ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Could your miscarriage have been prevented? What if the cause of your pregnancy loss was something your doctor never investigated?
Miscarriage affects approximately 1 in 5 recognized pregnancies. Yet too often, women are told their loss was simply bad luck, a chromosomal abnormality, or a consequence of age. They're told to try again, sometimes without a thorough investigation into what went wrong.
But what if some miscarriages aren't inevitable? What if treatable medical conditions are being overlooked? And why are women who can conceive naturally but repeatedly miscarry referred for IVF without addressing the underlying causes?
In this deeply personal episode of Bioethics Babe, host Arina Grossu Agnew shares her experience of two early miscarriages and sits down with returning guest Dr. Marguerite Duane, board-certified family physician and co-founder and executive director of FACTS About Fertility, to challenge conventional approaches to recurrent pregnancy loss.
Together, they explore the medical conditions that may contribute to miscarriage, the warning signs women should know, and why identifying the root causes of reproductive dysfunction could change the course of a woman's fertility journey.
We discuss:
- How some pregnancy losses may involve treatable underlying medical conditions.
- Why women experiencing pregnancy loss may not receive timely, comprehensive investigations into potential causes.
- What progesterone, estrogen, ovulation, and menstrual cycle charting can reveal about reproductive health.
- How endometriosis, thyroid disorders, insulin resistance, endometritis, antiphospholipid syndrome, and uterine abnormalities may contribute to pregnancy loss.
- Why assisted reproduction often does not address underlying maternal health conditions contributing to recurrent miscarriage.
- How targeted testing, lifestyle changes, and identifying modifiable risk factors can help women prepare for healthier pregnancies.
- How Cooperative Reproductive Endocrinology (CoRE) seeks to diagnose and treat underlying reproductive dysfunction.
October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. For the millions of women and families who have experienced miscarriage, my heartfelt sympathy. The grief is real, even when a pregnancy ends very early.
Not every miscarriage can be prevented. But every woman deserves compassionate care, a thoughtful medical evaluation, and answers wherever medicine can provide them.
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