Miscarriages

Miscarriages

In general, miscarriage is more common in women over 35 years old and in pregnancies involving more than one fetus. In some multiple pregnancies (twins, triplets, or more), one or more of the fetuses survives even after another one dies. The dead fetus leaves the mother's body when the surviving baby is born. To find out the most accurate info on miscarriages as it applies to your specific situation, make sure you consult your health care provider before you attempt to get pregnant. This way, you can keep any pre-existing health conditions under control and be aware of any genetic or autoimmune conditions which may require that you alter your normal activities in order to ensure a viable pregnancy.

Causes of Miscarriages

The exact causes of miscarriages still remain elusive, but certain health conditions in the mother make miscarriages more likely for some women. Illness in the mother, hormonal imbalances in the mother, abnormalities of the uterus and cervix, immune system diseases or deficiencies, and chromosomal abnormalities are all among the most common causes of miscarriages.
Hormonal imbalances in the mother can be caused by diabetes mellitus and thyroid disease. Hormonal imbalances include the lack of sufficient production of progesterone, the hormone that prepares the uterine lining to sustain an egg. Progesterone supplements are available, and may provide enough nourishment to the lining of the uterus to achieve a full term pregnancy.
Chromosomal problems in the embryo are also extremely common causes of miscarriages. Perhaps it is nature’s way of eliminating children with such debilitating genetic problems that they would not be able to survive, but approximately 95% of fertilized eggs with chromosomal abnormalities are eliminated by early miscarriages (within the first 13 weeks). Also known as spontaneous abortions, these types of miscarriages occur most times before a woman is even aware that she is pregnant. While some chromosomal abnormalities are chance occurrences, others are due to abnormalities in the parents’ genes.

5/29/2007 11:37:53 AM