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What's Miscarriage ?

" Miscarriage"   refers the loss of pregnancy before the twentieth week or loss of a baby weighing less than one pound.

Causes of Miscarriage :-

Genetics or chromosomal loses .
Structural Causes
Hormonal (Endocrine) Causes
Infections
Environmental Factors
Thrombophilias
Immune Disorders
Stress

Genetics or chromosomal loses :
This alone is the cause of about  40 % losses. Chromosomal abnormality prohibits the pregnancy from implanting or growing properly. Problems with the pregnancy are usually characterized by the presence of abnormal chromosome analysis of the conceptus.

Structural Causes
Abnormalities of the Uterus, such as lesions, endometrial polyps and fibroids are the primary structural causes for miscarriage. Besides these, most important cause is the Cervix.

Hormonal (Endocrine) Causes
Hormones play an important role in pregnancy. It has been found that best pregnancy outcomes occur when egg is fertilized around days 12 to 15 of the menstrual cycle. Hormonal problems can be tested for by sampling the lining of the uterus, a procedure known as endometrial biopsy.
Hormonal causes like luteal phase defect have been associated with occult pregnancy loss.
 
Infections
It is still not clear the exact role of infection in miscarriage, but both the partners should be cultured for ureaplasma and mycoplasma which can lead to recurrent miscarriages if present.   

Environmental Factors
While little can actually be done at personal level about the environmental factors but it is advisable not to smoke and consume alcohol during pregnancy.

Thrombophilias
These are blood clotting factors. Anything wrong with them have the potential to result in a miscarriage. As they are hereditary, it is important to test for them, especially if you have a family history   of heart diseases or stroke.

Immune Disorders
The immune system is the defense mechanism of the body that detects and attacks anything that is foreign to its origin. Antibodies act much like the soldiers for this system and fight the foreign bodies.
One type of antibody called Antiphospholipid antibodies (APA), for example, chokes off the blood supply to the embryo and even causes the death of fetus in the later phase of pregnancy.
Research  in this area has led to the emergence of Reproductive Immunology that has explained pregnancy losses by these causes which otherwise were previously classified as unexplained.


Stress
The role of stress in miscarriage is not well understood  but it is considered one of the important precautions to keep the pregnant woman in good mental frame.