Recurrent Miscarriage – A Form of Infertility
For anyone who has experienced more than one miscarriage, the headline is striking:
While the researchers themselves caution that their results are not enough to warrant special related treatment, the report offers another piece to the puzzle of recurrent miscarriage.
Losing a pregnancy, no matter how early, is difficult emotionally. For those who have struggled to conceive in the first place, it can be devastating.
Depending on whom you talk to, “recurrent miscarriage” refers to the loss of more than one, two, or three pregnancies. It is also referred to with the terms:
Recurrent spontaneous abortion, or RSA
Habitual spontaneous abortion or loss
Repeat miscarriage
So, when headlines are made by researchers disclosing their latest findings, some infertility patients take notes.
Bearing in mind that nearly half of all miscarriages occur as the result of unknown or undetermined causes, what are the known causes of losing any given pregnancy?
Structural
The good news is that most structurally related miscarriages can be prevented with treatment of the underlying problem. Unfortunately, many women are unaware of the existence of these loss precursors:
* Uterine fibroids
*Congenital uterine malformations, such as septate or bicornuate uterus
*Some other uterine conditions
*Incompetent cervix, most notably in second trimester or later losses
*Endometriosis
If you have any reason to suspect any of the above situations, ask your doctor before you conceive whether or not further exploration is warranted.
Hormonal
While hormonal dysfunction may cause miscarriage less frequently than genetic/chromosomal conditions (see below) in the general population, it may be of greater significance in those seeking fertility treatment.
Frequently, women who have hormonal imbalances which cause conception difficulty will also experience early miscarriage as a result of those same imbalances. Again, these situations are largely correctable, but often go undetected until loss has occurred:
Luteal phase defect, in which the body’s two primary reproductive cycles, the ovulatory and the menstrual, are not in-sync, thereby producing a situation in which the uterus is not ready to receive a fertilized egg
Untreated thyroid disease, most notably hypothyroidism
Poorly controlled diabetes, particularly in the first trimester
If you’re not sure about your own hormonal status yet, think about your family’s. Many endocrine conditions are inherited, and many occur without symptoms at first. An endocrinologist is the best specialist to help you detect a problem in this area.