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Q&A: What are the chances of me losing my baby again?

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Dr Bronwyn Moore (gynaecologist) answers:

I'm so sorry to hear your story- it's awful to lose a pregancy at any stage but it's particularly difficult so close to delivery! Unfortunately it is frequently not possible to find the cause of an intrauterine death, no matter how carefully you test.

Sometimes, as it seems in your case, it is only possible to say what the probable cause was. Toxoplasmosis is a possible cause of foetal death. It is one of a group of infective causes collectively called STORCH (syphillis, toxoplasmosis, parvovirus, rubella, CMV, HSV). The majority of these only pose a threat to your pregnancy if you have a primary or initial infection with them during your pregnancy.

Subsequent infections are not as severe as you will have formed antibodies and do not cause recurrent foetal loss... so if toxoplasmosis was the cause of the stillbirth it won't have the same effect in another pregnancy.

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