Fertility treatment
misscariage risks

Miscarriage, although uniquely devastating, is not all that unusual - according to current estimates, 10-15% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage.

Most of these pregnancies will end during a stage of pregnancy so early that in many cases, the woman does not even know she is pregnant. There are many reasons why miscarriages occur. It is thought that the body terminates a pregnancy automatically if, for example, there is an abnormality in the fertilised egg. With in vitro fertilisation (IVF), one fertilised egg is transferred.

It is important to note that risks of miscarriage rise with pregnancies via IVForICSI - the average sits at around 15-30%. This can be explained in part by the higher average age of IVF patients.

What are the possible causes of miscarriage?

The most common reason for miscarriage is a chromosomal abnormality – i. e. irregularities in the number or structure of the embryo’s chromosomes. The probability of such anomalies increases significantly as a woman ages, and especially after the age of 35. Other triggers for repeated miscarriages (habitual abortion) also include:

Hormonal causes: The female cycle is controlled by hormones – hormonal imbalance can cause recurrent miscarriages. The most common hormone disorders include polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), an underactive thyroid and progesterone dysfunction.
Immunological causes: In rare cases, the mother’s immune system can react to the embryo where the immune system identifies the embryo as a foreign body and rejects it.
Organ-related causes: Malformations, adhesions or fibroids in the uterus can increase the risk of failed pregnancy as the embryo's growth is hindered. Women with uterine anomalies in particular often have fertility problems.
Thrombotic disorders: Women with blood-clotting disorders can develop a circulatory disorder of the placenta during pregnancy. The resulting undernourishment of the baby can cause a miscarriage.

The emergence of human life is a complicated process. In spite of the development of fertility diagnostics and treatment, sometimes we simply still cannot find an underlying cause of infertility. However, in TFP clinics, you will always receive full comprehensive advice on your situation and subsequent treatment advice, so you know you're getting the best possible conditions for achieving and maintaining pregnancy.

Getting pregnant after miscarriages

If you have gone through the devastation of suffering recurrent miscarriages without treatment, it's best that you pop in and see a fertility specialist. Fertility diagnosis and treatment may present a solution to the problem – provided that the diagnosis leads to a clear result.

It is important to note that miscarriage may not necessarily have one single cause. Lifestyle factors such as excessive drinking, smoking (as well as passive smoking), drug consumption (and passive drug consumption) and even stress can increase the risk of miscarriage. Our doctors will discuss the options and limits of fertility treatment with you as part of the diagnosis and settle on a treatment plan with you and, if you have one, your partner.

Miscarriage – Facts and figures

A miscarriage is a pregnancy that ends before the baby weighs 500g.

According to WHO guidelines, all pregnancies that end by the 27th week are referred to as miscarriages.

Approximately 80% of miscarriages occur before the end of the 12th week of pregnancy.

The risk of miscarriage is higher when a woman has already suffered a miscarriage before and increases proportionately to the number of previous miscarriages.

For women aged 20-25 years, the risk of a miscarriage is on average 9%; for women over 45 the figure is around 75%.