Synopses & Reviews
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.
Table of Contents
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