Male Factors in Recurrent Pregnancy Loss

Background: The death of an infant, in utero or after birth has been a devastating experience for parents and clinicians alike. Various efforts are being made to make an accurate diagnosis of such pregnancy losses at the earliest to prevent the emotional and physical stress that the woman undergoes. This study aims to assess the changing trends in risk factors and outcome of pregnancies in cases of bad obstetric history (BOH) and to identify the newly emerging maternal and fetal factors contributing to incidence of pregnancy loss.Methods: This study is a retrospective analysis of antenatal women with BOH attending the obstetrics and gynecology OPD at Chettinad hospital. The study was conducted during a time period of 1 year (May 2019 to May 2020).Results: The medical complications and underlying causes for BOH were analysed among the study group. Out of 41 women, 6 were diagnosed to have gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), 8 were found to be hypertensive and 1 APLA positive. Neonatal mortality was encountered in 2 cases, attributing to Inborn error of metabolism. However, the cause for BOH remained unexplained in 3 individuals.Conclusions: A full work-up can be initiated after two consecutive losses to identify and treat the various causes responsible for BOH. Lot of further studies and research are being conducted to unravel the mystery in these cases. Despite these efforts, the male factors contributing to recurrent pregnancy loss have remained largely unexplored.

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Recurrent pregnancy loss

InnovAiT Education and inspiration for general practice ◽

10.1177/1755738019883326 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 402-408

Author(s):

Priyanka Krishnaswamy ◽

Rohit Arora

Keyword(s):

Pregnancy Loss ◽

Recurrent Pregnancy Loss ◽

Recurrent Miscarriage ◽

Second Trimester ◽

Successful Pregnancy ◽

Inherited Thrombophilia ◽

Epidemiological Factors ◽

Factors Influencing ◽

Recurrent Pregnancy Losses ◽

Male Factors

Miscarriage is defined as the spontaneous loss of a pregnancy before the fetus reaches viability; it includes all pregnancy losses from the time of conception until 24 weeks of gestation. Early miscarriages are common, occurring in 10–20% of all pregnancies, with 2% of second-trimester pregnancies being miscarried before 24 weeks of gestation. Recurrent miscarriage, defined as the loss of three or more consecutive pregnancies, affects 1% of couples trying to conceive with the chance of having two consecutive miscarriages being 5%. Clinical studies show that 3 in 4 women will have a successful pregnancy with supportive care alone. Therefore, couples should be given reassurance about their chances of a successful pregnancy in the future. In this review we look at the epidemiological factors influencing rates of miscarriage, acquired and inherited thrombophilia, genetic, anatomical, endocrine, immune, infective and male factors for recurrent miscarriage. Despite these potential causes, the majority (around 50%) of recurrent pregnancy losses remain unexplained.

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