Miscarriage
D & C vs. Natural Miscarriage
Current obstetrical practice has moved away from doing a D&C for early pregnancy loss.
How a reproductive pathologist can help you get--and stay--pregnant
If the probable cause for your recurrent miscarriages has not been identified, having the tissue from a current loss and/or glass slides from previous losses examined by a reproductive pathologist is especially valuable since it can help you identify any maternal issues that may be contributing to the loss of your pregnancies.
Infections are often a hidden cause of pregnancy loss
Most women and, unfortunately, many obstetricians are not aware that infections can also cause what the doctor "mistakenly" diagnoses as incompetent cervix as well as preterm membrane rupture, uterine contractions and preterm labor.
Latest Research Findings
Researchers have made great strides in diagnosing and treating women who miscarry over and over. Here's the latest news on why you shouldn't give up on having another child.
Was my doctor right in diagnosing a cord accident?
Umbillical cord problems are real problems, especially at term but commonly pathologists believe that a normal cord has enough built-in protection to save itself UNLESS there is some other kind of problem making it harder for the cord to function properly.
Was your loss really chromosomal?
Most doctors won't investigate the cause of a miscarriage until a woman has lost at least two consecutive pregnancies. The physicians assume the losses were due to random chromosomal abnormalities since these are believed to cause 50 to 60 percent of all miscarriages. That's a poor assumption.
What are antiphospholipids & anticardiolipins?
They are antibodies that have been associated with systemic disease and with pregnancy loss. Normally, antibodies are produced by your immune system to fight infectious disease. They can also be produced in the process of rejecting a transplanted organ or skin that's grafted on the surface of the body.
What is an incompetent cervix?
If you've been told your pregnancy loss was due to an incompetent cervix it's important to have your tissues or slides examined by a reproductive pathologist to identify what caused your cervix to open too soon. Treating the underlying problem would be the most effective way to prevent painless cervical dilatation in the future.
What is blighted ovum?
Blighted ovum refers to a pregnancy in which the embryo did not develop or failed earlier than six-and-a-half weeks. When a sonogram is performed, only the gestational sac that would have surrounded the embryo is seen. The vast majority of blighted ovum are caused by wrong chromosome number in the conceptus.
What is hCG?
Lately, the infertility grapevine has been buzzing with reports of previously infertile women delivering healthy babies thanks to hCG injections. As a reproductive pathologist, Dr. Carolyn Salafia has received numerous e-mails from infertile women asking, "What is it about hCG that makes the difference”
What you need to know about chromosome issues
If you're on any kind of treatment to prevent pregnancy loss and you lose your pregnancy, you should have that tissue chromosome counted. That's because even though you're being treated, nature can still throw you a nasty curveball and your pregnancy may be chromosomally abnormal.
Why do membranes rupture before the onset of labor?
Rupture of the membranes is a normal process that is brought on by the stress of uterine contractions. What's abnormal is if they rupture in any of these three ways…