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Recurrent pregnancy loss may be caused by damaged sperm DNA in the male partner, according to new聽research by the .

Between 1% and 2% of couples have recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), defined as the consecutive loss of three or more pregnancies before 20 weeks gestation.

鈥淎ffected women undergo many tests to determine the cause, but many cases have no identified cause,鈥� said lead researcher Dr Channa Jayasena, of Imperial College London, who was presenting the聽research at the聽鈥檚 annual meeting in the U.S.

Male partners of women with RPL do not routinely undergo assessment to see if they play a role. 鈥淗owever, we know that sperm play an important role in the formation of the placenta, which is critical for survival of an unborn baby,鈥� Dr Jayasena said.

The study was designed to assess whether male partners of women with RPL may have an increased risk of sperm DNA damage, which is known to impair fertility. The researchers compared 50 healthy men whose partners had not experienced miscarriages with 63 men whose partners were affected by RPL. They measured levels of sex hormones such as testosterone, the number and behaviour of sperm using a microscope and further molecular tests. They also measured the level of damage to sperm DNA and level of a chemical entity called reactive oxygen species, which can damage cells such as sperm in the semen of men.

They found that men affected by RPL had twice as much sperm DNA damage compared with the unaffected men. Men whose partners had suffered miscarriage also had a four-fold increase in the amount of reactive oxygen species compared with unaffected men.

鈥淥ur study suggests that it may be useful to investigate if male partners of women with RPL have abnormalities in their reproductive function,鈥� Dr Jayasena said. 鈥淚t also opens up a new potential 鈥榙rug target鈥�; it may be possible to design future drugs to stop sperm DNA damage to treat couples with RPL and reduce the risk of miscarriage.鈥�

Image credit: 漏iStockphoto.com/Alexandr Mitiuc