Recurrent Implantation Failure / Miscarriage

Most of our patients at Beacon CARE Fertility come to us because they are having problems getting pregnant and they need our help. However, many of the women who come to us for help have experienced recurrent miscarriage and they are often anxious and confused as to why this is happening to them.  They are looking for answers and a plan of action.  Our team of doctors and embryologists  are experienced in diagnosing and treating the causes of recurrent miscarriage, they always use a completely integrated approach for our patients.

If you’ve experienced recurrent miscarriage or repeated implantation failure, we can carry out tests to identify issues with your hormones, blood clotting, immune system or genetics. Depending on what we discover, we are able to offer you a range of appropriate  treatments to increase your chances of successful implantation.

Click to view tips about Managing mental health during fertility treatment.

Reasons for Recurrent Miscarriage

The term “miscarriage” is generally used to describe loss of a pregnancy up to 20 weeks, most often in the first trimester though. The reasons for recurrent miscarriages fall into 2 categories: embryonic and non-embryonic. The most recognised causes of recurrent pregnancy loss are:

• chromosomal abnormalities
• autoimmune conditions
• sperm quality problems
• stress and environmental factors
• anatomic abnormalities such as uterine malformations

“Maternal age should be considered in the list of potential causes simply because most miscarriages are due to  chromosomal abnormalities, and the incidence of these increase  as women get older” says Dr Kuzcera

How can you reduce the risk of miscarriage?

When you have experienced recurrent miscarriage, or failed implantation during your IVF treatment, then it’s likely that you will need more sophisticated diagnostic testing. Our personalised approach to your testing means that we will take care to make sure that we only give you the most appropriate tests, not only saving you time and expense but, most importantly, delivering accurate results which will help us give you the most appropriate treatment plan for your own individual needs.

Pre-implantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy (PGT-A)

Chromosomal abnormalities can be identified using Pre-implantation Genetic Testing  (PGT-A).  This procedure involves removing one or more cells from an embryo to test the genetic make-up of the whole embryo prior to placing it back in the mother’s uterus.  By using PGT-A our embryologists have up to an 85% chance of singling out embryos with abnormalities before transfer and this can reduce the likelihood of miscarriage.

Other Causes

Other causes for failed implantation relate to hormone problems, blood clotting or  the immune system, all of which can prevent embryos from implanting properly.  These are the problems that we check for during recurrent implantation failure screening. Key tests might include immune screening – by screening for particular antibodies and autoantibodies, we can get an insight into whether your immune system could be preventing embryos from implanting properly.

CAREunity Test

Our scientists have created a groundbreaking test called CAREunity that can identify a key gene mutation which can cause miscarriage in early pregnancy.

Some couples attending for IVF may be carriers of this mutation, and it can be simply identified with the CAREunity saliva swab test and treated with medication.  To learn more about CAREunity click HERE.

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