Miscarriages
Sadly, miscarriages are more common than people realise. Around 1 in 8 women will have a pregnancy that will end in a miscarriage. Many more miscarriages may happen before a woman is even aware, she is pregnant.
In some cases it is possible to understand what has caused the miscarriage but in many cases we never know. In many cases the woman goes on to get pregnant again and have a baby. There are however risks that can be removed when trying for a baby
If a woman has three consecutive miscarriages, then we refer to this as a recurrent miscarriage and at this point we will carry out investigations
Recurrent miscarriage
A recurrent miscarriage is where you have 3 or more miscarriages in a row. This is uncommon and affects around 1 in 100 women.
If you have recurring miscarriages, then you will need to have some tests to see if there are any underlying causes. Very often there is a treatable condition that is the reason behind the miscarriages but in some cases there is no known reason.
Why recurrent miscarriage happens.
While there is no one known cause of recurrent miscarriages, there are some things that can increase the risk.
Possible causes and risk factors of miscarriages.
Risk factors
The risk of a recurrent miscarriage may be higher if;
- If you and your partner are older, the risk is at its highest if you if you are over 35 or your partner (or biological father) is over 40.
- If you are overweight. Similarly, if you are underweight, this can also increase the risk of a miscarriage
- Smoking
- Use of Drugs
- High alcohol intake
Known Causes
These are problems that we know cause miscarriages.
First trimester
- Chromosome problems
- Placental problems
Second trimester
- Long term or chronic health conditions
- Infections
- Food poisoning
- Womb structure
- Weakened cervix
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)