why Does It Happen?
Even when women have up to 3 or even 4 miscarriages, there can be no underlying medical condition and these women can go on to have healthy, full-term pregnancies. About half of all early miscarriages happen because of a problem in the way both partner’s genetic material (chromosomes) combined during fertilization.
Other factors that can make a miscarriage more likely include:
Immune system problems
Existing infections
Maternal age – half of all pregnancies in women over the age of 42 end in miscarriage
Reproductive system problems
Health problems, such as poorly controlled diabetes, a kidney disease or polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
Alcohol consumption and smoking whilst pregnant
In the case of repeat miscarriages, a GP may refer to a gynecologist to have some tests in order to rule out a specific cause. Possible causes include:
Hormonal disturbance
Inherited genetic problems
Abnormalities of the womb creases chances of chromosomal abnormalities
Increased maternal age which decreases fertility and increases chances of chromosomal abnormalities
Recurrent Miscarriage with IVF
The non-implantation of artificially inseminated embryos is a complete mystery to the medical profession. No IVF specialist can account for why this happens, apart from the reasons mentioned that affect women who are lucky enough to fall pregnant naturally. Even though these embryos are usually screened for chromosomal abnormalities, this does not seem to affect the effectiveness of avoiding miscarriage in IVF. Ironically, so much care is taken in the fertilization and insemination procedure yet recurrent implantation failure with IVF is still quite high.
What to Do
Many women who have suffered recurrent miscarriages find comfort in talking to others who have experienced the same thing. Forums and chat rooms can provide comfort, hope, advice and tips on what worked for those who eventually become successful in getting, and staying, pregnant full term. The most important step to take after several miscarriages is to consult your GP, to investigate whether there are underlying medical problems that could affect you, your partner and any potential children. Unfortunately, it is a matter of time, with many couples told to wait a while after miscarriages before trying to conceive again or started fertility treatments, which can be excruciatingly frustrating for these women who just want to carry a healthy baby to full term.
The important fact to remember is that the chance for a subsequent ongoing pregnancy, even after 3 recurrent miscarriages, is still high at 70%, providing all test results are within normal range.
Sources
www.wikipedia.org
Access Australia – Australia’s Leading Infertility Network
www.bupa.com.au/health-and-wellness/health-information
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