4 More Ways to Prevent Miscarriage

Here are more tips for preventing a miscarriage.

Clean Up Your Insides

Consider a physician-supervised cleansing diet or other procedures designed to remove any accumulated toxic material from your body. Naturopathic physicians specialize in safe, effective detoxification protocols.

Free PCOS Newsletter

You've probably been exposed to all sorts of petrochemicals, heavy metals and other contaminants over your lifetime. Bear in mind that some of these substances can reside in your body for a long time, and some of them act as hormone mimics or disrupters. Most of the chemicals you've been exposed to have not been evaluated for their effect on fertility and pregnancy. Some of them may influence your risk of miscarriage.

Other accumulated but undesirable materials may include pathogenic microorganisms, inflammatory food particles, or various byproducts of normal metabolism.

To further explore the issue of removing toxic substances from your body, consult with a licensed naturopathic or other qualified physician.

Consider Herbal Medicines

Herbal medicines have been used for centuries to aid reproduction. For example, black haw root and false unicorn root may help to reduce miscarriage risk. However, don't self-prescribe herbal medicines. You will get better results if you consult with a licensed naturopathic physician or other certified health practitioner who is trained in herbal medicine.

Work with a Qualified Physician

Your primary goal is to balance your hormones, so that you'll be more likely to have a successful pregnancy. You will need a doctor to help you with this endeavor.

Find a doctor who:

Understands all of the options available for bringing you into a state of hormonal balance, including natural therapies.
Is willing to do an in-depth assessment of your health and hormonal status.
Will spend the time needed to answer your questions and educate you regarding what you need to do.

Ask Your Doctor about Appropriate Medications.

For example, if you've been taking metformin (Glucophage) and trying to conceive, possibly you've wondered whether you should discontinue it if you become pregnant. In fact, some doctors may recommend that you stop taking it if a pregnancy occurs.

Whether you continue to take metformin during your pregnancy is a judgment call for you and your doctor.

However, a recent study from Cairo University in Egypt suggests that metformin may actually be beneficial by reducing the risk of miscarriage. The study included two groups of women with PCOS.

The first group stopped metformin as soon as they discovered they were pregnant. The second group continued with metformin throughout the pregnancy.

The rate of early pregnancy loss in the group that continued with metformin was 11.6% compared with a 36.3% loss in the non-metformin group.

A probable reason why metformin is beneficial is that it improves the performance of insulin in your body by reducing "insulin resistance".

On the other hand, metformin has a number of significant side effects.

If you find metformin's side effects to be intolerable, don't worry. You can reduce insulin resistance and thus reduce miscarriage risk by eating a very healthy diet, getting plenty of exercise, and managing stress.

Source: Khattab S et al, Metformin reduces abortion in pregnant women with polycystic ovary syndrome, Gynecol Endocrinol. 2006 Dec;22(12):680-4.