If You Are Dealing With Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Our Team Can Help

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Experiencing a pregnancy loss can be a profoundly traumatic time. In addition to the physical loss, the people around you may not recognize your trauma, while you deal with the physical and emotional challenges this time can bring. Your body will be coping with all of the normal hormones involved as it undergoes pregnancy changes.

Mentally and emotionally a pregnancy loss at any time brings pain and grief. You are dealing with the loss of the future you were planning and the people around you may not know what to say, especially if they didn’t know you were pregnant. If you have experienced recurrent pregnancy loss(RPL), this grief can be multiplied. RPL is when you have experienced two or more failed pregnancies, which were confirmed with a pregnancy test or ultrasound.

Treating recurrent pregnancy loss hinges on the cause of the miscarriage. Monitoring and providing emotional support can make a big difference in processing the loss and moving forward with renewed hope. If you have had multiple miscarriages, it’s important to be evaluated to determine the cause of the issue and what can be done to prevent it from happening again.

Today’s reproductive medicine can help us detect underlying causes of recurrent pregnancy loss where in the past, women often didn’t know why they lost multiple pregnancies right after another. Our team of endocrinologists and fertility specialists has options to help us find out what’s going on, how to help you conceive as well as support you through the process.

We can perform bloodwork to determine if you have a blood clotting abnormality or a hormone imbalance. A chromosome test can be done on your partner (male or female). Even healthy people can experience translocations (where your chromosomes are arranged differently) leading to pregnancies that are genetically imbalanced. We can determine whether your uterine cavity is normally shaped with the help of a saline sonogram or a hysterosalpingogram. We can also perform genetic testing on the miscarriage tissue to help us understand why the pregnancy loss occurred.

Common Causes of Recurrent Pregnancy Loss

  • Uterine abnormalities (fibroids, endometrial polyps, intrauterine adhesions)
  • Systemic autoimmune diseases
  • Hormonal disorders (uncontrolled diabetes, thyroid disease or polycystic ovary syndrome — an estrogen imbalance)
  • Genetic abnormalities
  • Abnormal amount of chromosomes in the embryo.
  • Infections
  • Sperm problems
  • Lifestyle factors (smoking, drug use, caffeine and alcohol intake, toxin exposure)

Around 20 to 25 percent of pregnancies result in a miscarriage. You may have two pregnancy losses in a row and still go on to have a successful pregnancy. But if you experience a third loss, there could very well be a reproductive concern and you may benefit from a medical examination to see what’s going on and address it.

Treating Recurrent Pregnancy Loss

Evaluation and diagnosis ultimately determine the applicable treatment. Be aware that a specific diagnosis is typically only made 50% of the time for couples experiencing recurrent pregnancy loss. Possible treatment may include:

  • Supportive treatment (baby aspirin — blood thinning medication) and progesterone supplementation) if the cause hasn’t been found.
  • IVF with preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) of the embryos to ensure a genetically ‘balanced’ embryo is carried to the uterus.
  • Minor surgery for abnormalities in the uterine cavity.
  • Correcting the hormonal imbalance in cases of uncontrolled diabetes or thyroid gland dysfunction.

If you have had a recurrent pregnancy loss, we can help! Our experienced team of caring professionals has helped many couples on their pregnancy journey to find the peace and hope they need. If you would like answers to your infertility issues, along with personalized care for recurring pregnancy loss in Idaho Falls, Idaho, call Idaho Fertility Center at 208-529-2019 to learn more. Our Reproductive Endocrinologists look forward to helping you find the answers you need in a professional, caring environment.