The Infertility-->Fertility Team at

DURANGO REPRODUCTIVE

Also serving Cortez, Pagosa Springs, Telluride and Farmington, NM

Expert Diagnosis and Treatment Starts Here

MISCARRIAGE (RECURRENT PREGNANCY LOSS – RPL)

 

Losing a baby, no matter how early in pregnancy, can be a heartbreaking experience. When a pregnancy is planned and desired in particular, this unexpected event can be difficult to bear and hard to understand. Miscarriage is common, however, and most of the time it is due to random and completely unpreventable genetic/chromosomal abnormalities. Studies have shown that as many as one-third of all pregnancies are lost, usually early in the first trimester (initial 12 weeks). And many of these very early losses are not even detected or noticed as a miscarriage. When miscarriage is repetitive it is called Recurrent Pregnancy Loss or RPL, and testing and treatment to prevent a third or fourth miscarriage may be possible. Although 70 - 75% of all miscarriages are thought to be due to random genetic defects, the remaining miscarriages may be due to detectable and potentially treatable causes. Any woman who has had two or more consecutive miscarriages is more likely to have a preventable cause for the miscarriages.

About 5% or less of miscarriages may be caused by a detectable chromosomal abnormality in the cells of one or both of the parents. Although the parents are perfectly normal, a balanced translocation (displaced piece of a chromosome) may be detected on a blood test called a karyotype. This otherwise harmless defect can cause miscarriage in some pregnancies and not in others. Couples will usually report a combination of normal pregnancies and births along with miscarriages. Other than undergoing the expensive process of in Vitro fertilization (test-tube baby procedure) combined with pre-implantation genetic testing, there is no known way to attempt to prevent all miscarriages in parents that are known to have this abnormality. And even this treatment is not totally effective. The testing for this defect can cost $1000.00 to $1500.00 without any assurances that insurance will pay for the testing. Unless a couple would use this information to prevent further pregnancy or to undergo pre-implantation diagnosis, we are currently not recommending that this testing be performed.

Educational Links:

 

   ASRM.org

 

  Resolve.org

 

  LifeChoicesAndFertility.com

Call 970-382-9505 or email Karen Zempel today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Gambone.

P: 970-382-9505     F: 970-382-9558

1199 Main Avenue - Suite 218, Durango, CO 81301

Located in the Bank of Colorado Building