Miscarriage Information
Miscarriage is a pregnancy loss of less than five months.
Recurrent Pregnancy Loss is defined as two or more losses at any stage of pregnancy.
Recurrent miscarriage is a type of recurrent pregnancy loss in which three or more miscarriages in a row have occurred.
Random miscarriage is often referred to as “nature’s way”. It often happens when there is an error in egg or sperm formation, which results in a pregnancy with an abnormal number of chromosomes. Normal human eggs and sperm each contain 23 chromosomes. Chromosomes consist of genetic material that both you and your partner contribute to a pregnancy. Random miscarriage usually occurs within the first three months of pregnancy. These errors in egg or sperm formation can happen to anyone although they happen to women more often as they get older. Random miscarriage generally does not increase your chance of miscarrying in the next pregnancy.
Random miscarriage happens often and may happen even before you know you are pregnant. In 100 pregnancies between 6 to 8 weeks long (or 2 to 4 weeks after a missed period), approximately 15 of them will end in random miscarriage. Studies done on women between 3 and 6 weeks of pregnancy show that up to 50 out of 100 pregnancies will end in random miscarriage.
Investigations may be indicated before three or more miscarriages in a row if:
- Pregnancy tissue from the second miscarriage had a normal number of chromosomes
- You are under 36 years of age
- You are having difficulty conceiving
- One or more of the pregnancy losses occurred after 10 weeks
What evaluations can I expect when I come to the University of Chicago Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Clinic?
Dr. Stephenson may talk with you about five factors associated with Recurrent Pregnancy Loss:
- Genetic
- Hormonal
- Anatomical
- Autoimmune
- Thrombophilia (Clotting)
Depending on your history, some or all of these factors may be evaluated.