A Man's Role in Recurrent Miscarriage

How Sperm Quality Can Cause Pregnancy Loss

Scientists in Columbia have discovered that men have a role to play in recurrent miscarriage. It was previously thought to be solely a woman's problem with possible causes being female related, such as a lack of necessary hormones, cervical weakness or difficulty in implantation. Now researchers of infertility have found through various studies, that a cause of miscarriage can be due to poor sperm quality.

The University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia study

23 couples were enrolled, who had had a history of three or more miscarriages, and an additional 11 men who had recently become fathers, to act as the control.

Semen samples were taken from all the men and checked for the following:

• Lipid peroxidation - this is oxidation, where free radicals 'steal' electrons from the lipids in cell membranes and this causes cell damage in the sperm.
• Antioxidant capacity - this refers to how much antioxident activity there is against free radicals.
• Sperm fragmentation.

The 11 men with a history of recent fertility had a higher percentage of sperm with good morphology (shape), motility (ability to swim), concentration (higher counts) and antioxident capacity than the 23 men whose partners had a history of recurrent miscarriage.

They concluded that the male factor of miscarriage should be taken into consideration and that sperm quality, or lack of it, was associated with miscarriage.

Why Would Poor Sperm Cause Miscarriage?

It is thought that sperm of poor quality make weak embryos. Damaged DNA can also cause genetic disabilities or birth defects in the baby. If the formation of the embryo is too weak, then miscarriage will occur.

An earlier study in India also found the same results. Researchers from the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare looked at the cases of 35 women who had had recurrent miscarriage but had also been found to be reproductively normal in fertility tests. After these women were found to have no identifable infertility condition, they turned their attention to the husbands.

Although the majority of the men had normal sperm counts and motile sperm, 80% of the samples contained structurally defective sperm which would make a genetically weak embryo.

Environmental pollution is being blamed for the rise in men with defective sperm.

Dr. Misro, lead scientist at the Bio Medicine department of the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, said

"The revelation is startling and will help millions of women who are socially ridiculed. This study proves that men should not blame women for recurrent miscarriage. They are equally responsible."

Indian women are sometimes stigmatized for having had a miscarriage because in India, women hold a much more celebrated status in motherhood. All the supporting research on the male contribution to pregnancy loss will be very helpful to women in these communities, as well as helping western women not to feel guilt about the loss of their baby.

Sources: Fertility and Sterility, ity DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2009.05.028

National Institute of Health and Family Welfare.