Guest Author - Krissi Danielsson

Even though my losses are somewhat behind me, at least as much as they can ever be, I still sometimes like to read books on miscarriage causes and treatment -- partly to stay up to date in the field for the purposes of this site and partly to know about the competition since I recently completed my own book in the space.

One book that escaped my notice for a long time was Miscarriage: What Every Woman Needs to Know, by Lesley Regan. I didn't know about this book because it appears that it has never been published in the United States, for some reason; instead, it is distributed in Britain. The book came to my attention because Regan is a renowned miscarriage researcher and probably one of the biggest names in the field. Regan runs the recurrent miscarriage clinic in London's St. Mary's hospital and her name has been associated with many of the biggest studies in miscarriage research over the past decade.

So when I learned of this book, obviously I was eager to read it. The only other book I knew of that had given a somewhat thorough examination of miscarriage causes was Coming to Term.

Regan's book did not disappoint. Of all the books currently on the market, this is the one I wish I'd had back when I was in the middle of my miscarriage experience. It takes a no-nonsense look at all the causes of miscarriages, sporadic and recurrent, and examines the biological mechanisms in play and thoroughly explains each. I don't think there was a single stone Regan left unturned in her examination of the field. She discusses everything from chromosomal abnormalities to infections and even addresses the inherent limitations of research study design in providing clear answers to these problems.

My biggest nitpick on this book is that Regan does not believe in progesterone supplementation and possibly might prematurely close the door on its potential to benefit women with recurrent miscarriages -- especially since a good number of existing studies have had limitations or may have looked primarily at synthetic progesterone rather than natural progesterone (more on this in a future article).

In addition to addressing miscarriage causes, Regan also includes a section on answering common questions and offers practical advice on preparing for your next pregnancy.

Not surprisingly, the book is not appropriate for the needs of all miscarriage readers, but few books are. The tone of the book is clinical and not personal or emotionally sympathetic -- more sympathetic in the way that a good doctor would be sympathetic. Which is natural, given that Regan herself is a physician and approaches the subject matter from that perspective. As a result, the book is like the pep talk you wish your practitioner would have given you. I highly recommend it for readers interested in a discussion of miscarriage causes and research. It is probably the best on the market from this perspective.