A new study published this month in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology indentified new risk factors for early miscarriage.
An early miscarriage is defined by a loss of pregnancy before 13 weeks gestation. Thousands of women across the globe will suffer from one or more 1st trimester miscarriages, some without knowing. There is a great amount of speculation why women may experience an early pregnancy loss, with some reasons based more in scientific, factual basis, while other reasons may be purely anecdotal or superstitious.
In order to establish a better understanding of maternal factors that may or may not affect the incidence of early miscarriages, researchers in London gathered data on 603 women who had recently suffered a first trimester miscarriage. Then data was compared to a control group of 6116 women who carried pregnancies beyond the first trimester.
Several previously known risk factors were supported by the evidence. These include advanced maternal age, previous infertility, and a history of early miscarriage.
But even more interesting was the group of new risk factors indentifed by the study. Standing out was the perception of stress or being stressed out by life circumstances, low body weight, and moderate daily alcohol consumption. Other less notable new risk factors identified included new partner, older male partner, and history of fertility treatment.
The study also refuted several factors that had previously been thought to increase risk. Among this list are caffeine consumption, smoking, and occasional alcohol consumption. There was also no association between work schedules, educational level, or socioeconomic background.
Factors that lower a woman's risk based on this study included a previously successful pregnancy (delivery of healthy, live infant), nausea and vomiting during first trimester, diet high in fruits and vegetables , and the use of a vitamin supplement.
The take home message from this study is that stress, yes, stress can increase a woman's risk for an early miscarriage. When healthcare providers are counseling women in the begining of pregnancy or during the preconception period stress reduction as well as lifestyle modification and diet need to be addressed to help reduce the risk of early miscarriage.
Posted by Dr. Christina Gutierrez on March 23, 2007 03:09 PM
