The Fertility Center | Blog

Why Do Natural Miscarriages Happen?

By Dr. Jesús Alberto Félix Atondo

Unfortunately, miscarriages can be expected; in fact, one in four pregnancies ends in a baby loss. Several factors cause this; even for fertility specialists, it can be challenging to understand why they happen. By learning the possible causes, we can have empathy, spread awareness, and understand women who went through this loss.

What Is A Miscarriage?

Miscarriage means the loss of a baby before 20 weeks of gestation. Babies born before that time do not develop enough lungs to survive. A natural miscarriage is when a woman expells contents from her uterus without medical intervention such as surgery or medication.

 
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What Causes A Miscarriage?

These are the main possible causes of a miscarriage:

  • Chromosome Problems. Chromosomes are the content of DNA. They contain instructions that control many factors, from how cells of the body develop to the color of hair or eyes that the baby will have. Sometimes something can go wrong when conception happens, and the baby receives too many or not enough chromosomes. Meaning that the baby will not develop as expected.
  • Placenta Problems. The placenta is an organ that links your blood supply to your baby, and if it doesn’t function properly, it can fail to provide adequate quantities of nutrition.
  • Maternal Health Conditions. The mother’s health might lead to a miscarriage if she has infections, hormonal problems, thyroid disease, uterus or cervix problems, or uncontrolled diabetes.
  • Aging. At 35, you have a 20% risk of miscarrying. At 40, the risk is 40%, while at 45 years, it increases to 80%.

 

What Are The Signs Of Miscarriage

Some miscarriage signs might be:

  • Vaginal bleeding.
  • Fever.
  • Back and belly pain.
  • Weight loss.
  • Weakness
  • Cramps and vomiting.

What Are The Signs OF Infection

It is not attended to, a miscarriage can lead to an infection. These are some of the symptoms: 

  • Strong fever.
  • Stomach pain.
  • Chills.
  • Strong vaginal bleeding.

 

Can A Miscarriage Be Prevented?

Since most miscarriages are due to chromosome problems, there is not much we can do to prevent them. But you can get as healthy as you can to achieve pregnancy without complications. Our team of fertility specialists recommends:

  • Managing stress. You can do different exercises and activities. A great option is doing yoga to relax your body and improve your fertility. 
  • Eating Healthy Foods. A healthy diet is excellent for overall health and nutrition. Many vitamins help you to avoid diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
  • Avoid Smoking. Smoking cigarettes can have adverse effects when trying to conceive and during pregnancy, increasing the risk of birth defects such as cleft palate or lip. 
  • Take Folic Acid. Folic acid helps pregnant women or women trying to conceive to prevent miscarriage and birth defects; folic acid makes the extra blood your body needs for a healthy pregnancy.

 

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How Can I Achieve Pregnancy If I Went Through A Baby Loss?

Love and science can make it possible for you to achieve the dream of creating a family even after experiencing a miscarriage. An In Vitro Fertilization process allows the fertility doctor to transfer only healthy embryos, reducing the chances of a miscarriage. The treatment also allows our fertility specialists to test an embryo for genetics or chromosomal problems that can lead to a loss.

What Is An IVF?

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a type of assisted reproduction procedure where, unlike intrauterine insemination (where fertilization occurs directly in the woman’s reproductive system), fertilization takes place outside the woman’s body, in a laboratory, with sperm from the partner or a donor. As a result of fertilization, the best quality embryo is selected and transferred to the uterus so the mother can achieve pregnancy.

How Is An In Vitro Fertilization Performed?

  •  Ovarian Stimulation. It involves applying different medications to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs. This is needed because not all of the eggs will be fertilized.
  • Egg Retrieval. Known as follicular aspiration, it involves the obtaining of the eggs through a surgical procedure that is actually simple; once retrieved, they are reviewed and prepared for the fertilization process.  
  • Fertilization. There are two methods to attempt fertilization; one is Conventional Insemination, where sperm and eggs are mixed and incubated. The second method is the Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection, known as “ICSI,” where a single healthy sperm is injected into each mature egg.
  • Embryo Culture. A special and unique environment is created for the culture of embryos; the fertilized eggs will grow in the laboratory before transferring them into the uterus.
  • Transfer. This is the last step of the procedure; the embryos are placed in the uterus. Commonly, two or more are transferred, hoping that at least one of them will develop. Sometimes more than one embryo ends up implanting, so the number of embryos must be discussed with your specialists.

Dr. Luis Ruvalcaba and Dr. Jesús Félix. Our Fertility Specialists at The Fertility Center will stay with you on every step of your journey. 

If you or any woman you know is struggling with a recent miscarriage, the best thing you can do is to visit our team of specialists. Our staff at The Fertility Center will stay by your side in every step of your journey, showing empathy and sensitivity, and creating a safe space to talk about how you feel and which treatment to conceive is best for you. We can help you achieve your dream of starting a family! Contact us today and schedule an appointment!

 
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Dr. Jesús Alberto Félix Atondo

Gynecology, Obstetrics and Biology of Human Reproduction Surgeon at the Autonomous University of Guadalajara, specialist Biologist of Human Reproduction by the Mexican Institute of Infertility.

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