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Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
Repeated pregnancy loss deserves a thorough, root-cause search. Alongside your obstetric team, we look at progesterone, thyroid, immune, metabolic, toxic, and paternal factors.
What you may be noticing
You have experienced more than one pregnancy loss, and the grief comes with questions. Was it something you did? Will it happen again? You may have been told it was bad luck, yet you want to understand what could be supported before trying again.
Heavy bleeding that soaks through pads, severe one-sided abdominal pain, dizziness or fainting, fever, or foul discharge during or after a pregnancy loss needs emergency care. Your obstetrician or reproductive endocrinologist leads the medical evaluation of recurrent loss.
Why it is rarely one thing
A single loss is most often caused by chromosomal differences in the embryo. When losses repeat, a careful search is warranted, because addressable factors are sometimes present. Bleeding in early pregnancy is a symptom that deserves a root-cause understanding, not only reassurance.
Recognized contributors include antiphospholipid syndrome, uterine structural differences, thyroid disease and thyroid autoimmunity, insulin resistance and PCOS, and chromosomal factors in either parent. Early pregnancy also depends on a delicate handoff: the corpus luteum produces progesterone until the placenta takes over, and insufficient progesterone in that window is one factor worth measuring. Other areas under study include chronic endometrial inflammation, vitamin D, homocysteine, and sperm DNA fragmentation.
In my framework fertility reflects the health of the whole network: brain, gut, immune, hormone, mitochondrial, and environmental systems. The body does not prioritize reproduction when it perceives danger, so nervous system safety and a lighter toxic burden belong in the plan. Never your fault, but a terrain worth understanding.
Patterns we look for
- Serial quantitative hCG and serum progesterone in early pregnancy.
- Luteal phase length and ovulation quality.
- Thyroid function and thyroid antibodies.
- Antiphospholipid antibodies, through your physician.
- Insulin resistance, PCOS, and DHEA-S.
- Vitamin D, folate, B12, ferritin, and homocysteine.
- Inflammation and immune balance.
- Male factor, including sperm DNA fragmentation.
- Toxic burden, stress load, and nervous system state.
How I evaluate it
The comprehensive functional neurological exam assesses stress physiology and autonomic balance and guides nervous system support during a tender time.
In early pregnancy I prefer quantitative serum hCG drawn about two days apart for trend, with serum progesterone at the same draw, because urine tests and single values cannot show trajectory. Preconception, functional labs may include a full thyroid panel with antibodies, fasting insulin, HbA1c, DHEA-S, estradiol, mid-luteal progesterone, vitamin D, folate, B12, homocysteine, ferritin, and inflammatory markers. I coordinate with your obstetric and reproductive team for antiphospholipid testing, genetic evaluation, uterine imaging, and any medical treatment.
How we address it
- Coordinate closely with your obstetric and reproductive specialists.
- When low progesterone is confirmed by testing, discuss progesterone support with your provider early, since the form used changes how blood levels should be read.
- Bring thyroid and insulin sensitivity into a healthy range before conception, with your physician.
- Replenish folate, B12, vitamin D, iron, and other key nutrients.
- Lower incoming toxic exposures and open drainage gently, avoiding aggressive detox before conception.
- Prepare the male partner as well.
- Care for grief and the nervous system with compassion, rest, and support.
Grief after pregnancy loss is real and deserves space. Counseling and support communities help, and emotional recovery is part of the plan, not separate from it.
Many people who experience recurrent loss go on to have healthy pregnancies, particularly when addressable factors are identified. Using the time before the next attempt to complete testing and build your foundations often makes the next pregnancy feel calmer and more supported.
You deserve a thorough look, a gentle plan, and hope.
Book your Comprehensive Functional Medicine Eval/Neurological Exam today to discover what the contributing root causes are that are underlying your health concerns.