We’ve put together a video about recurrent miscarriage in conjunction with the American Fertility Association and I wanted to share the press release and video. As you all know, I’ve been dealing with this myself and I know many of you here in our community are as well.
Attain Fertility Centers and The AFA Produce Educational Video About Recurrent Miscarriage
(Purchase, NY) One of the most heartbreaking experiences women may find themselves going through is recurrent pregnancy loss or miscarriage. In a recent educational video by The American Fertility Association (http://theafa.org/) titled What Is Recurrent Miscarriage? many troubling questions are answered and much hope is offered to prospective parents. The video, funded by Attain® Fertility Centers, is part of a series that addresses a wide range of fertility issues.
Dr. Isaac Z. Glatstein, Associate Medical Director at Reproductive Science Center of New England narrates the video in a calm, soothing manner that would put even the most concerned couple at ease. “Recurrent miscarriage is defined as a woman becoming pregnant and having two or three pregnancy losses,” Dr. Glatstein, explains. He goes on to say that approximately 25% of all pregnancies result in pregnancy loss, usually during the first trimester. There are many known causes for recurrent miscarriage including:
Chromosomal issues: age, egg quality
Uterine structural defects: scar tissue, fibroids
Metabolic issues: diabetes, thyroid disease
Blood disorders: coagulation propensity
When women present with recurrent miscarriages, doctors will do a thorough investigation of symptoms by getting her history and ordering a panel of tests to determine any possible causes. The tests include:
Chromosomal test to see if a man or woman harbors inversion or translocation which is an abnormality within chromosomes that leads to miscarriage
Evaluation of the Uterine Cavity to check the shape and size and to look for polyps or fibroids that may interfere with pregnancy
Metabolic Evaluation to determine thyroid status, prolactin status and to make sure she’s not diabetic and her ovarian hormones are appropriate
“Lifestyle changes are absolutely critical in the counseling and ongoing management of a couple with recurrent miscarriage,” Dr. Glatstein continues. From making sure that they are getting enough rest, maintaining a healthy weight, and not consuming too much alcohol to checking their stress levels at work. “We check signs to see if they work in a comfortable environment; are they satisfied with work or do they feel they are under too much of a heavy load, which all can contribute to an increase in stress hormones.” He adds that many couples inquire about sexual activity and assures the viewer that there is no evidence that sexual activity will promote or lead to someone having a miscarriage. “That is something we counsel couples: it is important that they have a normal and healthy sexual activity together.”
Perhaps the most difficult issue Dr. Glatstein observes is the unspoken emotional toll recurrent miscarriages takes. “As a physician it’s our obligation and responsibility to address those concerns even though the patient may not fully articulate them,” he says. “Our responsibility is to inquire how they are doing emotionally, offer our own support and to stress to a couple that the majority of patients that do have miscarriages ultimately will have a healthy and successful pregnancy. We offer resources such as support groups, counseling and alternative adjunct therapies that may help them cope with the stress of recurrent miscarriage.”
Dr. Glatstein stresses that while he understands how devastating this recurring problem is to a couple, with better understanding of fertility risks that lead to miscarriage, the majority of them, with persistence, will conceive to carry a healthy pregnancy to term.
More information about recurrent miscarriage is available at AttainFertility.com.
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“Our responsibility is to inquire how they are doing emotionally, offer our own support and to stress to a couple that the majority of patients that do have miscarriages ultimately will have a healthy and successful pregnancy. We offer resources such as support groups, counseling and alternative adjunct therapies that may help them cope with the stress of recurrent miscarriage.”
I wish that my doctor had done this with me. I had absolutely NO followup after my last miscarriage, and as somebody who suffers from depression, I found myself in an extremely dark place. My husband was deployed, and I was all alone. Getting through that was one of the most difficult things I had ever done.
Brittany – ((hugs)) I’m so sorry you had to go through that alone.
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[...] January 10th, 2009, I found out that I had miscarried. I had gone in for some slight bleeding, to ease my nerves. Even the doctor on call at the hospital [...]