Not Sure Why This is Neccessary

[35andHopeful]

I am 36 (in November) and I am currently recovering from my 2nd D&C.  The first was at 11wks and this one was at 8 wks.  My husband and I waited 4 months before trying again after the lst miscarriage.  The Dr. is now recommending that we go through genetic counseling, but I'm not sure why this is neccessary and how it will improve my chances of having a successful full term pregnancy.  We don't drink,smoke, do drugs, and we do not have any family history of defects, except that my mother had me at 35yrs and I was born with a cleft palate (which was fixed).  The 1st miscarrage was due to Triplogy and the results are not back from my recent miscarriage.  Can you help me understand how this will allow me to carry the next baby to term?  Are there any steps that I can take, out side of proper diet, exercise, and prenatal vitamins to increase my chances?  I did all of these things before my last miscarriage and it didn't work.  I'm healthy, and I'm 145 pounds at 5'6.  Any help or direction that you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for offering your services to sites like this.

[nutopia]

I am sorry for your loss ... I had a miscarriage at 12 weeks too and had a D&C .. we are still waiting for the chromosomal testing results ... I have read a lot in the last four weeks .. however triplogy is a new term to me .. i searched on webmd and came up with nothing .. can you elaborate on it .. so I'm a little better prepared to ask questions when we meet the doctor next week ?

[35andHopeful]

Thank you for your response.  I will discuss your recommendations further with by OB.

[Lisa Kessler, MS, CGC]

I am very sorry to hear about your miscarriages.  Miscarriage can be difficult both emotionally and physically, and I hope the following information is helpful to you.  At a genetic counseling appointment, the genetic counselor will ask questions about your family health history and will construct and interpret your family tree.  Genetic counselors will also discuss the findings of the tests from your first miscarriage and from this loss, too.  

The most common genetic tests and considerations for repeat pregnancy loss as described by several genetic and obstetric professional organizations are below. You may want to discuss this with your healthcare provider to verify that the following list was considered for your circumstances, and discuss if there are any other non-genetic tests that make sense for your specific situation.   Depending on the causes of the miscarriages, there may be treatment that could help in subsequent pregnancies.  

• Parental chromosome analysis
• Analysis of family history and ethnic background for clues related to repeat pregnancy loss
• Testing for inherited thrombophilia (blood clotting disorders) such as Factor V Leiden, Factor II prothrombin, and others.