Men’s dodgy sperm to blame for women having multiple miscarriages, study finds
MEN’S dodgy sperm could be to blame for women suffering multiple miscarriages, a study found.
Blokes with a partner who had lost babies had sperm with double the usual amount of DNA damage.
Recurrent miscarriage was previously thought to be caused by health issues with the woman.
But researchers at Imperial College London now believe sperm “dictates the health of a pregnancy”.
They hope the breakthrough will lead to the development of a treatment that reduces the risk.
And it opens the possibility of a new test to identify men with fertility problems.
The boffins analysed sperm from 50 fellas affected by recurrent miscarriage – the loss of three or more consecutive babies before 20 weeks of pregnancy.
They had double the amount of DNA damage as a group of 60 men with no history of baby loss.
They also had four times as much of a molecule in their semen that is known to damage sperm.
It is thought a lingering infection in the prostate, which makes semen, could be to blame.
Study leader Dr Channa Jayasena said: “This research adds to a growing body of evidence that suggests sperm health dictates the health of a pregnancy.
“For instance, previous research suggests sperm has an important role in the formation of the placenta, which is crucial for oxygen and nutrient supply to the foetus.”
He added: “It has taken medicine a long time to realise sperm health has a role to play in miscarriage – and that the cause doesn’t lie solely with women.
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“Now we realise both partners contribute to recurrent miscarriage, we can hopefully get a clearer picture of the problem and start to look for ways of ensuring more pregnancies result in a healthy baby.”
Around one in 50 couples in the UK are affected by recurrent miscarriage.
The findings are published in the journal Clinical Chemistry.
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