A study has found that the babies involved in miscarriage had always failed to grow properly in the first few weeks of life.The research, on 292 women, revealed that the crown rump length (CRL) of the foetus was “significantly smaller” in pregnancies that subsequently ended in miscarriage.Dr Faizah Mukri, from the early pregnancy unit at St George’s Hospital in London, led the study, published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.Some 70 per cent of babies that were delivered normally at the end of pregnancy had a smaller than expected CRL in the first few weeks, she said.But all the babies involved in miscarriage had a smaller CRL, and 61 per cent of those had a far smaller CRL than expected, she added.Other research has suggested that the slow growth of the foetus could be the result of chromosomal abnormalities, which can be detected by a slow foetal heart rate during ultrasound scans. It could also relate to the possibility of the placenta not working properly, which restricts the normal growth of the foetus, thereby leading to the miscarriage.The latest study involved women who knew the exact date of their last period receiving an ultrasound scan between five and 10 weeks of gestation.The average age of the foetus at the ultrasound scan was seven weeks and the women were followed up several weeks later.Overall, 251 women had viable babies by the second scan. But 41 women had suffered a miscarriage.The authors wrote: “CRL was significantly smaller in pregnancies that subsequently ended in miscarriage. This suggests that early first trimester growth restriction is associated with subsequent intrauterine death.” Dr Mukri said the greater the difference between the observed and expected CRL at the time of the scan, the greater the risk of subsequent pregnancy failure before 12 weeks.Dr Mukri suggested that improved NHS scanning, although it would not affect the ultimate outcome of the pregnancy, could allow women to be offered counselling to reduce the psychological impact of a failed pregnancy.Professor Philip Steer, the journal’s editorinchief, said: “Miscarriage is heartaching for many women, especially firsttime mothers. However, it is more common than most people think and it is the body’s natural way to reject a foetus that is not growing normally.”
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