Cause of Recurrent abortions

10 Jun Cause of Recurrent abortions

It can be very heart breaking to miscarry one baby after another. Every new pregnancy brings in hope and anxiety and every loss is hard to bear specially in case if you feel that time is running out. Recurrent miscarriage means having three or more miscarriages in a row. Many times a treatable cause can be found and most couples are likely to have a successful pregnancy. Your risk of recurrent miscarriage is on a higher side if you or your partner is old or if you are overweight or underweight. It is very essential to talk to your gynaecologists about this so that they may perform certain tests to know the cause of recurrent abortions. Dr. Manavita Mahajan, a well-known gynaecologist in Gurgaon, encapsulates the known causes of recurrent abortions as mentioned below:

1. Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS): This is a blood clotting problem is one of the most important treatable cause of recurrent miscarriage. This is an autoimmune problem (problem with immune mechanism of the body) that stops the pregnancy embedding properly in the uterus.
2. Abnormal chromosomes: About half of the miscarriages happen because the chromosomes in baby are abnormal. In this problem, one parent carries a chromosomal defect called balanced translocation. This does not cause any problem to the parent but can be passed on to the baby as unbalanced translocation that results in abnormal chromosomes.
3. Incompetent Cervix: Cervical incompetence is dilation of lower portion of uterus typically in the second trimester of the pregnancy due to weakness in lower portion of uterus (Cervix). Due to this there is a risk of miscarriage in the second trimester of pregnancy or pre-term delivery. Incompetent cervix may require a surgical procedure called cerclage. Cerclage is a surgical stitch around the cervix to help keep it from dilating prematurely.
4. Uterine abnormalities: Some women are born with a double uterus or an abnormally shaped uterus. Other problems are scar tissue on the uterus. Uterus abnormalities may cause problems with proper implantation, create problems with blood supply to the uterus, or there may not be room for the baby to develop and grow. Dr. Manavita Mahajan suggests appropriate solutions and performs surgeries for correction of the uterine abnormalities wherever indicated.
5. Hormonal causes: This includes Luteal phase defects, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and poorly controlled Type 1 diabetes that can result in recurrent abortions.
6. Autoimmune Disorders: The infections of the body are fought with the help of antibodies. With certain autoimmune disorders antibodies fight off the developing pregnancy tissues as if it is a foreign body or infection.
7. Infection: Certain infections have been linked to miscarriage. Genital infections such as bacterial vaginosis may increase a woman’s risk of having a miscarriage.
8. Diabetes and thyroid problems: Uncontrolled diabetes and untreated thyroid problems can cause miscarriage. But if they are controlled then they don’t cause miscarriages.

Even after testing, most of the times the reason for abortion is not known. Every miscarriage may have a different reason linked with it. Dr. Manavita Mahajan has specialization in treating patients with recurrent abortions.