The Future of Miscarriage Treatment with RPLA founder Megan Hanson

Written By Lora Shahine, MD

Have you or someone you loved experienced the heartbreak of miscarraige and feel desperate to know why it happened? Have you questioned food you ate, exercise you did, stress levels, and searched for answers from doctors, friends, and the internet? We still have so much to learn about pregnancy loss and recurrent miscarriage but there are people asking the questions and finding the answers!

Megan Hanson is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Association (RPLA). Megan and her husband started RPLA in 2019 after their own experience of recurrent pregnancy loss. This nonprofit organization funds research into recurrent miscarriages and provides support to individuals and families who have lost pregnancies. 

In this episode of the Baby or Bust Fertility podcast, Dr. Lora Shahine and Megan go through the development and purpose of RPLA. They discuss challenges in miscarriage research and the need to raise awareness about how many women are impacted by recurrent miscarriage. Megan shares her personal journey with recurrent miscarriage, IVF, and gestational surgery, and the emotional toll all of this had on her path to parenthood. 

Community support and advocacy are key for those who are struggling with recurrent miscarriages. Find out how to get involved, find support, or provide support for others at rplassociation.org.

In this episode you’ll hear:

[1:26] Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Association (RPLA)

[6:41] Gaps in research for miscarriage and fertility

[10:21] RPLA and RESOLVE’s efforts for advocacy

[19:38] What is the latest research telling us?

[34:00] Megan’s journey

[44:00] Finding support and getting involved

Resources mentioned: 

Megan’s blog: misbehavinguterus.com

Miscarriage Research: med.stanford.edu/lathi/research.html

Give to RESOLVE: resolve.org/take-action/donate/ways-to-give

Dr. Lora Shahine’s books: drlorashahine.com/books

RPLA Resources

rplassociation.org

Follow RPLA:

Dr. Shahine’s Weekly Newsletter on Fertility News and Recommendations

Follow @drlorashahine Instagram | YouTube | Tiktok | Her Books

Lora Shahine, MD

Dr. Lora Shahine, reproductive endocrinologist at Pacific NW Fertility and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Washington in Seattle, completed her residency in OBGYN at the University of California in San Francisco and fellowship in reproductive endocrinology at Stanford University. She is dedicated to educating and advocating for increased awareness of infertility, miscarriage, and the impact on environmental toxins on health through an active social media presence, teaching, clinical research, and authoring multiple blogs and books including best selling, ‘Not Broken: An Approachable Guide to Miscarriage and Recurrent Pregnancy Loss.’

Previous

Roller Coaster of Emotions After Miscarriage and Stillbirth
Next

Two Years Post-Roe: Current State of Reproductive Rights in the US