Pregnancy and Autism

Several scientific studies have failed to connect events during pregnancy and autism. The only factors we know to be associated with secondary autism are Rubella or viruses like it during pregnancy. If a couple already has a child with autism, the possibility of having another one is approximately 8 percent. This chance is higher if the child with autism is a girl. A pregnant woman should use normal caution and follow her OB’s orders with regard to diet, exercise, prenatal vitamins and activity level. Autism results most likely from a misprogramming of the brain. A pregnant woman cannot cause autism in her child by exercising too much, or eating the wrong foods. Currently, doctors recommend eating tuna and other fish in moderate amounts because of high mercury content. While this is true, and you should follow your doctor’s dietary guidelines, the notion that mercury toxicity is responsible specifically for autism has no scientific support. Of course common sense dictates that from the moment a woman is aware that she is pregnant, she should consult with her physician about taking any medication including over the counter medications.

There is hype out there about an epidemic of autism. That is frightening to pregnant women. Let me assure you that we are diagnosing better and earlier and that we are diagnosing cases that are so mild, they escaped medical attention before. There is no true epidemic, we are just more familiar with it, so relax and enjoy your pregnancy. The chances of getting in a car accident are much higher than that of having a child with autism if there is no history of autism in your family.

Finally, you must be hearing a lot about vaccines and autism. You probably have been warned about vaccinating that yet to be born baby. You must protect your new upcoming baby. There is no evidence that vaccines cause autism. Trimersol (the accused culprit) has been removed from the vaccines. Please discuss this with your pediatrician. Failure to vaccinate your new born baby may end up in disaster. Some of the diseases we vaccinate against can cause brain damage in an unprotected infant. I urge you to talk to your doctor about your concerns and not form an opinion based on internet information.

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PCOS and Pregnancy

If you have PCOS and you're pregnant - congratulations! It's likely that you've had to make Lifestyle changes and even undergo medical or fertility treatment to conceive, and you should be proud of your efforts and success. Now that the stress of achieving conception is behind you, you may already be concerned about the next stage, the pregnancy itself. Even PCOS sufferers who get pregnant relatively easily, or by accident, should know that a PCOS pregnancydoes not always progress without complications. There are several factors which should be monitored by your doctor and/or gynecologist.

Is A Successful Pregnancy Possible?

The answer is yes. Your chances of carrying a baby to full term depend on the severity of your PCOS, your own state of health and the treatment you receive during pregnancy, but it is very possible for a woman with PCOS to have a successful pregnancy and many have done so.

So What Are The Risks?

Medical experts say women with PCOS are at an increased risk of developing gestational diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), preeclampsia and blood clotting disorders during pregnancy. Pregnant PCOS sufferers are also more likely to experience miscarriage,pre-term birth or have over-size babies. Studies have placed the miscarriage rate among pregnant women with PCOS at between 45 and 50 %, compared to 15 to 25 % among the normal female population. While this figure may seem scary and intimidating, it's important to remember that steps can be taken to prevent and treat these disorders.

What Can I Do?

The first thing you must do, if you haven't done it already, is inform your doctor or whoever normally treats your PCOS that you're pregnant. If you have been getting treatment for PCOS or to help you conceive, you need to be aware that some medications for PCOS are not suitable for use during pregnancy. You must discuss this with your doctor. Certain fertility drugs used by women with PCOS also increase the chance of multiple pregnancies. One clear advantage, if you've been having treatment, is that you are probably already doing a lot of the things that will help you to complete a healthy pregnancy. These include, weight loss (through good diet and exercise ), reducing your stress levels and medical care to protect you and your baby.

Preconception Tips

Weight Loss

If you are overweight (and a lot of women with PCOS are), shedding some pounds will help reduce the risk of high blood pressure, miscarriage, and the chances of having a very large baby. It will also help to rectify the hormonal imbalances that hinder normal embryo implantation and development in PCOS women. In particular, weight loss reduces the amount of insulin (the hormone which regulates blood sugar) that your body needs to function. High levels of insulin in PCOS sufferers are linked to gestational diabetes. This disorder can cause the baby to grow too big, which in turn can bring on pre-term birth and necessitate a C-section. Having too much insulin can also cause blood clots in the placenta. This deprives the baby of vital nutrients and can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth. Remember that you must consult a medical professional familiar with your condition before beginning any new exercise or eating regime during your pregnancy. This is especially important if you are very overweight.

Medical Care

Most treatment for PCOS is aimed at stabilizing your hormones to increase your chances of achieving and maintaining pregnancy. Your doctor should also monitor your blood pressure at regular intervals and look for early-warning signs of diabetes and (later in the pregnancy) pre-eclampisa. Certain drugs may also be used to preventblood clotting.

