When a woman has several miscarriages in a row, usually three or more, this is known as a recurrent miscarriage. It happens to about one in every hundred women, and most go on to have healthy pregnancies afterwards. If you have recurrent miscarriages you may be referred for tests to try to find out whether there is one underlying cause, but it is often not possible to find a reason.
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| Infertility And Miscarriage |
Coping with one miscarriage can be very hard, but when it occurs again and again this may be really devastating. It can start to dominate your entire life, and women often find it helps if they feel they are getting the specialist help and counseling they need, and that their situation is being thoroughly investigated. There are a few clinics that specialize in recurrent miscarriage, but unfortunately not everyone can access this kind of support.
'I had three miscarriages. I was told it was old eggs and it was my age. Had I had a fourth one, they would have put it down for investigation. They weren't that bothered with me in particular because I'd already had six children. I think had I been trying for my first or second they might have been more understanding and tried to help a bit more, I just got told it was old age, old eggs.' Ann, 43
Testing and preventative treatment
You will usually be offered testing only if you have had three or more miscarriages. This may seem very harsh, but the majority of women who have had one or two miscarriages do go on to have a perfectly healthy pregnancy afterwards. It is often only where there have been three or more miscarriages that there may be an under-lying cause for the problem.
'They wouldn't normally investigate after two miscarriages, but I was lucky because I hit on a sympathetic doctor, They told me research has shown that the proximity of support actually has an effect on reducing the incidence of miscarriage. They were lovely people, it was very convenient and you could walk in and have a scan and see the heartbeat, or phone up and talk to someone at any time, It was fantastically reassuring,' Emily, 53
You may be offered chromosomal analysis of your blood and your partner's, and sometimes of the baby's too. Pregnancy loss due to chromosomal abnormality is common. In a very small percentage of couples, miscarriage may be caused by a chromosomal abnormality in one of the parents, which means that the embryo will have some genetic information missing, and some repeated. There is no preventative treatment for this kind of chromosomal problem.
Sometimes blood tests will show that there are high levels of antibodies in the mother's blood. If this is the case, a low dose of aspirin or heparin is sometimes prescribed.
Women may be offered blood tests to see whether they have polycystic ovary syndrome, as this is associated with miscarriage. If this is the case, hormone treatment may be offered, although research has not yet proved that this has any real benefit.
The womb may be examined using an X-ray, ultrasound or hysteroscopy to make sure there are no abnormalities there, and doctors may also want to check that there are no weaknesses in the cervix if miscarriages have occurred after the first trimester. They may take a vaginal swab or do blood tests to rule out any infections.
There is much ongoing research into the causes of miscarriage, and some fertility clinics do now offer immunological treatments for women who have had recurrent miscarriages, particularly if tests show that they have raised levels of NK, or natural killer, cells which some doctors believe may play a role in causing miscarriage. These treatments are fairly new, can be costly and there is not yet any clear scientific evidence to prove that they are effective. To find out more, you can check out Infertility And Miscarriage.
