There is rarely only one cause for miscarriage. It’s often a combination of dysfunction in the body, hormone levels, and can also be related to the vaginal microbiome or sperm quality. One area that we always want to address when we have a client that is struggling with miscarriage is gut health and immune system function.
We utilize GI map stool testing to learn about the balance of beneficial vs. non beneficial bacteria, see if there are any pathogens present, evaluate a client’s ability to digest their food as well as to see how their immune system is functioning. One of the things we are on the lookout for when miscarriage is a concern is histamines. Elevated levels of histamines can lead to miscarriage and the bacteria and inflammation in our gut can lead to that elevation (along with our immune system). Certain pathogens and types of bacteria can overgrow and cause high levels of histamines. This also drives inflammation in the gut, which again, will increase a little during the initial stages of pregnancy but excessive amounts can make it difficult to maintain a pregnancy.
Histamines aren’t all bad and in fact our histamine levels naturally increase to support implantation and will remain elevated during the first trimester. Histamines also help support Hcg levels. It’s when our bodies are unable to keep up with the elevation and our histamine bucket starts to overflow that there can be issues. We need enough to support conception and implantation but too much can lead to hyperemesis and miscarriage.
The immune system is another aspect of gut health that can impact our ability to maintain a pregnancy. When our immune system is functioning correctly, it’s able to recognize that a pregnancy is a desirable condition. The embryo will naturally suppress mom’s immune system and actually have it protect it from attacks. When the immune system is not functioning properly, this process does not occur and leaves the embryo vulnerable to attacks from the immune system. This is common with recurrent miscarriages. So how can we support our immune systems to support a healthy pregnancy? This is another reason we utilize GI map stool testing in our practice. Not only do imbalances in gut bacteria, infections, and poor digestion lead to inflammation but they also impact how our immune system functions. When we aren’t breaking down food well, don’t have a good balance of bacteria, and have pathogens present, this puts our immune system on high alert. These are all common with or without autoimmune conditions present. The goal is to support a healthy environment and function of the gut to support a healthy immune system.
The other big thing with our gut and immune system and avoiding too much inflammation is that this supports our hormone levels. It’s incredibly difficult to have healthy progesterone levels if we don’t have a healthy gut. We often see women that are so focused on their hormones and fertility but don’t realize that their gut is actually the main driver of their fertility issues.
Gut and immune system health is not our only focus when it comes to miscarriage, but it’s a top priority of areas we are assessing and something we think needs to be on every woman’s radar if she’s struggling to have a healthy pregnancy.
Here are a couple of resources you can look into if you want to start working on your gut health:
reminder: i’m currently accepting people into my Nurture Your Fertility program. you can learn more here about the program and fill out an application!
