Diagnosis and Treatment of Recurrent Miscarriages

Recurrent pregnancy loss (miscarriage) is heartbreaking. What causes miscarriage? How can they be prevented? Our guests are Dr. Richard Scott, founding partner of Reproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey and Professor of Reproductive Endocrinology at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; and Dr. Mark Perloe, medical director at Georgia Reproductive Specialists with extensive experience with recurrent pregnancy loss.

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Hit the Highlights
  • How common is miscarriage?
  • Is it more common in pregnancies that result from infertility treatment?
  • Are pregnancies from IVF more likely to miscarry?
  • The preferred term is recurrent pregnancy loss—how many times does a woman have to lose a pregnancy for it to be considered recurring?
  • What are the most common causes for early miscarriage?
  • What type of doctor treats recurrent pregnancy loss? Reproductive endocrinologist?
  • What is a chemical pregnancy?
  • What causes most miscarriages that occur after about 9-10 weeks of pregnancy?
  • If you’ve had one miscarriage does that increase your likelihood of having another?
  • How accurate are the statistics about the likelihood of recurrent loss given the advancement in sensitivity of home pregnancy tests over the last couple of years. Do these statistics take into account the very early losses that are now detectable by at home pregnancy tests?
  • How do the causes of second trimester pregnancies differ from first trimester pregnancies?
  • How do you determine the cause of recurrent pregnancy loss?
  • Is weight a risk factor for pregnancy loss? Overweight? Under weight?
  • Is polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) a risk factor for miscarriage?
  • Is supplementation with Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) effective for preventing miscarriage?
  • Is supplementation with Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) effective for preventing or reversing egg aging and chromosomal abnormalities?
  • Does the risk of miscarriage increase with age and if so, how much?
  • Can a woman’s immunological response cause a miscarriage?
  • What type of immunological testing is recommended for recurrent pregnancy loss?
  • How are blood clotting issues related to miscarriage?
  • How are uterine abnormalities related to miscarriages?
  • What type of embryo screening can reduce the risk of pregnancy loss? PGD, PGS.
  • What is the best stage in embryo development for doing PGD or PGS?
  • Who should consider pre-implantation screening to prevent miscarriage?