Miscarriage - what happens?
A fertilised egg that begins to divide is no guarantee that everything is normal and that – nine months later – there will be a new-born baby.
The first cellular divisions take place in the fertilised egg without any influence from the genetic material in the sperm cell. The very development process of a baby takes place within the first three months of the pregnancy. For the rest of the pregnancy, the baby will just grow big and strong. During the initial three-month period, a small ”manual”, consisting of the genetic material from both egg and sperm cell, must be adhered to. Imagine a book of 300 pages with alternate pages relating to egg and sperm cell, respectively. For each of the three months constituting the first trimester of the pregnancy, 100 pages of the book must be ”read”.
Should page 28 (relating to the sperm cell) be torn – then you might never even discover that you were expecting a baby. The egg would perish so rapidly that it would not have had time to attach in the uterus.
Or perhaps it is page 68 that is missing a piece. Although the pregnancy test from the pharmacy was positive, an unaccountable bleeding occurred a week later...
In DNA fragmentation of sperm cells, damage frequently occurs at several pages at the same time. Hence, the development of the egg will cease within the first month. In some cases, however, it is page 168 of the manual that is missing. At this point, the pregnancy may be in its seventh week, and you are seriously filled with anticipation. Therefore, the disappointment is huge if it ends up in a miscarriage...
DNA fragmentation will not always entail cessation of the egg’s development. In certain cases, the egg is capable of repairing the damages to the sperm-cell DNA – if the damages are not too extensive. Unfortunately, such repair is not always performed correctly. This is why, in rare cases, children are born with genetic damages. Disorders, such as autism and schizophrenia, appear more frequently in children parented by older men, and the cause is believed to be DNA fragmentation of sperm cells (reference: Aitken, 2010).
If you have experienced miscarriage, it is important that you discuss the cause with your GP or fertility specialist. There may namely be several causes for miscarriage, with DNA fragmentation of sperm cells representing only one among several possibilities.