MTHFR Disorder and Miscarriage: Understanding the Connection

Question
I am 21 and have had 2 miscarriages...#1 was lost at 10 weeks and #2 recently at 5 weeks...On both pregnancies I had very intense period like cramping ( I usually get real bad period cramps, but that changed with #1 preganacy) and everything else felt pretty normal but when I lost #2 my doc. order some blood test and came back positive for the MTHFR disorder...does the cramping have anything to do with that??

Answer
Dear Melanie,

MTHFR can have a direct correlation to pregnancy loss. One of the effects of increased homocysteine build up may be more lost pregnancies. Some research suggests that up to 21% of women with high homocysteine levels have recurrent pregnancy loss. Women who have the homozygous form of the MTHFR gene mutation (both alleles having the mutation) have more than twice the risk of a miscarriage. There are a few theories for how high homocysteine levels might affect a pregnancy. There is evidence that clots form more easily in these women's blood. Thus, blood can clot in the placenta, causing a significant nutritional deficit to the fetus. There are also thoughts that the high homocysteine levels can alter the DNA make-up which may create chromosomal abnormalities causing pregnancy losses.

Treatment usually involves low-dose aspirin or low molecular weight heparin injections - or a combination of both. The therapy is often started before pregnancy occurs, and continued 4-6 weeks after birth. Folic acid supplementation is given to patients with the MTHFR gene mutation.

The cramping will typically happen with any miscarriage and likely does not have anything specifically to do with the MTHFR. If the discomfort level with periods has changed since the 1st loss, it may be related to the inflammation involved with the uterine muscle itself.

I hope this has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well.

Brenda