Miscarriage
Possible Causes:
~Inadequate intake of omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids.
~Cough suppressents containing Dextromethorphan (also causes birth defects) Ped Research 1/1998;43:1-7
~Electric Blankets, electromagnetic fields (living under power lines), waterbeds w/heaters Epidemiology 1998;9:36-42
~Ultrasound exposure (also present in hand held Dopplers). Ultrasound? Unsound by Beech and Robinson
~Flying regularaly (2 X increased risk) J Occup Environ Med 1998;40:210-216
~Wheat sensitivity (Subclinical Gluten Intolerance ) aka Celiac Disease, a genetic condition Lancet 7/29/2000;356:399-400
~Partner has a low sperm count (Smokers have 13-17% lower counts) Intl J of Fertility, 7(1):17-21, 1962, Washington Star 1/7/79
~Pesticide exposure reduces sperm count Bulletin of Enviro Contamination Tox. Vol 39:434-442, 1987
~Coffee drinking increases miscarriage risk JAMA 12/22/93
~Exposure to xylene, acetone (present in nail polish & remover), trichlorethylene (dry clean.), petroleum distallates, solder vapors, common chemicals used in microelectronic assembly workers. British J of Industrial Med 47:400-404, 1990
~Other solvents that put you at risk: perchlorethylene (dry cleaning) 4.7 X greater, paint thinner and strippers 2.1 X greater, glycol ethers (found in paints) 2.9 X greater. Amer J of Industrial Med 20:241-259, 1991
~Dibutyl Phthalates (DBP), a plastic softener, are also a cause. Present in nail polish, perfume, hair spray, soft plastic toys, detergents, food packaging. See the number inside the "chasing arrows" on a product; low number= lower phthalate exposure. Enviro Health perspectives 10/2000;108:972-82
~Another chemical, methanol, is a cause. Present in artificial sweeteners Nutrasweet, Equal, Aspartame, etc.
~MSG consumption Neurobehavioral Tox. 2:1-4, 1979
~Immune system problems Chatelaine Mag 11/93
~Drinking chemicals in tap water Lancet 1/22
~Indirect exposure to anesthia Anesthesiology 41(4), 1974
~Being a dental worker (also puts you 16% risk of baby having spina bifida) Intl Arch of Occupational & Enviro Health 59:551, 1987
~Marijuana use Science 3/25/83
~Working around lead Harnard Health Letter 10/92
~90% of fetuses with malformations are miscarried in early pregnancy. Enviro Health Perspectives 101 (Suppl. 2):13-18,1993
~Parental chromosome abnormalities, antiphospholipid antibodies, and uterine cavity abnormalities. Lancet 6/18/94
~Stress and emotional upset, decreasing blood flow to then uterus, cutting off the fetuses supply, and decreases progesterone, which is need for sustained implantation to the uterine wall. J of OBGYN & rep. Biology 11/92, Amer J of Epidemiology 142:11, 1995, Enviro Health Perspectives Supplement 101, 1993, Fertiltiy and Sterilty 59:3;1993
~Hpothyroidism J of Medical Screening
~Low progesterone
Possible Remedies:
~Increase omega 3 and 6 fatty acid intake. Present in: olive oil, nuts, avocado, beans, fish
~Switch to a whole foods and/or raw foods diet, free of processed foods, especially refined white sugar.
~Progesterone applications (50 mg intramuscular daily for 2 weeks or wild yam cream or tea: 2 parts wild yam, 1 part black haw, 1 part cramp bark or 3 parts cramp bark, 1 part black haw, 1 part flase unicorn root)
~Drink tea (doubles your chance of conception Amer J of Public Health 1998;88(2):270-274
~Test your thyroid and use the Free T3 and Free T4, which is more sensitive. Then treat your adrenal glands (responsible for thyroid functioning) Mercola.com
~Vit E (mixed tocopherols NOT acetate)200-800 IU daily and up to 2000 IU daily during a threatening period. It is the glue for the uterine wall
~Cease exposure to above mentioned chemicals
~Test for Celiac disease (wheat-gluten sensitivity) and eliminate gluten if called for.
