Scientists from Erasmus University Medical Center have found that embryos that result in miscarriage during pregnancy develop more slowly and, as a result, lag behind normal development. Research published in the journal human reproduction.
The scientists used cutting-edge imaging technologies, including high-resolution 3D ultrasound with high-resolution transvaginal probes and virtual reality techniques to create 3D models of the embryo. This allowed them to assess the overall development of the embryo. A total of 611 successful pregnancies and 33 pregnancies with miscarriage were analyzed.
The researchers found that in the first ten weeks of miscarriage pregnancies, embryos lag four days behind normal. Moreover, the longer the embryo develops, the higher the probability of miscarriage.
The scientists hope that in the future, studies on the shape, volume, and development of embryos can be used to assess the likelihood of miscarriage.