Miscarriage, Medicine & Miracles: Everything You Need to Know about Miscarriage

From one of the foremost doctors in the field and a woman who has experienced miscarriage herself comes a comprehensive, encouraging, and accessible guide on both the causes and, more important, the prevention of miscarriage.

Though one in four American women will lose her pregnancy, this heartbreaking experience remains a taboo subject, fraught with myths and misinformation. But with the right prepregnancy evaluation and ongoing care, for many women miscarriage can be prevented.

During forty years of practice, Dr. Bruce Young has treated hundreds of women who experienced the heartbreaking loss of miscarriage and helped them bring babies to term. Now he has teamed up with one of his patients who experienced miscarriages herself, Amy Zavatto, to write this informative, compassionate guide that combines the medical facts with insights from the patients and doctors viewpoints. Dr. Young thoroughly explains the basics of pregnancy and miscarriage, and provides in-depth answers to the questions: Why did this happen to me? and What can I do to prevent it next time?

Including case studies of patients whod experienced recurrent miscarriages, Dr. Young illustrates a variety of reasons for pregnancy lossfrom diabetes to genetics, from hormonal deficiencies to autoimmune disordersexplaining why each miscarriage occurred, as well as how to diagnose and in many cases treat the underlying problem.

Providing the most up-to-date information on physical and mental health, nutrition, and technology, Miscarriage, Medicine & Miracles is a proactive tool and comforting resourcefrom an expert with real-life reasons to give every woman hope for a successful pregnancy.

Introduction: xiii

SECTION I THE BASICS 1

one Preparing for Pregnancy: Understanding Your Body 3

two Nutrition and Pregnancy: Feeding the Baby 15

three What Is a Miscarriage? 25

four Recurrent Miscarriage Lightning Strikes Twice (or More) 41

five Diagnostic Evaluation for Miscarriage: What You Can Expect Step-by-Step 53

six New Technology for the New Age 63

seven Miscarriage Myths 73

SECTION II ANATOMY IS NOT DESTINY 89

eight Cervical Insufficiency: Competent Woman, Incompetent Cervix 91

nine Asherman Syndrome: Scarred and Scared 103

ten The Abnormal Uterus: Shaping Up 111

eleven Ectopic Pregnancy: Misplaced Trust 119

twelve Fibroids: Unwanted Guests 131

thirteen Multiple Pregnancy: Less Is More 141

SECTION III MALFUNCTIONS: SYSTEMS FAILURE 157

fourteen Severe Maternal Illness: Blindsided 159

fifteen Endocrine Causes of Miscarriage: Yes, It's Hormonal 169

sixteen Diabetes: It's About Control 179

seventeen Inadequate Corpus Luteum: Tired Ovaries 187

eighteen Blighted Ovum: A Bad Start 197

nineteen Auto-Immune Disease: When the Body Fights Itself 209

twenty Blood-Clotting Disorders: Too Much of a Good Thing 219

SECTION IV ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS: WHEN NATURE DOESN'T NURTURE 227

twenty-one Infections: Germ Invaders 229

twenty-two Toxic Agents: Greening Your Pregnancy 241

twenty-three Trauma: Danger Zones 255

twenty-four Stress, Psychology, and Pregnancy 263

SECTION V UNDERSTANDING 275

twenty-five Grieving, Coping, Hoping 277

twenty-six FAQ: Your Questions Answered 285

Glossary of Terms 303

About the Authors 331