Researchers are another step closer to understanding a cause of miscarriage and abnormal placenta development, thanks to recent research conducted on laboratory mice. A study, published in the journal Genes & Development, shows how outside processes might affect the genes in a fertilized egg in such a way as to cause prenatal death. The findings may have implications for our understanding of miscarriages and placenta development in humans.
“Miscarriage and placental abnormality is quite common in humans,” says co-author Azusa Inoue, a team leader at Japan’s Riken Center for Integrative Medical Sciences. In fact, about 10 to 20 percent of known pregnancies end in miscarriage, although some suggest that the actual number is higher when accounting for miscarriages that occur before a pregnancy is known. The research conducted by Inoue and his colleagues could reveal which genes are responsible for modifying the size of the placenta — in turn, improving the outcome of pregnancies in some of these cases.
