What factors can lead to multiple miscarriages?
When couples are presented with the frustrating problem of recurrent pregnancy loss, the approach is straightforward and compassionate. It is important to explore the clinical events surrounding each prior loss, and to try to understand whether there are any features that the miscarriages seem to have in common. Sixty to 70% of pregnancies fail to develop because of a chromosomal disorder, which often can be diagnosed when the tissue is submitted to a cytogenetics laboratory. As such, even a woman with 3 prior losses has a high chance that one or more of the miscarriages was due to a chromosomal abnormality. Abnormalities within the uterus can promote miscarriage, and a detailed evaluation should be carried out for this possibility. Hormonal issues surrounding normal pregnancy implantation can sometimes be found when the lining of the uterus is inspected by a trained pathologist. A certain autoimmune abnormality known as anti-phospholipid antibodies has been linked to recurrent pregnan