Think Positive

Being anxious about a PCOS pregnancy is very understandable, but by staying calm you could be increasing the chances of a successful outcome for you and your baby. Remember that high stress levels are associated with hypertension. Do what you can to be well-informed, communicate with your doctor frequently and follow his or her instructions. Apart from that, the most important thing you can do is try not to worry. Some gentle and relaxing activity to get you out and about, like swimming or yoga, could be what you need to take your mind off things.

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PCOS and Menstrual Cycle

The ovaries are two small organs, one on each side of a woman's uterus. A woman's ovaries have follicles, which are tiny sacs filled with liquid that hold the eggs. These sacs also are called cysts. Each month about 20 eggs start to mature, but usually only one matures fully. As this one egg grows, the follicle accumulates fluid in it. When that egg matures, the follicle breaks open to release it. The egg then travels through the fallopian tube for fertilization. When the single egg leaves the follicle, ovulation takes place.

In women with PCOS, the ovary doesn't make all of the hormones it needs for any of the eggs to fully mature. Follicles may start to grow and build up fluid. But no one follicle becomes large enough. Instead, some follicles may remain as cysts. Since no follicle becomes large enough and no egg matures or is released, ovulation does not occur and the hormone progesterone is not made. Without progesterone, a woman's menstrual cycle is irregular or absent. Plus, the cysts make male hormones, which also prevent ovulation.

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PCOS FAQS


What are the symptoms of PCOS?

Not all women with PCOS share the same symptoms. These are some of the symptoms of PCOS:

  • infrequent menstrual periods, no menstrual periods, and/or irregular bleeding
  • infertility (not able to get pregnant) because of not ovulating
  • increased hair growth on the face, chest, stomach, back, thumbs, or toes—a condition called hirsutism (HER-suh-tiz-um)
  • ovarian cysts
  • acne, oily skin, or dandruff
  • weight gain or obesity, usually carrying extra weight around the waist
  • insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes
  • high cholesterol
  • high blood pressure
  • male-pattern baldness or thinning hair
  • patches of thickened and dark brown or black skin on the neck, arms, breasts, or thighs
  • skin tags, or tiny excess flaps of skin in the armpits or neck area
  • pelvic pain
  • anxiety or depression due to appearance and/or infertility
  • sleep apnea—excessive snoring and times when breathing stops while asleep

What is Polycystic Ovaray Syndrome? (PCOS)

Polycystic ovary syndrome is caused by a hormone imbalance. Women with PCOS have ovaries that are enlarged and filled with cysts. In addition, they may have very irregular periods and excess body hair growth.

Am I Pregnant?

It is thought that excess of the hormone testosterone causes polycystic ovary syndrome. Although testosterone is the male hormone, women also produce small amounts of testosterone from the ovaries and adrenal glands. Too much testosterone will prevent ovulation, leading to infrequent periods or no periods at all.

Gynecologist can tell you whether you have PCOS. If you do, he or she will recommend birth control pills to regulate your cycles. When you want to get pregnant. You may need fertility medication such as Clomefene citrate to stimulate ovulation.

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Already I had a Miscarriage. Will I have one again?

You are not more likely to have a miscarriage if you have had one in the past. In fact, your risk of miscarriage is exactly the same as if you had never had a miscarriage.

Miscarriages are extremely common, occuring in approximately 1 in every 5 pregnancies. That means that most women will have at least one miscarriage in their reproductive lives. The miscarriages are caused by one time, non-repeating genetic problems. These genetic problems are not inherited; they are caused by genetic defects that happened during the creation of the egg or the sperm, or a genetic problem that occurred at the time of fertilization. Therefore, they are restricted only to that pregnancy and have no impact on future pregnancies.

Of course, since the normal miscarriage rate is so high, some women will have two miscarriage, but the odds are small, approximately 1 in 25 or 4%.

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Types of Miscarriage

Missed miscarriage
Missed miscarriage (also called 'missed abortion') is usually early in the pregnancy and you may have no warning symptoms and discover through a routine scan that your baby has no heartbeat, the result of a non-viable foetus. If there is an empty foetal sac (called a 'blighted ovum') the egg was fertilized and attached itself to the uterine wall but unfortunately, even though it might have kept growing for a few weeks, no embryo ever developed.

Threatening miscarriage
Threatening miscarriage may be experienced for days or even weeks before you lose the baby. At this stage you could experience any of the following:
  • Light bleeding.
  • Pain similar to period pain.
  • Cramps
  • The nausea and tender breasts associated with pregnancy may disappear.
  • A sense of no longer 'feeling' pregnant.
About 40% of bleeding episodes occur during early pregnancy, usually at 5 to 7 weeks, and is spotting (normally dark blood) at about the time your period would have been due. Sometimes a small amount of blood is lost when the placenta matures at about 7 weeks and takes over the progesterone production. This can be frightening but is quite common and in most cases your pregnancy will continue as normal without harming the baby at all. These situations only lead to a miscarriage in 20% of cases.

