Recurrent pregnancy loss testing is the first step to having a healthy baby

Many people think Texas Fertility Center only treats patients who have trouble conceiving. Our Austin infertility specialists do assist those who need extra help to achieve pregnancy. However, our team also works with hopeful parents who struggle to stay pregnant. When someone faces two or more miscarriages, our doctors recommend recurrent pregnancy loss testing. For many patients, a miscarriage evaluation is the first step to bringing home a much-wanted baby.

Who needs recurrent pregnancy loss testing?

Experiencing one miscarriage is heartbreaking, while facing more than one can be devastating. Our Austin infertility specialists realize this and support each patient from the moment they walk through our doors. Part of our role is to carefully and empathetically listen as a patient tells us what they’ve experienced.

While we listen, our team also works to identify whether someone meets the criteria for a recurrent miscarriage diagnosis.

• The patient has experienced two or more miscarriages before 20 weeks of pregnancy.
• Each of these pregnancies was diagnosed by a healthcare professional using ultrasound.

If both of these statements are true for a hopeful parent, we diagnose them with recurrent pregnancy loss. Our team will then order testing to help develop a personalized treatment plan to make parenthood possible.

What happens during a miscarriage evaluation?

Many issues can cause recurrent pregnancy loss. As a result, treatment varies depending on whether genetic, anatomic, environmental or medical issues are responsible. Our Austin infertility specialists know the best treatment requires them to figure out what’s causing the losses. Recurrent pregnancy loss testing is what helps our team answer this question.

The basic miscarriage evaluation includes several tests. Each one focuses on different issues that can cause miscarriages.

• Evaluation of parental chromosomes (karyotype), using a blood sample from each parent
• Cervical cultures to rule out the presence of an infection
• Hysterosalpingogram (HSG) to evaluate the shape and contour of the uterus
• Bloodwork for lupus anticoagulant, activated partial thromboplastin (aPTT) and anticardiolipin antibodies

Depending on a patient’s medical background and needs, our team may order additional tests. However, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) has found that testing for insulin resistance, lupus, anti-thyroid antibodies and endotoxins has no proven benefit.

Once we have the results of recurrent pregnancy loss testing, developing a treatment plan is the next step. Texas Fertility Center offers many recurrent pregnancy loss treatments. These options range from medication to IVF with genetic testing.

At every step, our team urges patients to remember an important fact: A woman has a 60% to 80% chance of having a full-term pregnancy even after three miscarriages. Know that there is hope because life’s little miracles happen at Texas Fertility Center. Contact us to learn more.