Raynaud's Disease and Pregnancy Loss
Raynaud's Phenomenon: An Underlying Autoimmune Disorder
An important yet often overlooked connection to
miscarriage involves Raynaud's Phenomenon, an autoimmune disorder. Secondary Raynaud's
is a form of Raynaud's phenomenon that is caused by an underlying
autoimmune disorder such as scleroderma, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis,
Sjogren's syndrome, atherosclerosis, and others. When a Raynaud's
attack occurs, the blood vessels in the hands and feet overreact to cold
temperatures or stress. In most
cases, cold temperatures trigger an attack, such as placing one's hands
under a faucet with running cold water or exposure to cold temperatures.
However, for some people, it isn't necessary to be exposed to the
cold to have an attack; in fact, sometimes emotional stress alone can
trigger an episode.
How Is Raynaud’s Linked To Miscarriage?
Many patients that have Raynaud's are not aware that they have an underlying
autoimmune disease. Any autoimmune disease can lead to miscarriage, because
in most cases, the body fails to turn off the immune attack against the
embryo. As a patient, if you are suffering from Raynaud's, you could
also have an autoimmune disease. You may be experiencing an underlying
symptom of an autoimmune disease that may explain why you are miscarrying.
Most local doctors and infertility specialists never make such connection,
yet having Raynaud's or another undiscovered autoimmune disorder may
be the root cause of why you are unable to have a successful pregnancy.
Other symptoms include joint pain and rashes that are commonly associated
with miscarriage.
Diagnostic Testing and Treatment for Autoimmune Diseases
Autoimmune diseases are more common in women than men. It is believed in
the medical community that the reason for this is because the estrogen
in females influences the immune system and predisposes them to autoimmune
diseases. In many instances, the presence of one autoimmune disease can
increase the chance
for developing another autoimmune disease, which occurs simultaneously. If
you are suffering from Raynaud's disease or any other autoimmune disease,
Dr. Braverman and our team can help you work to
prevent a miscarriage.
Our team can perform a battery of diagnostic tests that may help us to
understand and explain exactly what is causing you to miscarry, as well
as, how we can prevent miscarriages in the future. Once we determine the
cause of the problem, we will develop a treatment plan that we will put
into effect, while we closely monitor your progress.
Our office has been voted as the best infertility practice on Long Island
for three years in a row, and we will treat you with the same dignity
and respect that has helped our previous patients successfully conceive
and give birth to healthy children.
Contact Braverman IVF & Reproductive Immunology to learn more about autoimmune diseases and how it may be affecting your
ability to have a successful pregnancy.