‘Miscarriage is an inherent part of human reproduction’

November 12, 2009 by Shawn Douglas
Filed under: News, Pregnancy

Miscarriages are traumatic experiences, but they are typically the body’s way of performing quality control.

Most women that have had a miscarriage will tell you that it was a very emotional experience, having felt helpless about the situation. However, miscarriages are a natural part of the female body’s processes and aren’t uncommon occurrences. In fact, doctors suggest that up to 50 percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage, sometimes so early that the woman isn’t aware of it.

Genetic abnormalities are the cause of miscarriage during the first trimester in half of all cases, doctors say, and miscarriages are the body’s natural way of eliminating those abnormalities.

“Miscarriage is an inherent part of human reproduction,” infertility expert Sanjeev Khurd told The Times of India.

“The problem of pregnancy loss or miscarriage, especially repeated pregnancy loss, is as frustrating and agonizing for couples as is the problem of infertility, since in both cases, the couple remains childless and emotionally traumatized.”

Giving more details, Khurd said: “Two-third of these reproductive losses occur very early and are pre-clinical, as they occur when the pregnancy is diagnosed with a positive urine test but is yet to be detected on sonography. One-third of the losses are clinical as they occur after the pregnancy is confirmed on sonography evaluation.”

Dr. Murray Feingold, chief physician of the National Birth Defects Center in Waltham, Mass. in the United States, told the Milford Daily News: “The majority of times, the cause of the miscarriage cannot be determined. But there are known causes, such as anatomical problems involving the reproductive organs, hormonal abnormalities, infections and genetic issues.”

In most cases, women that have had a miscarriage will go on to have a healthy baby later. However, in some cases, miscarriage may be a product of age, says Sanjay Gupte, gynecologist and president-elect of the Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Society of India.

“This chromosomal abnormality of the embryo is a chance occurrence and unlikely to be repeated at the second conception,” said Gupte. “Hence, 80 per cent of mothers have the chance to have a normal baby despite the history of a previous miscarriage. However, some women are doomed for repeated pregnancy losses.”

Gupte added: “The chance of miscarriage also increases in women after the age of 35 years. The incidence rises to 26 per cent in women at the age of 40 years. This is primarily due to the fact that ageing oocytes (eggs) have a higher incidence of chromosomal abnormalities.”

Dr. Feingold believes that women that suffer repeated instances of miscarriage should receive an evaluation to determine deeper underlying causes. “If the cause is uncovered, frequently, something can be done to correct the problem,” he said.

Feingold added: “Maintaining good health improves a woman’s chance of not having a miscarriage. If you have had two or more miscarriages, it is important that you undergo an evaluation to try to determine the cause.”