Repeated Loss
Miscarriage is hard to deal with. It occurs in 15–20 percent of all known pregnancies, usually in the first three months. However, some families will experience multiple miscarriages. After three or more miscarriages, it's referred to as “repeated miscarriage” or “habitual abortion.”
Once you've suffered from multiple miscarriages, your practitioner might offer special tests to determine the cause of your losses. Diagnosis can be the difficult part of the process. Sometimes no answer is ever found. The process is quite involved. In addition to complete medical history for both you and your partner, you will have a complete physical exam as well, which may include:
Blood work (hormones, antibodies, disease)
Genetic counseling and potential testing (you and your partner)
Testing for infection in the reproductive organs
Ultrasound to look for structural problems of the uterus
Biopsy of the uterine lining
X-rays of the reproductive tract (hysterosalpingogram)
Hysteroscopy (minor surgery to visualize the reproductive organs through the vagina)
Laparoscopy (minor surgery to visualize the reproductive organs through the abdomen)
Testing of any genetic material from previous miscarriages, if available
The good news is that even after more than one miscarriage your chance of having a healthy pregnancy is still good. With testing and possibly treatment, you and your practitioner can bring down the risks of a future loss. The type of treatment that will be necessary will depend on the cause or causes determined. Make sure you talk to your practitioner about what a future pregnancy may be like; for example, what type of special tests or monitoring you might require.
