This does not mean there is anything abnormal with the parents' genes, it merely shows that not all eggs and sperm are equal.

There could be a number of reasons for a single miscarriage
but when the miscarriages are recurring they are categorized as follows:
Genetic, hormonal and anatomic.

GENETIC:
One of the parents may be a symptomless carrier
of a chromosomal abnormality.
So the parents will want to
undergo genetic counseling.

DEFINITIONS:

Triploidy is probably most frequently due to dispermy!
Tetraploidy occurs with zygotes first cell division after chromosome duplication.
If the genetic testing shows a fetus with aneuploidy prenatal diagnosis should be considered because of the risk of recurrent aneuploidy.

CHROMOSOMES:
Chromosomes come in pairs, twenty-three in all.

The twenty-third pair determines the sex:

At fertilization, the female egg keeps one of it's X chromosomes.
Whereas sperm (while forming in the testicles) gets either the X or Y shaped chromosome.

When the sperm fuses with the egg at fertilization, the two sets of chromosomes pair up to give the resulting fused cell forty-six chromosomes.

Each time the cell divides new cells are formed, every one containing the full complement of forty-six chromosomes.
On the chromosome strands of the fertilized egg are coils of DNA (deoxyribonucleic aid) arranged into units called genes.
Encoded on genes are the blueprint for human traits: Hair & eye color etc.

Dear Momma Kath,

It has been a year since I first emailed you inquiring about an online subscriber to your website who had used prednisone to have a baby. I had emailed you asking for her contact information, but you had no luck in tracking her down. Well, I wanted you to know that I did some research of my own and contacted doctors in Europe who are using prednisone ("prednisolone" in Europe) to treat women with "unexplained recurrent miscarriages" with great success. What they are finding is that women with recurrent miscarriages have higher levels of natural killer cells in their uterine lining, which causes an immune system reaction when a pregnancy tries to implant in the uterine wall. With all my miscarriages, immediately following implantation, my belly would blow up like a balloon causing me to look like I was 12 weeks pregnant, when I was only 4 weeks into the pregnancy.

What they are finding is that for some women, the body attacks the pregnancy as a "foreign invader" causing an immune system response with inflammation at the site of implantation, leading to fetal demise.

Anyhow, to make a long story short...I just gave birth to a healthy baby boy on Dec. 23 after 5 miscarriages in a row. I followed the protocol of a Dr. Siobhan Quenby in London.

You take 20mg of prednisone upon a positive pregnancy test up until week 10, then 10 mg until week 11, then reduce it to 5 mg until week 12. You just take it for the first 12 weeks, in order to allow for a strong placenta to grow, and prevent your body from rejecting the pregnancy. My doctor also had me take Endometrium vaginal inserts 3 x/day starting 4 days after I ovulated up until I was 16 weeks pregnant (he said I only needed to take it for 12 weeks, but I wanted to be extra safe). He also put me on HCG shots every 3 days starting from a positive pregnancy test up until 12 weeks, also as an extra safety measure to support the corpus luteum.

All I can say is that within a 1/2 hour of me taking my first prednisone dose, my belly deflated like a balloon, and the inflammation that caused my uterus to swell in the previous pregnancies was no longer.

Prior to my doctor agreeing to follow Dr. Quenby's prednisone protocol, my doctor told me to try Lovenox injections. I found this drug to be very "evil"! Painful black and blues on my stomach, bleeding from the injection site that didn't stop, so I had to stop it.

Throughout this journey, I have found two disappointing realities...in this country there is a push for IVF as a band aid for all pregnancy problems...I found SO many doctors that immediately pushed for IVF..ironically the most expensive treatment...as a first line of treatment. I found that many reproductive endocrinologists and fertility doctors were money hungry and preyed on women who were desperate to have a baby...telling them that their eggs were bad and that the ONLY way to have a baby is through IVF.

I also was disappointed to find that the other alternative to treating women with "unexplained" recurrent miscarriages that is being used in this country was the horrible Lovenox drug. I had already seen a leading Hematologist and he said I had no blood disorders whatsoever, so I found it disconcerting to have to take blood thinner to try and treat my "unexplained miscarriages", when I could take a $5/month drug, once a day in the morning with no side effects whatsoever that would actually treat my overactive immune system, which was the problem.

I wanted to send you this information, so that it may help other women like me. Please pass this along. Tell your subscribers to type in "prednisolone" and "Dr. Quenby" into their search criteria on the Internet, print out her study, and bring it to their doctors. I know that if I couldn't find a doctor in this country who would try this prednisone protocol, my husband and I were ready to take a trip to England so that we could get the treatment that we needed. Persistence is key.

Best regards,
Jennifer

Momma Kath, ?? about chromosome abnormalities (m)
Posted By: LTB 37, m/c 10/02 and 5/03
Monday, 16 June 2003, at 05:06 PM
My OB just called with the results of the genetic testing done following my last D&C. I don't know how to take the news. He said the tests found that the fetus had a chromosome abnormality called triploidy. It had 69 chromosomes instead of 46. We didn't have the first loss tested, but does this mean that either dh or I have a chromosome abnormality?

I'm just so worried that we won't be able to have a baby now. I know I have to stay positive, but I can't help but think that there's something wrong with one of us. And I know there is nothing to be done about a person's genetic make up. Does anyone know anything about this? I've looked it up on the internet, but there's not much information. Help!!!

Thank you for sending me into the world of chromosomes, what an exciting and wonderful world the cell, DNA and chromosomes are....anyway

Triploidy = three sets of chromosomes (69)
and guess what the cause of this anomaly is....
two sperm penetrating the egg.
Seems your hubby has some aggressive guys there.
I like the sound of that because it seems fixable!

You have inspired me to work on a new page for this site.
I already have one for miscarriage
but the new one will address the issue of recurrent miscarriage
and what that could possibly mean.
I hope this finds being kind to yourself and DH as your wounds must feel very raw.
I'm sending you lots of love and positive thoughts for the future!
Momma Kath