Q11 of Q&A

A: To understand this you might first have to dispense with an old wives' tale about mothers' wombs supposedly "rejecting" abnormal, chromosomally-defective fetuses. Generally speaking, unless there are extreme environmental problems or placenta defects, a mother's womb is a haven, even for abnormal fetuses -- the womb is not rigged to dispose of chromosomally-challenged live fetuses, contrary to what is popularly believed. If a fetus does have such an abnormality, what rather tends to happen is that the baby dies on its own due to lethal conditions within the fetus's own body, such as fatal heart failure; and only then the fetus is removed from the womb. Specifically in Katya's case, her vital organs were intact enough that she could survive to birth, her mother's womb was well suited to the task of pregnancy, and there were none of the environmental stressors that would cause a spontaneous abortion. (Most miscarriages, incidentally, are the result of a wide spectrum of chromosomal defects that include the various trisomies, although a minority result from a wide range of extreme environmental factors/stressors.) A great many people, perhaps most parents, actually conceive trisomy or similar chromosomally ill babies -- it's happening all the time; but the high probability is that the baby will die in utero. If you've suffered a miscarriage, chances are it was because of something like this. But on rare occasion these babies make it to birth alive; Katya is one of the rare babies that did, and one of the exceedingly rare children that continued to live so long after birth with trisomy 13.


				*For Friends of Katya Maria Sansalone* *Q11 of Q&A*



	Home Photo Album \| Guest Book \| About Katya \| Q&A \| News Archive \| Useful Links \| Contact Us \| Acknowledgments \| Pearls of Encouragement


		Q: How did Katya escape miscarriage?



		A: To understand this you might first have to dispense with an old wives' tale about mothers' wombs supposedly "rejecting" abnormal, chromosomally-defective fetuses. Generally speaking, unless there are extreme environmental problems or placenta defects, a mother's womb is a haven, even for abnormal fetuses -- the womb is not rigged to dispose of chromosomally-challenged live fetuses, contrary to what is popularly believed. If a fetus does have such an abnormality, what rather tends to happen is that the baby dies on its own due to lethal conditions within the fetus's own body, such as fatal heart failure; and only then the fetus is removed from the womb. Specifically in Katya's case, her vital organs were intact enough that she could survive to birth, her mother's womb was well suited to the task of pregnancy, and there were none of the environmental stressors that would cause a spontaneous abortion. (Most miscarriages, incidentally, are the result of a wide spectrum of chromosomal defects that include the various trisomies, although a minority result from a wide range of extreme environmental factors/stressors.) A great many people, perhaps most parents, actually conceive trisomy or similar chromosomally ill babies -- it's happening all the time; but the high probability is that the baby will die in utero. If you've suffered a miscarriage, chances are it was because of something like this. But on rare occasion these babies make it to birth alive; Katya is one of the rare babies that did, and one of the exceedingly rare children that continued to live so long after birth with trisomy 13.



		*(Click on your browser's "Back" button to return to the Q&A page's list of questions.)*