Miscarriage Support

When many women experience a miscarriage, they are found wondering why? There are many reasons a woman can suffer a miscarriage, many are unpreventable. Genetics plays a pivotal role in the development of the fetus and ultimately whether the fetus is miscarried. The causes of genetic abnormalities or miscarriages in a fetus are fetal chromosomal abnormalities, inherited chromosomal abnormalities and gene mutation.

Most miscarriages that occur in the first trimester are caused by chromosomal abnormalities in the baby. Approximately 50 % of miscarriages that occur during the first trimester are due to a chromosomal abnormality. There are two different kinds of chromosomal abnormalities. Fetal chromosomal abnormalities and inherited chromosomal abnormalities are different because of how the chromosomes and genes are developed. In fetal chromosomal abnormalities an extra chromosome is present or a chromosome is missing, this is a result of a mistake made in cell division at the time of conception, this is just a chance mistake. Inherited chromosomal abnormalities/ rearrangements are first inherited from the parent and are the result of the relocation of their chromosomes in which the chromosomes are structured differently.

Chromosomes are tiny structures inside the cells of the body which carry many genes. Genes determine all of a person’s physical attributes, such as sex, hair and eye color, and blood type. Most chromosomal problems occur by chance and are not related to the mother’s or father’s health. Gene mutations can develop at conception or can be inherited from the mother or father. Although many gene mutations happen by chance, researchers in Austria compared 105 women who have recurrent miscarriages to 91 postmenopausal women who had given birth at least twice and never had a miscarriage. During the research, women that had recurrent miscarriages were more likely to carry the Nos3 gene variation. Women who carry this variation tend to produce less nitric oxide. In the uterus, nitric oxide causes blood vessels to expand, thereby improving blood flow to the uterus and to the growing fetus.

Your doctor may tell you that your body miscarried because there was a bad batch of genes or the fetus wouldn’t have been healthy. This can be very true. However it doesn’t make a miscarriage any easier to handle mentally and physically. Remember that genetic testing can be done as can additional medical tests to help you prepare and understand your body and what may be causing a miscarriage. Sometimes there are no answers, and the best thing you could do is trust in your support system.