Tokyo: Over 40 percent of Japanese women
who have gone through pregnancy have experienced miscarriages,
a government survey showed on Sunday.
The survey conducted by a health ministry research group
also said around 80,000 women a year are believed to be
diagnosed as having had repeat miscarriages or stillbirths,
and end up not having children.
"We have found that miscarriages happen more frequently
than people assume," said Mayumi Sugiura, professor at
Nagoya City University who was involved in the research under
the ministry.
Sugiura also said that women who have repeatedly
experienced miscarriages or stillbirths can still have
children if they undergo the appropriate treatment, and urged
them to be examined to determine the cause of the problem.
The group conducted the survey on women aged 35 to 79,
who underwent health checkups in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture,
during a one-year period from February 2007.
Of the 503 respondents, 458 had experienced pregnancy,
of whom 190, or 41.5 percent, had suffered miscarriages.
Based on the survey outcome and other data, the group
estimated that around 79,000 women are believed to experience
repeat miscarriages or stillbirths annually.
Most miscarriages are caused by chromosomal abnormality
in the fetus, a natural phenomenon that occurs at a uniform
rate, so it is likely that a woman could have a baby with her
next pregnancy, according to Sugiura.
Bureau Report
