Recurrent Miscarriage Linked to Faulty Sperm

Multiple miscarriages may be linked to the poor quality of a man’s sperm, according to research from Imperial College London, published in the journal Clinical Chemistry. Sperm quality was assessed from 50 men whose partners had suffered three or more consecutive miscarriages. Sperm of men from this group had higher levels of DNA damage, compared to those of men whose partners had not experienced miscarriages. "Traditionally doctors have focused attention on women when looking for the causes of recurrent miscarriage." - Dr. Channa Jayasena, study author. The study team hopes these findings may open new avenues for finding treatments to reduce the risk of miscarriage.
Recurrent miscarriage affects around one in 50 couples in the UK and is defined as the consecutive loss of three or more pregnancies before 20 weeks gestation. Until recently recurrent miscarriage was thought to be caused by health issues with the mother, such as infection or immune problems. However, doctors are now realizing sperm health may also play a role, explained Dr. Channa Jayasena, lead author of the research from Imperial’s Department of Medicine: “Traditionally doctors have focused attention on women when looking for the causes of recurrent miscarriage. The men’s health - and the health of their sperm wasn’t analyzed.