Miscarriage

Whether you've experienced one loss or several, miscarriage deserves proper investigation, not just reassurance to try again. Standard NHS testing only begins after three losses, which leaves a lot of people without answers after a single miscarriage, even though many of the same underlying factors, thyroid antibodies, nutrient status, blood sugar regulation, vaginal and uterine microbiome health, sperm DNA fragmentation, can be investigated regardless of how many losses you've had.

As a fertility nutritionist working with a functional medicine approach, I test more widely than standard care, looking at full luteal phase progesterone patterns, thyroid autoimmunity, inflammation, the vaginal microbiome, and sperm DNA fragmentation, since damaged sperm DNA is linked in research to higher miscarriage risk even when a standard semen analysis looks entirely normal.

Egg and sperm DNA quality, and the chromosomal normality of an embryo, are influenced by oxidative stress and mitochondrial health during the maturation process, both eggs and sperm develop over a roughly 90-day window before conception, and that window responds to nutrition, lifestyle and targeted supplementation. Supporting this properly, through antioxidant intake, reducing avoidable toxin and alcohol exposure, and correcting nutrient gaps, is a genuine, evidence-based part of preparing for a future pregnancy after loss, alongside investigating what may have contributed to a previous one.