Fifty percent of repeated miscarriages are unexplained. The good news though is that seventy percent of women go on to have a healthy baby after two miscarriages! There is a theory that when there are recurrent pregnancy losses (RPL) the immune system may be playing a role. The uterus has its own immune system which it uses to recognize the embryo, implant and help it create a placenta. Some women may have an issue with this process even if the immune system in their blood shows normal.
Unfortunately, to date, there are only a few proven effective treatments to treat the immune system when it is impacting the ability to stay pregnant. We turn to Dr. Genevieve Genest, to discuss what women can do to increase their chances of taking home a baby in the case of unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss. We cover the effectiveness of progesterone, blood thinners; (baby aspirin, low molecular weight heparin), steroids such as prednisone, intralipids and IV-IG, Hydroxychloroquine. She also covers some of the treatments which have NOT been shown to be effective but are still being used.
Dr. Genevieve Genest is not only the leading immunologist and head of Canada’s first university based reproductive Immunology clinic but also a person who has experienced losses of her own. She cuts out a lot of the confusion around many of the treatments for recurrent pregnancy loss and shares openly about how many of the treatments and procedures touted to prevent recurrent pregnancy loss are based on limited scientific evidence.
Dr. Genevieve Genest Bio
Dr. Genevieve Genest serves as the Director of the Reproductive Immunology Fellowship program at MUHC where she heads Canada’s first university-based reproductive immunology clinic. Having experienced losses of her own, she cuts out a lot of the confusion around treatments for recurrent pregnancy loss and shares openly about how many of the treatments and procedures touted to prevent recurrent pregnancy loss are based on limited scientific evidence
Dr. Genest received her Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology and Immunology at McGill University, followed by an MD degree at Université de Montréal. She then completed an Internal Medicine Residency at Université Laval before completing an Allergy-Immunology fellowship at McGill University. In 2016, she completed a Reproductive Immunology fellowship at University of Toronto as well as ongoing PhD studies in experimental medicine at McGill University Health Center (MUHC).
References
Progesterone: A Unique Hormone with Immunomodulatory Roles in Pregnancy
Related Episodes
Episode 48: Bleeding during pregnancy- Will I Miscarry? (ft. Dr. Kimberley Garbedian)
Episode 49: How to Prevent Miscarriage? (ft. Dr. Kimberley Garbedian)
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