![]() If the test detects high levels of AFP, then the bleeding is from a fetal loss. “The lack or presence of AFP will tell you if bleeding is coming from the mother or the baby,” Dr. Levels of AFP are high within fetal blood and amniotic fluid. It’s called alpha-fetoprotein ,” he says. “There is a protein made by the fetus that the mother doesn’t make. Taylor explains, noting that it relies on a different pregnancy-related hormone, not hCG. “This is a new test that will give you a same-day answer,” Dr. The technology pinpoints the source of a particular pregnant woman’s bleeding. Yale offered the test last summer as a self-pay, lab-developed test, and it is still in the research phase. Taylor is working on a new kind of hormonal test with colleagues at GENESIS Fertility and Reproductive Medicine in New York. If the tissue hasn’t passed, waiting to see growth of the fetus using ultrasound or for a rise in hCG levels is not an expedient way to know if your baby is safe or not.” A faster way to detect early losses on the wayĭr. But in miscarriages that occur earlier, blood tests and time are the only diagnostic tools currently available. After seven weeks, ultrasound can be used to determine if there’s still a heartbeat. This is when 80% of miscarriages occur, according to the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology (ACOG), a professional association of physicians specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. ![]() What’s called early miscarriages are those that happen before 20 weeks. Hugh Taylor, MD, Yale Medicine’s chief of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences It’s almost harder being pregnant for a little while than never to be pregnant at all. It can require repeat trips to the Ob/Gyn’s office for blood work, sitting in a waiting room with women whose pregnancies might not be hanging in the balance, and then receiving a phone call with results, which are often not clear, potentially leading to more blood work and waiting. Waiting days or weeks to know for sure if a pregnancy has ended can be an agonizing experience. Conversely, hCG values rise more slowly, stall, or plummet when a woman is miscarrying. “If the placenta is growing well, hCG rises,” Dr. That’s because during the first trimester of a healthy pregnancy, hCG levels will multiply very quickly, into the thousands, and will continue to climb steadily from there. Women who may be miscarrying are tested for hCG levels twice within 48 hours, but the results aren’t always clear-in which case, still more blood work is needed over the following week or weeks. Bleeding can also occur when the uterus or cervix stretches, which is common during pregnancy.Ĭurrently, to determine if a miscarriage is happening, blood tests to measure for a hormone produced by the placenta, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), are needed. Implantation bleeding, or light spotting, can occur in the early months. But, bleeding during pregnancy can also be normal. Taylor, acknowledging that bleeding and cramping can be signs of a loss. ![]() “A lot of people come in with bleeding and are justifiably nervous,” says Dr. At the same time, Yale Medicine geneticists are conducting a large research study, using whole genome sequencing, to understand the reasons why multiple miscarriages happen.ĭetecting miscarriage is not always straightforward With technology soon to be available in labs (during the next phase of a research trial), women may soon be able to know-the same day-if a miscarriage is happening. Taylor is working to bring clarity to the diagnosis of miscarriage with a new test he helped develop. It is almost better to know-one way or the other-than to be on the precipice of not knowing for days or weeks.” “It can be really troubling during the time when the diagnosis is underway. “Often testing for miscarriage can take days or weeks,” explains Hugh Taylor, MD, Yale Medicine’s chief of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences. If you've never experienced a miscarriage, you may not realize how much uncertainty there is surrounding pregnancy loss-not only why a pregnancy ends this way, but also if a miscarriage has even occurred.
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