What Causes Spontaneous Abortions?
Many spontaneous abortions happen because something was wrong with the baby. A developing baby is the result of a very complex process involving genetic messages, cell development, and rapid growth. Amazingly, most of the time everything works correctly. But, if something goes wrong, the baby may not develop properly. The most common cause of a spontaneous abortion is a problem with the baby’s genetic material. Each cell in a developing baby’s body contains genes from both the mother and the father. The baby’s cells divide and grow to make more cells, which combine to make all the parts of the baby. Sometimes, a cell accidentally gets an extra copy of one parent’s genes, or doesn’t get a complete set. When that cell divides, its offspring won’t work properly, and the baby won’t develop normally. This kind of problem is usually just an accident: there’s no reason the next baby won’t grow and develop just fine.
