Miscarriage causes & recurrent miscarriage
Sadly, we know that miscarriage occurs in one in four pregnancies. This is little consolation when you have lost a baby through miscarriage, and you may want to find out why it occurred and if you can reduce the risk of it happening again.
Most patients who experience miscarriage will go on to have a baby, so it is important to stay positive. A small percentage of couples will experience more than one miscarriage. About 2% of women experience two or more consecutive early pregnancy losses. This is called recurrent miscarriage or recurrent pregnancy loss.
What causes a miscarriage?
Some of the causes of miscarriage include:
- Random chromosome variations,
- Specific genetic variations,
- Parental chromosome variations (for example translocations),
- Uterine variations,
- Immune disorders,
- Hormone imbalances,
- Other medical conditions.
Female age is also an important factor. After the age of 43, there is a 50% chance of miscarriage.
Natural killer cells research at Melbourne IVF
Melbourne IVF offers Natural killer Cell testing but is still under investigation. Natural killer cell testing can be done from a blood sample and while treatments are still undergoing research, they may include progesterone, clexane and prednisone.
If you have repeated miscarriages or failed IVF cycles, consult your fertility specialist to discuss whether Natural killer cell testing is appropriate for you.
Your fertility specialist can discuss appropriate arrangements for testing with you at this time.
Early pregnancy care at Melbourne IVF
Our fertility specialists are experts in reproductive issues, including early pregnancy care.
The Melbourne IVF Miscarriage Care Program provides support for couples who have experienced the distress of miscarriage, and includes:
- Testing to investigate possible causes of miscarriage,
- Specialised care during the next pregnancy, including blood tests, and hormonal and ultrasound monitoring to provide reassurance throughout the first stages of pregnancy.
Embryo screening (or PGT-A)
The most common reason why IVF is unsuccessful is chromosomal variations (aneuploidy) in an embryo. So with PGT-A Melbourne IVF utilises the most up to date science. We can screen all chromosomes in the developing embryo and select the embryo with the greatest likelihood of pregnancy success.
Your fertility specialist will guide you if PGT-A testing of embryos is suited to your case.
Our quest to de-stigmatise miscarriage
At Melbourne IVF, a member of Virtus Health, we want to help open-up conversations around miscarriage and de-stigmatise pregnancy loss.
We are the proud partners of a documentary available to watch on Stan, the Misunderstandings of Miscarriage, which follows Australian actress and filmmaker, Tahyna MacManus, on her four-year journey of pregnancy and miscarriage. Tahyna embarks on a quest to shed light on the physical, emotional and psychological impacts of miscarriage, as well as the lived experiences of other women in search of support and understanding.
Her quest didn't end there. Tahyna continued her journey to find out more about miscarriage by speaking to some of our fertility experts. We explore these questions together, including common myths around miscarriage, why miscarriages occur, what you as a partner can do to support each other, and advice for speaking about pregnancy loss with your friends or family members.