~Observe a low stress lifestyle and learn relaxation techniques, get regular massages, join support groups, etc
~Test for low sperm counts
~Stop smoking and drinking coffee
~Go organic and avoid pesticides
~Avoid dental work, ultrasounds, and flying, electric blankets, living under power lines, cough suppressants
~Strengthening the immune system (see your local health food store)
~Look into the V.I. Govallo Method www.gentlebirth.org/archives/mscrgpvn.html or contact Harris Coulter 202-364-0898
~Herbs to avoid or use with caution: Rue, Pennyroyal, blessed thistle, damania, ginseng, licorice, sasparilla, saw palmetto, yarrow, goldenseal
~Herbs to use: red raspberry leaf, yellow dock, liquid chlorophyll, alfalfa, kelp, dandelion, rosehips, feverfew, catnip. Most recommneded: Lobelia
~Try this fertility herb "recipe": Day 1-Day 5 of menstrual cycle: no herbs. Day 6 until ovulation: dong quai, red raspberry leaf, vitex (chasteberry), female harmony or similar combination. Ovulation until first day of next menstrual cycle: vitex, female harmony, wild yam
(dosages and other info for this "recipe" soon to come)
Amy Jones
thebirthsource.homestead.com
2001
Drinking by Men or Women Affects Miscarriage Risk
Mon Oct 18,11:19 AM ET Health - Reuters
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20041018/hl_nm/miscarriage_drinking_dc_1
By Charnicia E. Huggins
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who are thinking about becoming pregnant are usually advised to stay away from alcoholic beverages. Now, new research suggests that their partners should do the same.
In a Danish study, alcohol drinking by men or women during the conception period increased the likelihood of a miscarriage.
Studies in animals have suggested that high doses of alcohol given to males and females around the time of conception or early in the pregnancy increase fetal death, but the association has been less clear in humans.
Dr. Tine Brink Henriksen, of Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark and colleagues followed 430 couples who were attempting a first-time pregnancy. The study participants were all 20 to 35 years old.
A total of 186 pregnancies occurred during the study period, of which 55 ended in spontaneous abortion and 131 resulted in childbirth, the investigators report in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Women who reported consuming 10 or more drinks per week at the time of conception were nearly three times more likely to experience a miscarriage than those who had not consumed any wine, spirits, or beer at the time of conception.
When men consumed 10 or more weekly drinks at the time of conception, their partners' risk of spontaneous abortion was up to five times greater than it was for women whose male partners did not drink, the report indicates.
The reason for the association between drinking among males and spontaneous abortion is not fully understood. However, studies have shown that alcohol consumption is associated with chromosomal abnormalities in sperm cells, and many aborted fetuses are known to have chromosomal abnormalities.
What's more, the concentration of alcohol in semen -- where its presence can be detected relatively quickly after it is ingested -- is similar to its concentration in the blood, the researchers note.
"In conclusion, we found that both male and female alcohol intakes during the week of conception increased the risk of spontaneous abortion," Henriksen and colleagues write.
Although the study found that 10 or more drinks was associated with spontaneous abortions, Dr. George Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association (news - web sites) says he does not want women thinking they can safely consume up to nine drinks per week.
On the other hand, Benjamin, who was not involved with the study, said the findings can be used to reassure women who, for example, consumed alcohol at a dinner party two weeks before finding out they were pregnant.
"If I was their doctor," he told Reuters Health, "I could comfort them more and advise them more about the outcome of their pregnancy."
Still, "I did not say it (alcohol drinking) was safe," Benjamin said. He added that since it is known that alcohol consumption can contribute to birth defects, prematurity, low birthweight, and fetal alcohol syndrome, prevention of these conditions is very important.
"If we can get people to stop drinking during pregnancy," he said, it would "impact on those birth defects."
SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, October 1, 2004.
