Skip to main content
Log in

Recurrent Pregnancy Losses and Gestational Age Are Closely Related: An Observational Cohort Study on 759 Pregnancy Losses

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Reproductive Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

To assess the accurate dating of the cessation of pregnancy in patients with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and to evaluate the incidence and recurrence rate of pregnancy losses in similar gestational age. In a retrospective cohort study, couples with history of RPL and availability of precise documentation regarding previous pregnancy losses were included. The vast majority of losses occurred within the first trimester. In patients experiencing more than 2 miscarriages in the same gestational stage, a tendency for recurrent losses around the same period of gestation was observed. Overall, the probability of losses at different gestational stages goes down with increasing number of miscarriages at the same stage. The study supports the need to ascertain data regarding the timing of pregnancy loss as accurately as possible for prognosis of future pregnancies and management of couples. A classification for unexplained RPL based on gestational age of miscarriages could help researchers to better investigate RPL.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Practice Committee of American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Definitions of infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss: a committee opinion. Fertil Steril. 2013;99(1):63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Evaluation and treatment of recurrent pregnancy loss: a committee opinion. Fertil Steril. 2012;98(5): 1103–1111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Jauniaux E, Farquharson RG, Christiansen OB, Exalto N. Evidence-based guidelines for the investigation and medical treatment of recurrent miscarriage. Hum Reprod. 2006;21(9): 2216–2222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Achache H, Revel A. Endometrial receptivity markers, the journey to successful embryo implantation. Hum Reprod Update. 2006;12(6):731–746.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Mongelli M, Wilcox M, Gardosi J. Estimating the date of confinement: ultrasonographic biometry versus certain menstrual dates. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1996;174:278–281.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Tunon K, Eik-Nes SH, Grottum P. A comparison between ultrasound and a reliable last menstrual period as predictors of the day of delivery in 15,000 examinations. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. 1996;8:178–185.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Waldenstrom U, Axelsson O, Nilsson S. A comparison of the ability of a sonographically measured biparietal diameter and the last menstrual period to predict the spontaneous onset of labor. Obstet Gynecol. 1990;76:336–338.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Harland KK, Saftlas AF, Wallis AB, Yankowitz J, Triche EW, Zimmerman MB. Correction of systematic bias in ultrasound dating in studies of small-for-gestational-age birth: an example from the Iowa Health in Pregnancy Study. Am J Epidemiol. 2012; 176(5):443–455.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Warren WB, Timor-Tritsch I, Peisner DB, Raju S, Rosen MG. Dating the early pregnancy by sequential appearance of embryonic structures. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1989;161(3):747–753.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Degani S. Fetal biometry: clinical, pathological, and technical considerations. Obstet Gynecol Surv. 2001;56:159–167.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Exalto N, Christiansen OB, Farquharson RG, Jauniaux E. Early Pregnancy Failure, a Review. in ESHRE Campus workshop. New trends in diagnosis and management of early pregnancy failure. Poland, 15–16 December 2006. Web site. http://www.eshre.eu/~/media/emagic%20files/SIGs/Early%20pregnancy/Syllabi/Poznan.pdf. Accessed date September 23, 2009.

  12. Kolte AM, van Oppenraaij RH, Quenby S, et al. Non-visualized pregnancy losses are prognostically important for unexplained recurrent miscarriage. Hum Reprod. 2014;29(5):931–937

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Yan J, Saravelos SH, Ma N, Ma C, Chen ZJ, Li TC. Consecutive repeat miscarriages are likely to occur in the same gestational period. Reprod Biomed Online. 2012;24(6):634–638.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Reus AD, Stephenson MD, van Dunné FM, et al. Chorionic villous vascularization related to phenotype and genotype in first trimester miscarriages in a recurrent pregnancy loss cohort. Hum Reprod. 2013;28(4):916–923.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Salomon LJ, Alfirevic Z, Bilardo CM, et al. International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics. ISUOG practice guidelines: performance of first-trimester fetal ultrasound scan. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. 2013;41(1):102–113.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Verburg BO, Steegers EA, De Ridder M, et al. New charts for ultrasound dating of pregnancy and assessment of fetal growth: longitudinal data from a population-based cohort study. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. 2008;31(4):388–396.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Wilcox AJ, Baird DD, Weinberg CR, et al. The use of biochemical assays in epidemiologic studies of reproduction. Environ Health Perspect. 1987;75:29–35.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Goldstein SR. Embryonic death in early pregnancy: a new look at the first trimester. Obstet Gynecol. 1994;84(2):294–297.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Tong S, Kaur A, Walker SP, Bryant V, Onwude JL, Permezel M. Miscarriage risk for asymptomatic women after a normal first-trimester prenatal visit. Obstet Gynecol. 2008;111(3): 710–714.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Heuser C, Dalton J, Macpherson C, Branch DW, Porter TF, Silver RM. Idiopathic recurrent pregnancy loss recurs at similar gestational ages. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2010;203(4):343.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Mäkikallio K, Tekay A, Jouppila P. Yolk sac and umbilicoplacental hemodynamics during early human embryonic development. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. 1999;14(3):175–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Chard T. Frequency of implantation and early pregnancy loss in natural cycles. Baillieres Clin Obstet Gynaecol. 1991;5(1):179–189.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Saravelos SH, Li TC. Unexplained recurrent miscarriage: how can we explain it? Hum Reprod. 2012;27(7):1882–1886.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maria Elisabetta Coccia MD, PhD.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Coccia, M.E., Rizzello, F., Capezzuoli, T. et al. Recurrent Pregnancy Losses and Gestational Age Are Closely Related: An Observational Cohort Study on 759 Pregnancy Losses. Reprod. Sci. 22, 556–562 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1177/1933719114553063

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1933719114553063

Keywords

Navigation