Being unable to get pregnant when you're ready to have a child is difficult enough. Conceiving and then losing a pregnancy adds to the emotional burden. Going through early miscarriage more than once deserves medical attention. This, too, is the realm of a reproductive endocrinologist.
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In fact, some of my patients at Houston Fertility Center don't consider getting pregnant their primary problem. For them, the mystery is “Why can't I carry a pregnancy?”
There are several possibilities, but much of what we know about the causes of recurrent miscarriage (RM) remains theoretical. Patients struggling with RM might take some comfort in the fact that it is a research arena of great interest.
A recently published study may shed some light on yet another possible explanation. Researchers in The Netherlands looked at the human endometrial stromal cells (H-EnSCs) of women with RM and fertile women. Their findings support their theory that, for reasons not yet fully understood, “H-EnSCs of fertile women discriminate between high- and low-quality embryos whereas H-EnSCs of women with RM fail to do so.”
In other words, while women with RM seem to conceive more readily than women without RM (a concept called “super-receptivity”), the lining of their uterus is more often facilitating the implantation of non-viable embryos. These pregnancies are destined to end from the start.
While you might feel callously dismissed by some who offer condolences like “It just wasn't meant to be” and “Don't worry, you'll have a baby the next time” – know that there are healthcare providers out there, like the Houston Fertility Center staff, who take your concerns to heart and offer the best that science has to offer.
~ Dr. Sonja Kristiansen M.D.
image: freedigitalphots.net
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