Sometimes, if the corpus luteum is not functioning properly and is therefore not making adequate amounts of progesterone, you will miscarry.


Inevitable miscarriage
This is when the cervix opens and the placenta breaks free from the uterine wall. The most common signs are:
  • Pain is like bad period pain or birth contractions.
  • Bleeding is heavy.
  • Faintness and nausea.
  • Passing pieces of placenta which look like blood clots or liver.
  • You may see the foetus.
  • If your miscarriage is due to an incompetent cervix, (from 16 weeks on) everything will happen very quickly and your baby may be born alive.

Incomplete miscarriage
When some placenta remains inside the uterus you will need to be
hospitalised for a few hours or overnight to have a dilation and curettage (D&C) operation. For this you will be given a general anaesthetic, your cervix opened and uterus emptied. Incomplete miscarriage occurs most commonly between 6 and 12 weeks of pregnancy.


Complete miscarriage
Once the uterus is empty the cervix closes, the pain stops and the bleeding slows down and should stop by seven days.

If you continue to bleed after that time, have a temperature, pain or there is an odour, check with your medical professional. You may have an infection and if not treated it can have an effect on future pregnancies.

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Symptoms of Pregnancy



If you're extremely tuned in to your body's rhythms, you may begin to suspect you're pregnant soon after conception. But most women won't experience any early pregnancy symptoms until the fertilised egg attaches itself to the uterine wall, several days after conception. Others may notice no signs of pregnancy for weeks and begin to wonder "Am I pregnant?" only when they miss a period. Below is a list of some of the first signs of impending motherhood. You may experience all, some, or none of these symptoms of pregnancy:

1. Food cravings. Yes, it's a cliché, but food cravings sometimes can be a sign of pregnancy. Don't rely on them as a sure symptom (it may be all in your head, or even a sign that your body is low on a particular nutrient), but if cravings are accompanied by some of the other symptoms on this list, start counting the days from your last period.

2. Darkening of your areolas. If the skin around your nipples gets darker, you may have successfully conceived, though this may also signal a hormonal imbalance unrelated to pregnancy or be a leftover effect from a previous pregnancy.

3. Implantation bleeding or cramping. About eight days after ovulation, you may experience implantation spotting, a slight staining of a pink or brown colour, as well as some cramping. This is caused by the egg burrowing into the endometrial lining. You might also see some spotting around the time you expect your period.

4. Frequent urination. Once the embryo implants and begins producing the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), you may find yourself going to the bathroom more often.

5. Fatigue. Feeling tired? No, make that exhausted. High levels of the hormone progesterone can make you feel as if you've run a marathon when all you've done is put in a day at the office. Fatigue is a hallmark of early pregnancy, though probably not a surefire symptom on its own.

6. Tender, swollen breasts. If you're pregnant, your breasts will probably become increasingly tender to the touch, similar to the way they feel before your period, only more so. Once your body grows accustomed to the hormone surge, the pain will subside.

7. Altered sense of taste. You may notice that your sense of taste changes. Some women say they have a metallic taste in their mouth, others that they cannot stand the taste of coffee, tea, or a food they usually like.

8. Morning sickness. If you're lucky, morning sickness won't hit you until a few weeks after conception. (A lucky few escape it altogether.) But as early as a couple of days following conception, you may begin feeling nauseated and queasy. And not just in the morning, either -- pregnancy-related nausea can be a problem morning, noon, or night.

9. A missed period. If you're usually pretty regular and your period is late, it's worth trying a pregnancy test. A missed period is the surest sign of pregnancy in a woman of childbearing age who usually has regular periods.

And finally...

10. A positive home pregnancy test. If you've waited to test until at least the first day of a missed period and a blue line appears in the test window, you're most likely to be in the family way. Make an appointment with your doctor to confirm the good news. Congratulations!

