The Miscarriage Association has highlighted the publication of the guideline Recurrent Pregnancy Loss, produced by ESHRE (European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology).

It provides up-to-date information about investigations into and treatment for recurrent miscarriage, reviews the research evidence and makes recommendations for clinical practice, with patients’ needs paramount when considering the best way to provide care. An accompanying patient leaflet provides a helpful summary of the guideline and its recommendations.

The Miscarriage Association reports that the recommendations are different from current guidance in the UK and they don’t yet know what this means for NHS practice.

Currently, women in the UK generally have to have three consecutive miscarriages for investigations to begin to help find any answers.

The ESHRE guideline suggests that doctors consider a diagnosis of recurrent pregnancy loss after two or more miscarriages, and not necessarily consecutive. It recommends that Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome (APS) – which looks at blood-clotting problems – is performed after two losses. It does, however, leave it up to individual doctors, medical teams, hospitals or health services to decide how they define recurrent miscarriage and at what point they investigate and treat this. So, it remains to be seen whether this will change UK practice at the moment but the guideline may impact on the guidelines published by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG).

The Miscarriage Association hopes to have the opportunity to share their views during that process, as well as with key decision-makers and professional organisations.

You can read more and download the patient leaflet on the Miscarriage Association’s website here.