Quest for a healthy womb: Here’s how you can avoid miscarriages
When it comes to unsuccessful IVF procedures in late pregnancies, experts have found that miscarriages or failed implantations in the womb is usually because the genes in the womb are not ready to bear the child.
A recent study by researchers who examined the endometrial cells from the womb linings of healthy women and also biopsies from women who had suffered recurrent pregnancy losses, found that there was a problem in regulating the genes in the lining.
This problem arises because of a hectic change in the body clock, which is disturbed due to night-shift working, traveling across various time zones regularly or suffering from extremely disturbed sleep, noted the study.
This goes to show that miscarriages are not only a sign of an unhealthy womb but also indications emerging disease patterns, which require to be addressed.
With recurrent IVF procedures failing in some group of women despite a healthy egg and strong sperm, experts feel that the defects in the womb too require attention.
No specific test for womb - Dr Ratna Durvasula
There is no specific test for determining when the womb is ready. In general the “implantation window” is three to five days after ovulation. On an average 28-days cycle, it is between day 20 to day 25. Implantation window indicates the time when the uterus is receptive to implantation. The key to successful implantation is good coordination between embryo and cells of the uterus lining.
Dr Ratna Durvasula, infertility consultant specialist at Rainbow Hospitals said, “A history of spotting in the second half of the menstrual cycle indicates that the uterine lining may not be ready for holding the baby. This is called luteal phase defect. On scanning, if the uterus lining is thin, it also indicates the uterus is not ready for implantation.”
The uterine lining is one indication for a woman, which is now being studied to understand the various reasons for a weak womb. Earlier, the causes of miscarriage were normally related to genetic reasons. But with changing lifestyles it has been found that external factors like shift work timings and sleep disturbances are having an effect on the capacity of the womb to hold the child.
No night shifts for pregnant woman - Dr Lakshmi Chirumamilla
IVF treatment failure is a difficult problem. Not only do patients get upset but even the treating consultant is in a spot. There are cases in clinics where couples have no obvious problem but still cannot conceive. The reason or the multiple factors causing the failure are not known. Most studies have shown that the mechanism of failed implantation and recurrent implantation failure would be the same.
Dr Lakshmi Chirumamilla, senior fertility consultant at Nova IVI Fertility Center said, “Clinically we have started using techniques to assess genes in the endometrium to find out the right time to transfer the embryos especially in women with recurrent implantation failures. Women who have been suffering from irregular menstrual cycles, endometriosis, impaired fertility, there are chances of miscarriage, hence, extra care is taken when they opt for IVF treatments.”
Doctors are also advising women to not take up night shift jobs. Dr Lakshmi explained, “Night shifts have a bad impact on the chances of getting pregnant and once pregnant, carrying out the full term.”
