Recurrent Miscarriage: A Form of Infertility, Page 4

Dr. Alan Beer, a pioneer in reproductive immunology, recommends inquiring about testing for immunological loss issues in the following cases:

  • two or more miscarriages or IVF failures
  • low ovulatory response to drug stimulation
  • a blighted ovum pregnancy
  • unexplained infertility
  • previous known immunity issues, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus
  • previous pregnancies in which fetal growth was inhibited
  • secondary infertility with repeat miscarriage as the primary issue

Some testing (DQ Alpha, specifically) in the realm of reproductive immunology is DNA-related (see "Genetics/Chromosomal" issues above.) In short, if a woman and man are too closely related in genetic terms, the woman's body will likely treat a resulting embryo as a foreign invader and reject the pregnancy. In some cases, a normal first pregnancy may result, but with the interesting feature of creating a maternal cellular response that is negative to subsequent pregnancies.

Antibody issues involve the response of a woman's body to any pregnancy and testing should include:

  • Natural killer cells
  • Antinuclear antibody (ANA)
  • Anti-DNA/Histone antibodies
  • Antiphospholipid antibodies (APA)
  • TJ6 protein
  • Lupus anticoagulant antibody
  • Hormone antibody assay
  • APTT (a blood clotting test)
  • Antithyroid antibodies

It should be stated that diagnosis and treatment of immunological causes is relatively new. Some physicians are skeptical about requiring of patients the amount of testing involved in reproductive immunology, and some plainly disagree with theories on its incidence and treatment. Consumers would be wise to just be aware of this common skepticism when they ask their own providers about immunological causes of recurrent miscarriage.

Headlines

As referenced earlier, news headlines about causes of recurrent miscarriage are attention-getting among those who struggle with the ongoing devastation and future fears. One of the most recent findings by Austrian researchers has linked a gene variation to repeat loss.

Specifically, they saw more losses in women with two copies of a particular variation (allele 2) of a gene that is involved in creating a cytokine. Cytokines work to regulate a body's inflammation response, and earlier research has linked high cytokine levels to women with more than one miscarriage.

In effect, this finding at a genetic level is a step toward greater understanding of the immunological causes of miscarriage.

For the vast number of individuals and couples who are experiencing recurrent loss without explanation, there is hope through advancing science. It would bode them well to try and stay on top of published research. It is also crucial to work with a medical team that is as interested as you are in finding the causes of your previous losses, in order to hopefully treat and prevent any more in the future.

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