Why do miscarriages happen?
Dr. Chen Fenglin’s clinical research led to an important scientific discovery that recurrent immunological miscarriage can be caused by induced abortion, sexual intercourse during menstruation, or childbirth. In those situations, paternal tissues present in the woman’s body can enter through her endometrium vein. The mother’s body then recognizes the paternal tissues as foreign proteins and naturally produces anti-embryonic antibodies as an immunity reaction. When the mother gets pregnant again, the anti-embryonic antibodies will attack the fibronectin on the placenta’s surface layer. After the fibronectin is destroyed, the chorionic villi become exposed to the mother’s blood, leading to cellular immunity. As a result, the embryo stops growing, and a miscarriage occurs.
How is the anti-embryonic antibody level detected?
To do an antibody level test, 5 ml of blood will be drawn from the patient. The results will be out within 2 hours. Fasting is not required, and it can be done even if the woman is on her period.
If the results indicate that the anti-embryonic antibody level exceeds 1:64, then it is a confirmed recurrent immunological miscarriage case.
How is the treatment done?
- 160ml of blood will be drawn from the husband.
- The blood will be cultured in the laboratory to be made into an injectable solution for treatment. This process takes four days.
- The injectable solution will be stored in a unique incubator available in the hospital for transportation.
- Patients can store the injectable solution in the freezer at home.
- Take the injectable solution out of the freezer for half an hour to melt before each treatment.
- For the treatment, inject the solution onto the upper arm. It is an intradermal injection where a shallow injection is done on the upper skin layer (only a few mm thick).
- The treatment will be done once a week, and it can be done even when the patient is menstruating.
- Generally, the injection is performed 3 to 5 times, preferably four times within 30 days for each treatment course.
- When one course of treatment is finished, the antinuclear antibody level in peripheral blood will be measured.
- If the antibody level is lowered down to the extent that it is safe for gestation, the patient is ready for pregnancy. The treatment’s effective period is six months, and patients should get pregnant within the timeframe to ensure a safe pregnancy.
- After pregnancy, patients should undergo one more course of treatment (4 injections within 30 days, once a week).
What is the success rate of the treatment?
Dr. Chen Fenglin has more than a decade of research and clinical practice experience. He successfully invented a successful immunological recurrent miscarriage treatment. The treatment method has a high success rate of over 95%. This percentage is based on over 34,000 cases done since 2003. For the invention, he received second place in Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Progress Award in 1997. On May 24, 2004, Dr. Chen Fenglin was a guest in the show “Health Road” and explained the diagnosis and treatment technology of recurrent miscarriage. The immunotherapy for recurrent miscarriage abortion has been patented in 29 countries, including China, the United States, and the European Union.
What if multiple factors are contributing to my recurrent miscarriage?
Often, recurrent miscarriage is the outcome of multiple illnesses that can affect pregnancy. These include immunological factors, genetic factors, endocrine factors, anatomical factors (e.g., uterine septum, uterine polyps, incompetent cervix, etc.
At Antai Hospital, we will conduct a thorough body check to ensure a proper diagnosis of a patient’s illnesses. For patients with multiple illnesses that contribute to recurrent miscarriage, she will be advised on all the treatments required to have a safe pregnancy. At Antai Hospital, we follow the protocol of carrying out a thorough examination and getting an accurate diagnosis before signing the treatment contract to guarantee a full refund for failed treatments.
How long is the treatment duration for international patients flying to China?
The duration differs for each patient by case. Under normal circumstances, patients have to stay in the hospital for 3-5 days. Some patients may require an intrauterine stent, and patients are required to return to the hospital for review one month later.
What should I do if my husband has an infectious disease or is unavailable to draw blood for the treatment?
The hospital will draw blood from the umbilical cord and develop it into injectable solutions for the treatment. The cord blood is the cleanest and is readily available in the hospital. This treatment method is equally effective.
Early Miscarriage (treatment)
Early miscarriage occurs within the first three months of pregnancy. The possible symptoms include abnormal fetal development, abdominal pain, and vaginal bleeding in the first trimester.
Patients must find the cause of their recurrent miscarriage and get treatment before getting pregnant again. This will prevent any future miscarriages from happening.
Common causes of early miscarriage:
A. Chromosomal abnormalities in the embryo
B. Maternal abnormalities complicating the pregnancy:
- Immunological factors: having a positive anti-embryonic antibody level or an incompatible mother-child blood type. These will cause the rejection of the embryo and subsequently lead to miscarriage.
- Endocrine factors: luteal phase defect, hypothyroidism, etc.
- Uterine anomalies: unicornuate uterus (only half of the uterus forms), bicornuate uterus (separation of the two upper parts of the uterus), uterine septum (uterus has a wedge of extra tissue), etc.
- Trauma-stimulated factors: intrauterine adhesions (Asherman’s Syndrome), excessive sexual intercourse, external impact, etc.
- Maternal complications: influenza virus, acute mycoplasma chlamydia infection, hypertension, kidney disease, heart disease, etc.
- Excessive exposure to harmful substances such as drugs, alcohol, formaldehyde (a chemical used in some building materials), lead, etc.
Early Miscarriage Check-up
Common check-ups include:
- Colposcopy
- Four-dimensional transvaginal color doppler ultrasound
- Lipiodol Hysterosalpingogram (HSG)
- Cervix insufficiency diagnosis
- Electrochemiluminescence Immunoassay (ECLIA)
- Thyroid Function Test (TSH, FT4 FT3)
- Anti-embryonic antibodies, etc.
For patients that have already done any relevant check-ups, you can bring the test results to Antai hospital to prevent doing the same check-up twice.
Early Miscarriage Treatment
Antai Hospital ensures that patients get an accurate diagnosis first before any treatment to ensure effectiveness.
- Antai Immunotherapy is needed if the screening results show that the embryonic chromosomes and anti-embryonic antibodies are positive.
- Dynamic Function Test is required for endocrine disorders. If there is a deficiency, a stimulation test will be done. If there is an excess, a suppression test will be done.
- A minimally invasive hysteroscopy will be done for uterine anomalies, and a pear-shaped stent will be placed to correct the abnormalities.
- For trauma-stimulated factors such as intrauterine adhesions, the adhesions will first be removed, then a pear-shaped stent will be placed in the uterus, and an endometrial scratch procedure will be done to improve embryo implantation.
- For other maternal complications, the primary disease (e.g., hypertension) needs to be treated, and any harmful substances (e.g., drugs, toxic gas) that result in adverse living conditions must be removed.