The causes and treatment of recurrent pregnancy loss

Recurrent pregnancy loss is the syndrome that causes repeated miscarriage and/or stillbirth impairing the ability to have a live birth. Recently, the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology proposed screening tests for recurrent pregnancy loss and reported the frequencies of various causative factors. It has been shown that appropriate treatments after screening tests are effective in achieving a respectable rate of live births. While cases of recurrent pregnancy loss with chromosomal aberrations were previously associated with a high rate of miscarriage and inability to have a live birth, such patients can now expect to have a live baby at a probability of about 60% in the next pregnancy. It has also been shown that patients presenting no abnormality on various tests may achieve a good rate of live births without special treatment. Many couples with recurrent pregnancy loss are now given the chance of having a live birth through appropriate screening and the best treatment available for the inferred cause.