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Risk Factors
for the dreaded, yet all too common miscarriage
The natural loss of a fetus before a
pregnancy has reached its midway
point (of twenty weeks) – termed a
miscarriage – is a regrettably common
occurrence. Often, the first time
mother is not aware that as many as
twenty-five percent of pregnancies,
are miscarried by week six. Couples
who miscarry are often left with
heartbreak, confusion, unmet expectation
and a ton of questions. Here’s
the scoop on why the most common
miscarriages occur:
Chromosomal abnormalities
Chromosomal or genetic problems are
found in more than half of embryos miscarried
in the first thirteen weeks. In fact,
pregnancies with a genetic problem have
a ninety-five percent chance of ending in
miscarriage. Most times, these chromosomal
complications occur by chance, have
nothing to do with the parents and are unlikely
to recur.
Age
As a woman grows older, the chances of
her having a chromosomal abnormality in
pregnancy increase. Women older than age
thirty-five have a higher risk – up to twenty
percent – of miscarriage than younger
women. At age forty, the risk increases to
forty percent.
Health Problems
Miscarriages that occur in the third trimester
are more likely to be due to maternal
factors, such as an illness in the mother.
Women with poorly controlled diabetes,
for instance, are at risk. Women may develop
diabetes after conception, but once
treated, are no more likely to lose a pregnancy
than other women. Other diseases
and conditions linked to increased risk of
miscarriage include lupus, high blood pressure,
kidney disease, rubella, and herpes
simplex.
Hormone Imbalance
Some women do not make enough progesterone,
the hormone that prepares the
lining of the uterus to nourish a fertilized
egg. If the uterine lining cannot sustain
an egg, miscarriage will occur. Progesterone
supplements can correct this problem.
Hormone imbalance also can be caused by
diabetes mellitus or thyroid disease.
Abnormalities of the Uterus and Cervix
Anything physically wrong with the uterus
or cervix, such as a misshaped uterus, fibroids,
or scar tissue can lead to a miscarriage.
A weak cervix may widen too early
in pregnancy, without any warning sign of
labor, expelling the fetus from the uterus.
These physical problems account for up to
fifteen percent of repeated miscarriages.
Exercise
A recent study has found correlation between
exercise and miscarriage. Of the
ninety-two thousand women studied, most
types of exercise (with the exception of
swimming) correlated with a higher risk of
miscarriage prior to eighteen weeks of pregnancy.
The more time spent on exercise,
the greater the risk of miscarriage: risk increased
by ten percent with up to one and a
half hours per week of exercise, and to two
hundred percent with over seven hours per
week of exercise. No relationship was found
between exercise and miscarriage rates after
the eighteenth week of pregnancy
Caffeine Consumption
Caffeine consumption, at high levels of intake,
has also been correlated to miscarriage
rates. A 2007 study of over one thousand
pregnant women found that women who
reported consuming 200 mg or more of caffeine per day experienced a twenty-five
percent miscarriage rate, compared to thirteen
percent among women who reported
no caffeine consumption.
Male and Miscarriage
Age
One study found that pregnancies from
men younger than twenty-five are forty
percent less likely to end in miscarriage
than pregnancies from men between twenty-
five and twenty-nine. The same study
found that pregnancies from men over
forty are sixty percent more likely to end in
miscarriage than the twenty-five to twentynine
year age group. A virtual tidal wave of
research has made it irrefutable that male
fertility actually decreases after age thirtyfive.
Smoking
There is an increased risk of miscarriage
when the father is a cigarette smoker. A study
indicated a four percent risk for husbands
who smoke less than twenty cigarettes a
day, and an eighty-one percent risk for husbands
who smoke twenty or more per day. 
- Danielle Watson
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