How to prevent miscarriage is of great concern for many women and couples. According to the National Infertility Association and contrary to the common belief, as many as 70% of pregnancies may end in miscarriage! With more than 50% of losses going undetected and mistaken for a period. Formerly it was believed that only 15-20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage. Those figures seem small to the alarmingly high numbers reported today.
The two most common reasons a miscarriage occurs are:
- The product of pregnancy – the embryo was damaged and could not develop into a healthy baby.
- The environment – the embryo’s environment did not support its healthy development.
Either way the culprit can be found on the cellular level.
Chromosomal abnormalities, immune abnormalities and progesterone deficiency are some of the reasons for miscarriage. However they don’t exist without a cause.
The delicate internal balance between hormones, nutrients and toxins in both partners determines what you will be passing onto the embryo and how your body will react to it.
Be that as may the bottom line is – Healthy Couples are Fertile Couples!
How to prevent miscarriage? Here are 5 ways you can minimize the risk of miscarriage and maximize your chances of taking home a healthy baby:
1. Could you be zinc deficient?
Zinc is the most important mineral for the reproductive system. Zinc deficiency among many other things, impairs body’s ability to properly maintain pregnancy in women and produce healthy sperm in men.
Unfortunately zinc competes for absorption with the most of the nutrients from food and is often called the “lonely mineral”. This means it is one of the minerals which is most likely to be deficient. On top of that, artificial hormones in the form of oral contraceptives and ovulation drugs significantly reduce its levels further.
Some symptoms of zinc deficiency:
- Frequent colds and infections
- White spots on fingernails
- Mental exhaustion
- Poor appetite
- Dry skin and hair
- Poor sense of taste and smell
How to boost your zinc levels:
- Good sources of zinc are: lean meat, whole grains, egg yolk and oysters.
- Take a zinc supplement last thing at night to ensure its absorption.
2. Boost your progesterone levels
Progesterone a.k.a pregnancy hormone needs to be at the optimal level for pregnancy to be maintained. Progesterone deficiency is characterized by PMS and short cycles and is often referred to as a luteal phase defect.
What to do?
Ensure you have adequate intake of magnesium and vitamin B6 for production of progesterone.
Foods like seeds, nuts and egg yolk are rich in B vitamins and dark green leafy vegetables, legumes and nuts are a good source of magnesium. However you may need to supplement to get optimal therapeutic doses of each. If you eat non organically grown food, the likelihood of nutrient depletion of those foods is high.
3. Increase your vitamin C intake
The strength of the lining of your uterus (womb) is crucial when you are trying to conceive and stay pregnant. More commonly than not, when the connective tissue is weak the embryo will not be able to attach or stay attached. The quality of the connective tissue and blood vessels depends on how much vitamin C and bioflavonoids are present in the body. Bioflavonoids help the body absorb more vitamin C and also contribute to the strength of the connective tissue.
Where do you find vitamin C?
Citrus fruits: preferably lemons, limes and grapefruits as well as berries which are loaded with bioflavonoids.
4. Butt it out for good
Miscarriages more commonly occur when the male partner has low sperm counts and visually abnormal sperm. Smoking severely impacts the quality and quantity of sperm. Scientists have discovered that when men quit smoking for 5-15 months sperm count is increased by 50-800% on average respectively.
Here is how to give it up for good:
- Set a date to quit
- Tell all those close to you that you are quitting (this add’s to the commitment)
- If both partners smoke, quit together
- When the date arrives throw out all the smoking paraphernalia (cigarettes, ashtrays…) from your home, car etc..
- When you get the urge to light up get up, walk, take a few breaths of fresh air and have some water instead
- Change your routines to reduce the association with smoking (coffee, drinks and parties)…
And remember:
- Your body’s addiction to nicotine only lasts for 3 days
- It takes 21 days to get rid of the old habit and to acquire a new habit
- Nature abhors vacuum! So if you give up something make sure you replace it with something else that’s good for you.
4. Put that drink down and give up coffee
When trying to conceive it is best to stay clear of all the alcohol. Alcohol is very harmful to female eggs and male sperm. As little as ONE glass can reduce fertility by 50%! This can lead to damage of developing embryo and result in a miscarriage.
Are you aware of the scientific fact that drinking coffee before and during pregnancy doubles the risk of miscarriage? Studies have found that drinking as little as one cup of coffee per day increase the risk of non conceiving by 55%. Every additional cup keeps raising the risk even further.
There are great coffee substitutes available in health food shops and you might want to give them a try.
5. Optimal preconception care
Optimal preconception care started well before you try to conceive has been found to reduce most of the common causes of miscarriages.
And remember if you want a complete guide with step-by-step instructions on how to boost your fertility naturally with exact therapeutic dosages of nutrients and food sources as well as dozens or more natural fertility strategies, see my “Essential Nutrients for Preconception and Pregnancy Chart” that’s part of my “Natural Fertility Prescription Program“.
