Recurrent miscarriages and cleft lip to healthy baby
by Sue Kira, Naturopath & Clinical Nutritionist
Client name and identifying information changed
When Debbie came to me she had already had two miscarriages and then a baby with a cleft lip, even though she had been taking a supplement with high doses of folic acid because of her previous miscarriages.
I suggested testing for the MTHFR gene defect. The results determined that she was homozygous for the gene defect. This meant that she had two gene faults and was at a higher risk of miscarriage and cleft lip (not to mention increased risk for vascular issues).
These gene defects also meant that she had a reduced capacity to convert synthetic folic acid to the folate that she and her baby needed. There were a few other things we tested to see if there was any other reason for miscarriage risk but these appeared to be ok.
I started her on a pregnancy formula supplement with active folate and advised her to also eat plenty of folate rich foods as well as foods high in B12, along with plenty of other great nutritious foods.
I also suggested to remove any possible interfering foods such as gluten, dairy, sugar, additives, caffeine and alcohol so that her immune system did not having to deal with these substances.
Debbie followed the diet and three months later was pregnant and she went full term with ease. Her baby girl was born healthy with no apparent defects.
Click for more information about Methylation and MTHFR.