Unfortunately, at least 20% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. Most of the time, a miscarriage is attributed to a chromosomal abnormality in the fetus or another unknown problem. Many women suffer repeated miscarriages in which they lose three or more consecutive fetuses.
The Link Between Delivering a Boy and Future Miscarriages
Researchers have sought for years to find any links between recurring miscarriages and previous live births. According to Martin Hutchinson of the BBC health staff, hundreds of women suffer at least three miscarriages after giving birth to a healthy baby boy.
Males create specific tissue types called HY antigens, which are expressed through the placenta and then enter the mother’s immune system. The mother’s system, in turn, may form antibodies that fight against future pregnancies. The antibodies continue to remain active after delivery. The first pregnancy would be allowed to continue successfully because it takes time for an abnormal reaction to these tissues to develop.
These antibodies have only been found in women who have previously had children, specifically a son, and would not be found in women who have not yet had children at all.
Is There Treatment Available?
Women can be given a simple injection of a drug called immunoglobulin to raise their possibilities of carrying a future baby to term. The immunoglobulin would force their immune systems to tolerate the male-specific tissues.
Additionally, doctors in Spain have found that some women will never carry a second child to term if they are not given adequate treatment. These doctors performed a study in which it was found that women whose first child was a boy had an average of 3.9 miscarriages before achieving a live birth, while women whose first child was a girl had a significantly lower rate of miscarriage. Multiple studies with similar results were also performed in Denmark.
If research continues worldwide, it is hopeful that the immunoglobulin injections would become a routine part after every delivery of a healthy baby boy, similar to the way in which the Rhogam shots are routine for mothers with Rh negative blood who give birth to a baby with a positive blood type. Making this injection available may prevent future heartache for families who would otherwise suffer from multiple miscarriages.
While not every woman who gives birth to a boy need fear that her future pregnancies will end in miscarriage, it is worth noting that the link is substantial. Every woman expecting a son should consult her obstetrician about receiving the immunoglobulin injection immediately following birth. Hopefully, after enough evidence has been presented, the injection will become a matter of course and many women will not suffer a loss.
For more information about miscarriage, please read an Overview of Miscarriage.
Abby Deliz - Abby Deliz pursued writing extensively through high school and college, and she was published several times. Most notably, she published ...
