The majority of miscarriages happen due to randomly occurring chromosomal abnormalities in the embryo. These errors may originate in the egg, in the sperm or occur after fertilisation as the embryo develops. In the vast majority of recurrent miscarriages, no specific condition is found despite extensive investigations.
Conditions linked to recurrent miscarriage are:
- Specific conditions with a clear link to recurrent miscarriages;
- When either the male or female partner carries a balanced chromosomal translocation;
- When the female partner has an antiphospholipid syndrome;
- When the female partner has a significant level of anti-thyroid antibodies and thyroid dysfunction;
- In the presence of uterine anomalies;
There are other conditions which maycontribute to recurrent miscarriages, but the links have not been well established. These include problems in reproductive immunology, conditions other than antiphospholipid syndrome which cause clotting problems (thrombophilia) and high sperm DNA fragmentation.
The doctor who oversees your treatment will discuss the use of testing for any of the above conditions relevant to your medical history.