Five Miscarriage Risk Factors To Be Aware Of
One of the greatest fears of an expecting mother is the prospect of a miscarriage. Many common causes of miscarriage—chromosomal abnormalities and problems with placenta development—are largely random and uncontrollable.
However, there are some huge risk factors that a woman can avoid to significantly lower her risks of experiencing a miscarriage. These include the following five risk factors:
Consuming too much caffeine
Caffeine consumption has been linked to miscarriage risks in numerous studies. One study showed that miscarriage is twice as likely to happen early on in in the pregnancies of women who consume more than two cups of coffee per day.
In fact, it has been shown that caffeine consumption is a risk factor in early pregnancy even if it is the man consuming the caffeine. Apparently, caffeine consumption can affect a man's sperm and weaken their integrity, eventually compromising the pregnancy.
Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol
Alcohol consumption can also be detrimental to the progress of a pregnancy. A study from the UK showed that a woman who consumes five drinks or more per week will be 3.7 times as likely as a woman who doesn't drink to experience a miscarriage.
Researchers think that alcohol can increase miscarriage risks by making it more likely that the developing fetus has chromosomal abnormalities that trigger miscarriage.
Smoking
It's very important that expecting mothers and women who are trying to get pregnant do not smoke. A study reported in the journal Human Reproduction showed that heavy smokers are greater than twice as likely to experience a miscarriage than expecting mothers who don't smoke.
Smoking during pregnancy not only increases the chances of a miscarriage, but also threatens the health of the baby at birth if the pregnancy progresses through labor and delivery.
Obesity
Obesity can increase a woman's chances of experiencing a miscarriage for a variety of reasons. First of all, obesity can throw off a woman's hormone balance. Hormones are responsible for triggering the changes in a woman's body that are necessary for her to support the development of a fetus.
Obesity also makes it more likely that a woman will suffer from health conditions that increase miscarriage risk. These conditions include diabetes and polycystic ovarian syndrome.
Infections/illness
Infections in the body like sexually transmitted diseases can compromise the health of a growing fetus. Also, severe food poisoning could compromise the health of the fetus.
Women suffering from infections like chlamydia and gonorrhoea should have their conditions treated before becoming pregnant. Also, pregnant women should abstain from eating foods that carry a risk of food poisoning like raw eggs and undercooked meat.
For more information, talk to a professional like Heart Of Florida OB/GYN Associates.
Share