Causes and Noncauses of Miscarriages

Miscarriage can be caused by one or more of the following reasons:
  • Many miscarriages are due to chromosomal problems or genetic abnormalities (50%)and are by chance. Something goes wrong during or soon after conception and the part of the pregnancy that grows into the baby fails to develop. This is known as 'afoetal pregnancy' or 'blighted ovum'.
  • Something may be wrong with the placenta.
  • The fertilised egg may implant in the wrong place.
  • Endometriosis, this can double the chances of miscarriage.
  • Hypothyroidism, this has now been connected to late miscarriage but if known about or tested for it can be dealt with.
  • Diabetes. The anti-diabetes drug 'Metformin' appears to reduce the likelihood of early miscarriage.
  • 'Anti phospholipid syndrome' is an antibody that causes blood clots to form in the placenta, which causes repeat miscarriages. Treatment with Aspirin, Clexane or Heparin works in many cases. Subsequent pregnancies also require treatment.
  • 'NK' Cells. These are responsible for protecting us from invasion by bacteria, viruses and foreign bodies, and rejecting organ transplants. The foetus contains foreign genetic material coming from the father, but in normal circumstances it does not get rejected. However, in some women these NK cells may reject the foetus and cause a miscarriage either by being high in numbers or by abnormal hostile activity. This problem, as most autoimmune disorders, can switch on and off, therefore some of the women may have one or more normal pregnancy outcomes as well as recurrent miscarriages. Women with CD16/56 NK cells in excess of 12% or 0.2 absolute number are at risk of miscarrying. Seehttp://www.miscarriageclinic.co.uk/causes2.html
  • The mother's immune system or hormone levels may effect the pregnancy. She may be sick, badly injured, under too much stress, have a deformed uterus, a weak cervix or still have an intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) inside the uterus, or an infection.
  • Environmental pollution may be a cause.
  • The consumption of alcohol, cigarettes and recreational drugs is linked to higher rates of miscarriage.
  • A hard blow to the stomach.
  • Given that women are born with their life supply of eggs, maturing at puberty, by 35 these eggs have become older and less viable.
  • Under-nourishment at conception.
  • Caffeine; The British Medical Journal linked caffeine to an increase of restricted foetal growth and the British Food Standards Agency added the risk of miscarriage.
    They rank caffeine with alcohol in its potential to harm unborn children. Pregnant women are being advised to cut their coffee intake to 2 mugs per day and are warned against ‘energy’ and ‘smart drinks’ (including soft drinks - American FDA) saying that these contained other ingredients beside caffeine which are not recommended for pregnant women. It also warns to be ‘cautious’ about herbal teas.
  • Small fibroids may increase miscarriage risk;
    According to early findings from a pilot study done by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, America, it appears the presence of fibroids is uniformly associated with and may increase miscarriage. (Fibroids are benign muscle tumours of the uterus.) It's estimated they affect more than one in five women of reproductive age, and early results indicate that women with small fibroids (more so than larger sfibroids) have a 55% increased risk of pregnancy loss.
  • 'Slapped Cheek Disease' - parvovirus B19 infection (also known as Fifth Disease). This infection, though normally mild and self limiting amongst children, can cause a more serious illness among non-immune adults and may lead to miscarriage.
You can be certain your miscarriage was NOT caused by bending, stretching, carrying heavy weights, digging the garden, exercising or having sex, otherwise there would be many more.

Unfortunately most women never find out the cause of their miscarriage. There is nothing that can be done to save a non-viable pregnancy.

Miscarriage FAQs


What is Miscarriage?

Miscarriages are extremely common. Approximately 1 in 5 pregnancies will end in miscarriage. Many women wonder if there is anything they can do to prevent a miscarriage. For the vast majority of miscarriages, there is nothing you can do to prevent it from happening.

Most miscarriages are caused by one time, non-repeating genetic defects in the embryo. The egg might be abnormal, the sperm might be abnormal or the combination might be abnormal. This does not mean that either you or your partner has a genetic defect. Every woman has some abnormal eggs and every man produces some abnormal sperm.

An embryo that has one of these one time, non-repeating genetic defects is destined to miscarry from the moment of conception. That’s why there is nothing that you can do to prevent the miscarriage. At some point, the embryo will stop growing and developing and be expelled by your body.

If you’ve had a miscarriage, you don’t have to wonder if you did anything to cause it. Nothing you can do can cause a miscarriage. It is true that doctors sometimes recommend bed rest for women who have bleeding in early pregnancy. However, all medical studies show that bed test cannot prevent a miscarriage.

There is a small group of miscarriages that can be prevented. These miscarriages are causes by a progesterone deficiency (luteal phase defect). Progesterone is needed to support the growth of a pregnancy. In the early weeks of pregnancy, the mother’s body produces the progesterone. By about 8-9 weeks of pregnancy, the placenta usually takes over the production of progesterone. Women who don’t produce enough progesterone in the early weeks of pregnancy may have repeated miscarriages. These miscarriages can be prevented by progesterone supplements.

Only a small percentage of women have a progesterone deficiency. The most common symptom of progesterone deficiency is a menstrual cycle that is less than 26-27 days long. A progesterone deficiency can be diagnosed by tests done before you get pregnant. Women who do not have a progesterone deficiency will not benefit from progesterone supplements.

Measuring progesterone levels at the beginning of pregnancy may show dropping levels of progesterone before a miscarriage. However, it seems more likely that levels drop because the pregnancy is no longer growing, not because the dropping levels cause the miscarriage. Therefore, taking progesterone supplements will not prevent the miscarriage.

The bottom line is that in the vast majority of miscarriages, you could not have caused the miscarriage, and you could not have prevented it.

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