Recurrent miscarriage is a useful and valid clinical concept

Although epidemiological, clinical and biochemical risk factors are known for recurrent miscarriage (RM), the etiology is mainly unknown. Two main hypotheses dominate: that RM is caused by aneuploid conceptions occurring by sheer chance and/or in women with increased risk, - or that maternal endocrinologic, thrombophilic or immunologic abnormalities play a main role in causing loss of euploid conceptions. Believers of the former hypothesis advocate that management of RM should be conservative and that the spontaneous prognosis is very favorable. Believers of the latter hypothesis think that treatments aimed at the woman may improve pregnancy outcome, but that testing of such treatments in randomised controlled trials is needed. In this article in favor of RM being a specific and useful clinical concept, arguments are advanced that a significant subset of RM patients exhibit a poor spontaneous prognosis and should be offered relevant investigations, close surveillance during pregnancy and treatment, preferably as part of randomised controlled trials. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.