Reason for Early Miscarriages
Question
I have suffered from several early miscarriages, the most recent being about two months ago. Since then I have had fertile cervical mucus, sometimes profuse, from day 16 onwards, off and on, with today being day 38 and no bleeding. My periods have always been irregular and doctors can find no cause. Any advice?
Answer
Last Updated: June 17, 2013
Miscarriages can be caused by hormonal problems, infections, autoimmune problems, thrombophilias, anatomical problems in the uterus or chromosomal abnormailities. It is important to have a systematic workup for all of these entities, especially with several miscarriages.
If you have irregular periods, there needs to be a underlying cause, and it is possible that the irregular periods are related to the miscarriages. A common cause is PCOS(polycystic ovarian syndrome) and insulin resistance, commonly with infrequent periods and high insulin levels. Another possibility is low progesterone, or low progesterone and estrogen in the luteal phase(last half of cycle). A thorough workup will include several reasurements of estrogen and progesterone in the luteal phase. Sometimes being too thin can contribute to low estrogen. Finally, abnormal thyroid function can cause miscarriage, even a very minor problem. If you have not received a complete evaluation I would encourage you to seek help from a physician trained at Pope Paul VI Insitute in thorough investigation of miscarriage (www.popepaulvi.com).
Good luck.
Dr. Mary Davenport
If you have irregular periods, there needs to be a underlying cause, and it is possible that the irregular periods are related to the miscarriages. A common cause is PCOS(polycystic ovarian syndrome) and insulin resistance, commonly with infrequent periods and high insulin levels. Another possibility is low progesterone, or low progesterone and estrogen in the luteal phase(last half of cycle). A thorough workup will include several reasurements of estrogen and progesterone in the luteal phase. Sometimes being too thin can contribute to low estrogen. Finally, abnormal thyroid function can cause miscarriage, even a very minor problem. If you have not received a complete evaluation I would encourage you to seek help from a physician trained at Pope Paul VI Insitute in thorough investigation of miscarriage (www.popepaulvi.com).
Good luck.
Dr. Mary Davenport
Answered By:
Mary Davenport, MD, MS
Mary Davenport, MD, FACOG, an obstetrician/gynecologist from the Oakland Region of California, offers telehealth services over MyCatholicDoctor.com She graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine and completed her residency at UC San Diego. Dr. Davenport is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and serves on the Advisory Board of the California Association of Natural Family Planning.
