Miscarriage

So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. Numbers 35:33

For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life, Leviticus 17:11

In keeping with our rejection of the common law understanding of a woman's role within the family [read: God's Law], the Court held in Danforth that the Constitution does not permit a State to require a married woman to obtain her husband's consent before undergoing an abortion. 428 U. S., at 69

Roe v. Wade didn't give American women the "right" to have 42 million abortions--it simply criminalized the right of American men to object

The most recent and accurate study appears to be that of Whittaker, et. al., (20) who used sensitive early pregnancy tests to demonstrate that the overall rate of miscarriage is about 20% (i.e., 8% very early miscarriages and 12% clinically obvious miscarriages).

The overall miscarriage rate was 12.1% and the fetal loss rate was 15.2%. Four patients (25%) in the antibody-positive group developed symptoms of preeclampsia and fetal growth retardation compared with four patients (9.8%) in the antibody-negative group. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, City Hospital Ruesselsheim, Germany.

Still, a study of 15 semiconductor manufacturers published in the December 1995 issue of the American Journal of Independent Medicine showed that women working in silicon wafer manufacturing rooms who handled chemicals including glycol ethers suffered a 14% miscarriage rate, compared to women in the industry who did not work in fabrication areas, who suffered a rate of 10%. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of California at Davis and was cosponsored by the semiconductor industry. According to Neal, these findings were the primary basis for removal of glycol ethers from the workplace by the semiconductor industry.

Obesity Linked To Higher Miscarriage Rate After In Vitro Fertilization

Reproductive Medicine
August 9, 2001

2001 AUG 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Obese women should lose weight before embarking on in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment for infertility if they want to minimize their risk of miscarriage, fertility experts recommend.

In a study of over 5,000 IVF patients, researchers in Australia found that women with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30 had over a 50% greater chance of miscarrying than women of normal weight. Women with a BMI of over 35 had more than double the risk of miscarriage.

Prof. Robert Norman, head of the Reproductive Medicine Unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Adelaide, told the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology that overweight and obese women faced many adverse consequences in reproduction. This was especially so in assisted reproduction (ART) where previous research by his team had shown that a high BMI was associated with low IVF pregnancy rates.

This latest study, by Norman and colleagues Dr. Jim Wang and Dr. Michael Davies at the University of Adelaide, examined 5,086 women involved in 11,189 IVF cycles resulting in 2,527 pregnancies. Miscarriage was defined as the loss of the baby before 20 weeks of pregnancy.

The researchers found that after adjusting for other factors, the miscarriage rate was 17% for moderate-weight women, for women with a BMI between 30 and 35 the miscarriage rate was 27%, and for women with a BMI over 35, it was 34%.

"We have ruled out confounding factors including age, polycystic ovarian syndrome, estradiol concentrations, and previous miscarriage," Norman said.

In fact, being overweight is such an important factor that a woman less than 30 years old with a BMI of over 35 undergoing ART has about the same risk of miscarriage as a woman of normal weight who is over 40 years old. It also entirely explains why women with polycystic ovarian syndrome have a higher miscarriage rate.

"As excessive BMI contributes both to high miscarriage rates and lower conception rates in assisted reproduction, and as lifestyle intervention is so successful in ART, we would urge that weight management should be addressed before women embark on IVF and other similar programs," Norman concluded. This article was prepared by Women's Health Weekly editors from staff and other reports.

Following the news that Cherie Blair, the wife of prime minister Tony Blair, is being treated in hospital following a miscarriage, BBC News Online looks at common causes for miscarriage.

What causes it?

There are a number of causes. One common reason is a genetic problem that prevents the baby from developing normally.

In some cases, the foetus does not implant properly into the lining of the womb.

Other causes include hormone imbalances in the mother or problems with a woman's immune system.

In many cases, the cause is unknown.

How common are they?

About one in four pregnancies ends in miscarriage. Sometimes this happens even before a woman knows she is pregnant.

The risk of miscarriage lessens as the pregnancy progresses. It decreases dramatically after the 8th week.

Is miscarriage more common in older women?

According to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, women who are pregnant at the age of 25-30 have a miscarriage rate of 16%.

By the age of 40, this rises to 25%.

"Then as women get older through the next 10 years the rate goes up and up and up and would probably be at least 50% by 47 or 48," says College spokesman Peter Bowen-Simpkins.

This is because the likelihood of chromosomal abnormalities increases with age.

Do miscarriages need treatment?

Some miscarriages are complete and no surgery is needed.

In other cases, a small operation is carried out to reduce the chance of infection and to stop the bleeding.

This is done under anaesthetic and is known as a D&C (dilatation and curettage).

Are there any complications?

Very rarely, the procedure can lead to an infection of the womb lining.

This is usually treated with a course of antibiotics