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Exciting research done by Dr Howard Jacobs at the Middlesex Hospital, London, shows that polycystic ovary syndrome can also be a cause of recurrent miscarriages. In PCOS, the ovaries produce a large amount of the LH hormone. This hormone has a detrimental effect on the egg, so that, at the time of ovulation, the egg released is overripe and unhealthy.
If such an egg is fertilised, the embryo is also likely to be unhealthy, and is consequently rejected by the body after 6-8 weeks as a miscarriage. The interesting point of these studies is that it tells us that we should also be focussing on what is happening at the time of fertilisation - and not just what goes on after the pregnancy. Problems with the eggs and sperm at the time of fertilisation will manifest themselves as a miscarriage later on, but these are often overlooked by the doctor.
The immune system plays an important protective role in maintaining health throughout one's life, by defending against infection. It "rejects " the foreign invaders e.g., (bacteria, viruses) which are recognised by the body as being "outsiders". It is now becoming evident that inappropriate activation of the mother's immune system may also cause early first trimester miscarriages.
Current theory suggests that during a normal pregnancy, the fetus, which carries the father's foreign genes (and is therefore immunologically "foreign" to the mother) can nevertheless, survive in the mother' uterus because of a special protection from the mother's immune system the uterus is a "privileged" site. This is why the fetus is not "rejected" like other foreign tissues (such as kidney transplants) are. This means that in the normal course of events, the fertilised egg somehow stimulates a protective maternal immune response which allows implantation and growth.
For certain couples, this protective response does not occur, and the maternal immune system rejects the father's foreign material in the fetus, resulting in miscarriage. Tests are available to check for this, but these are still in the experimental stage. Treatment is still in the research phase too, and includes sensitising the mother to the father's genes, by injecting his blood cells into her skin, the theory being that exposure to the foreign cells will stimulate her immune system to provide the normal protective immune response when she gets pregnant.
© Dr. Aniruddha Malpani and Dr. Anjali Malpani www.drmalpani.com
Credits: How to Have a Baby: Overcoming Infertility
