Recurrent Pregnancy Loss (RPL)

Miscarriages are surprisingly common, and they do not always indicate there will be any problems with future pregnancies or fertility.  However, if you have lost two or more clinically documented pregnancies (on ultrasound) before 20 weeks, this is called RPL.  “Biochemical pregnancies” are diagnosed by urine or blood testing, but they disappear before anything can be seen on ultrasound.  These are not typically included in the diagnosis of recurrent pregnancy loss.

Causes of RPL

Genetic
Most first-trimester miscarriages are due to genetic problems with the fetus. For normal development, an embryo will have 46 chromosomes that have all the genes to develop into a healthy baby. Sometimes a fetus will have an extra or missing chromosome, typically resulting in a miscarriage. As women age, the risk of a miscarriage goes up because the genetics in our eggs gets ‘stickier’ over time. This results in extra or missing pieces of chromosomes in our eggs,  thus the numbers of chromosomes in the embryos created from these eggs are imbalanced.

Anatomic
Some women are born with a band of tissue inside their uterus, called a uterine septum.  If an embryo happens to implant on this uterine septum, it will result in a miscarriage.  Other abnormalities that take up space inside the uterus, such as fibroids, can increase the risk of a miscarriage if they are in or near the uterine cavity.

Hormonal
Untreated hormone imbalances, such as thyroid disease, diabetes, or hyperprolactinemia, can all increase the risk of a miscarriage.

Blood Clotting
A condition called antiphospholipid syndrome can increase the risk of blood clot formation in early placental development, which is linked to first and second trimester miscarriage.

Lifestyle
Smoking and excessive (over 2 drinks a day) alcohol consumption can increase the risk of a miscarriage.  Obesity has also been linked with miscarriage and recurrent pregnancy loss.

RPL Testing

Bloodwork will be done to see if you have a hormone imbalance, or blood clotting abnormality. Occasionally, a chromosome test will be done on male and female partners, called a ‘karyotype’ test. Some completely healthy individuals will have differences in the way their chromosomes are arranged, called ‘translocations’. This causes them to have a high percentage of pregnancies that are genetically imbalanced, resulting in RPL. A study of the uterus will be done to ensure the inside of the uterine cavity is normal in contour. This evaluation can be done with a procedure called a saline sonogram, or with a hysterosalpingogram. Lastly, we often do genetic testing on the miscarriage tissue to gain valuable insight into why the miscarriage occurred.

RPL Treatment

If a diagnose is made during the workup, then the underlying pathology should be treated. Keep in mind that a specific diagnosis is only made 50% of the time in all couples that suffer from RPL. If the reason for RPL is not clear, we will often recommend empiric, supportive treatment, such as baby aspirin and progesterone supplementation. Some couples will choose to undergo IVF with preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) of the embryos to ensure a genetically ‘balanced’ embryo is transferred to the uterus. For some couples, this can markedly reduce the risk of future losses.

If you would like to start receiving personalized treatment for recurring pregnancy loss in Ogden, Pleasant Grove, St. George, Park City and Murray, Utah, please contact Utah Fertility Center at 801-785-5100 to set up an appointment with one of our Reproductive Endocrinologists.