Miscarry each time it is a male?
Question
I have just suffered a miscarriage about 6 weeks ago. I have six healthy girls ranging from fourteen months to twelve years. I have now suffered my fourth miscarriage plus I have had a few very early miscarriages. I also had an ectopic pregnancy in between, about six years ago. I have now sent off the sac of the miscarriage for the chromosomes to be tested as I was suggested that it is possible that I am unable to have a boy due to incompatible chromosomes and therefore I miscarry each time it is a male, I have never actually tested to see whether it was a male or female that I miscarried but this time I decided to have this checked out. Is such a thing possible?
Answer
Last Updated: July 7, 2013
It is certainly possible that there is an incompatibility between some genetic material that your husband contributes to your child and your immune system. The most obvious example of this is the Rhesus Incompatibility. This occurs when you have a blood type that is Rh negative (e.g. A or B or O “negative” blood) and your husband is Rh “positive”. After you are sensitized to Rh positive blood (as may occur when you carry an Rh positive child), your body develops antibodies against the Rh factor. When you have a subsequent child who is Rh positive (the child having gotten this gene from your husband), antibodies from your blood stream can cross the placenta and attack the blood cells or your child, causing the destruction of your child’s red blood cells (hemolysis) resulting in often severe anemia and possibly death. Such an eventuality can be prevented if recognized and treated appropriately during pregnancy.
Your question has to do with whether there are other incompatibilities which may be linked to the sex of your child. This is theoretically possible, but I am not aware of any data proving that this occurs. Without the specific reaction being identified, it would be impossible to prepare for and prevent this reaction. And in your case, since you have already been “sensitized”, even if we knew what incompatibility was causing the reaction, we would not be able to prevent it.
So in answer to your question: it is theoretically possible that you have not had boys because of some sex-linked incompatibility, but such a reactivity has not to my knowledge been identified.
Dr. John Gisla
Your question has to do with whether there are other incompatibilities which may be linked to the sex of your child. This is theoretically possible, but I am not aware of any data proving that this occurs. Without the specific reaction being identified, it would be impossible to prepare for and prevent this reaction. And in your case, since you have already been “sensitized”, even if we knew what incompatibility was causing the reaction, we would not be able to prevent it.
So in answer to your question: it is theoretically possible that you have not had boys because of some sex-linked incompatibility, but such a reactivity has not to my knowledge been identified.
Dr. John Gisla
Answered By:
John Gisla, MD
Dr. John Gisla, Board Certified by the American Academy of Family Physicians, pracitces in the Sacramento Region.
