Miscarriage

Almost one in every four pregnancies ends spontaneously before 20 weeks gestation. This can be devastating for the parents and family, particularly as the grief of miscarriage is often private and unacknowledged.

More than half of all miscarriages are a result of chromosomal problems or genetic abnormalities in the fetus that do not allow it to develop. 80% of all fetal deaths occur in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy.

Couples with three or more early pregnancy losses (before 13 weeks) suffer from recurrent miscarriage. The cause of recurrent miscarriage is not usually problems with the fetus, but problems with the parents: hormonal deficiencies, physical limitations or the presence of autoimmune antibodies.

Nurture’s researchers are investigating the role of the mother’s immune system in recurrent pregnancy loss. By understanding how and why a fetus is rejected by the mother’s immune system, we hope to help women at risk successfully carry a pregnancy to full term.  A clinical trial is currently underway to determine whether aspirin and heparin will benefit women with recurrent pregnancy loss who do not have antiphospholipid antibodies.