Can diet & lifestyle lower the risk of miscarriage?
Have you experienced the heartbreak of miscarriage and been left searching for answers? First of all, I’m so sorry. Whether it’s 2 weeks or 12, a positive test represents hope, love, excitement, future plans and the loss of that should be acknowledged and honoured.
Please know miscarriage that is no one’s fault and while there is no way of truly knowing what caused previous miscarriages, there is lots that can be done in terms of diet and lifestyle to change the risk of it happening again as much as possible.
When it comes to miscarriage, one of the following is usually indicated:
Genetic Defects – egg or sperm. Missing chromosomes or damaged DNA 60-80%Anatomical (structural)
Blood clotting factors blood too thick or clotting
Immune system issues (body mistakes pregnancy for a foreign object)
Hormone imbalances e.g. progesterone, hyper- or hypothyroid, high prolactin
Metabolic
Environmental chemicals, drugs, x-rays, toxins
Infectious causes
Unexplained
As genetic defects in either the egg or sperm count for the majority of miscarriages, working on this is a great place to start. And the foundation of the work I do with clients. Working on egg and sperm health through diet & lifestyle for three months prior to TTC can help support DNA integrity and reduce miscarriage risk.
I do this by focusing on a number of areas including:
Diet & supplement support (low nutrient status, the right ratio of fatty acids, antioxidant status are just a few key things that can impact DNA health in the egg and sperm)
Environment - certain chemicals have been shown to have a big impact on egg & sperm health
Lifestyle factors - stress, sleep, emotional health can impact our body and fertility
Whole-body health - looking at factors such as gut health, thyroid health, vaginal ecology, hormonal health and more (particularly in recurrent miscarriage)