In this article we looked at how to prevent miscarriage. Many women who are trying to conceive are worried about miscarriages. What are your views? I’d like to hear your thoughts on this important topic.
© 2011 Iva Keene and Natural Fertility Prescription
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hi i have had 4 miscarriges in the last 20 months my first onr was at 6 weeks the second at 9 weeks the 3rd at 6 weeks and my last one was at 11 weeks i was taking inohep and aspirin on the last pregnancy the first 3 miscarriges all came away from me so i didnt need a d+c but i did need an ERPC i am 42yrs old and i am very healthy but very confused at the moment i do want to have another baby more than anything i dont seem to have a problem getting pregnant it just seems to be that i cant hold on to it can you tell me anything about this problem thank you norma
Hi Norma,
Thanks for your comment.
I’m sorry to hear about your repeated miscarriages. It would be worth checking your partner’s/husband’s sperm to make sure his sperm are healthy. Women who suffer from repeated miscarriages tend to have partner’s with poor sperm quality. It could also be due to a nutrient deficiency, heavy metal toxicity and EM radiation. If you work with computers, have wireless, fly or use mobile phones a lot your developing baby can get damaged. I suggest that you have further tests (both you and your partner) and that you optimize your egg and sperm health before you try to conceive again. For full details on what’s recommended please see the NFP program here.
Warm regards,
Iva
hi I’ve had 2 miscarriages for the last 2 years. One at 13 weeks and one at 15 weeks. I don’t seem to have a problem in getting pregnant it that i can’t seem to hold them for long. I’ve had blood tests done and everything is normal I don’t know what could be the problem. My husband has a boy with his past relationship so I don’t think his the problelm what can I do. I love to have at least one baby.
Thank you
Hi Lizeth,
Thanks for your comment.
I’m so sorry to hear about your miscarriages. In the first trimester of the pregnancy your baby’s organs are forming. This is called organogenesis. If during this most important stage of the pregnancy something goes wrong miscarriage is very likely as the baby will not be able to survive with organs which are not able to function properly.
Factors which can affect the way your baby develops are; you and your husband’s DNA which was passed onto your baby at conception, dietary and environmental factors during the preconception phase and initial trimester of your pregnancy.
Just because your husband fathered a child in the past is no guarantee his sperm are still within normal ranges. Women with partners who have abnormal sperm tend to miscarry more often then those with partner’s whose sperm are healthy. Sperm quality and quantity can change in as little as 90 days, so the fact that he had a child is no reason not to investigate his sperm quality now. It’s a quick and painless analysis which can save you a heartache of another miscarriage in case something is not right and needs addressing first.
Radiation of any kind can have detrimental effects on the developing fetus. Long hours in front of computers, mobile phones, frequent flying and frequent scans can all contribute to a miscarriage. There are many more factors and ways to protect yourself and I can’t cover them all in this message. If you’d like more information please refer to the NFP program and if you’d like me to look at your case and do a fertility analysis simply send me an email.
I wish you all the best and would love to hear from you.
Warmest regards,
Iva
hi iv had 9 miscrriages for the past 8 years after consiving it last only for first few weeks then finish,it stay only for 4 to 6 weeks,all my pregnancies i never see the heart beat or any cardiac activity,but my last preg last for almost 8 weeks it was thru ivf the heart beat was seen and everything was going well in 9 weeks i started seeing brownish and when i went for sonography it say 7 weeks preg and everything vanished after a week it came out,it was in march 2011,up to now i never see my periods and i stop taking any kind of medicine,what should i do is there any way to help me please advise im in east africa Tanzania
Hi Abla,
The NFP program can be downloaded anywhere in the world. In there you’ll see all the factors that contribute to miscarriages and what you need to do to prevent another miscarriage. You can download it here: http://www.natural-fertility-prescription.com/nfp-program/
All the best, Iva
I had 3 miscarriages in the last 18 months, the first was at 10 weeks, but the baby stopped developing at 7 weeks, I had a D&C, I did fly in the beginning of the pregnancy, the 2nd was a tubal, which my left tube and ovary was removed, the third was around 6 weeks, natural miscarriage. All in common was I would have a corpus luteal cyst form but it would burst, I’m thinking because of the dropped pregnancy hormones stopped the pregnancy. I am on the pills bc so I can stop the cysts but I am hoping this will help me keep the next baby. I am also quitting smoking and going to start exercising, and eating healthier to hopefully help prevent the cysts when I get off bc. I have progesterone pills to take when I get pregnant again. Have you heard of the cysts bursting resulting in losing the baby because of the stop in hormones?
Thanks Iva, I am actually pregnant now (11 weeks) and it’s useful information so I can stay pregnant.