A pioneering diagnostic test developed by UK scientists could help identify women at increased risk of miscarriage, offering fresh hope for preventing early pregnancy loss.
Currently, around one in six pregnancies ends in miscarriage, most within the first 12 weeks. Suffering one miscarriage can heighten the risk of future losses—yet many women are told it’s simply “bad luck”.
Now, a ground-breaking study led by researchers from the University of Warwick and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust has shed light on a key cause of miscarriage—an abnormal response in the womb lining, rather than embryo quality.
In what is now the largest study of its kind, researchers have discovered that the decidual reaction—a critical process that prepares the uterus for pregnancy—is often defective in women with a history of miscarriage. This faulty reaction creates an unstable environment that can allow embryo implantation but increases the risk of bleeding and early pregnancy loss.
The research team analysed over 1,300 women and 1,500 womb biopsies, finding that this malfunction in the womb lining repeated across menstrual cycles, suggesting a consistent and measurable cause of miscarriage—not a random occurrence.
Building on these findings, scientists have developed a new diagnostic test to assess whether the womb lining is responding healthily or not. Already trialled in Coventry, England, the test has been used to support care for more than 1,000 women.
Dr Joanne Muter, lead author and researcher at Warwick Medical School, said: “This is about identifying preventable miscarriages. Our study shows the womb itself could be setting the stage for pregnancy loss, even before conception.”
The research was funded by Tommy’s, the UK’s leading charity supporting pregnancy and baby loss.
One woman who benefitted from the new test, Holly Milikouris, had endured five miscarriages before being offered the pioneering diagnostic tool.
“We felt hopeless. The usual treatments hadn’t worked for us. But this test showed my womb lining wasn’t preparing properly for pregnancy. After treatment, I had two healthy children—George and Heidi. It changed our lives.”
Dr Jyotsna Vohra, Director of Research at Tommy’s, said the discovery could mark a turning point for miscarriage care:
“Too many women go through the devastation of recurrent miscarriage without any answers. This test not only offers explanations in some cases, but also paves the way for targeted treatments that could prevent future losses.”
The test, based on molecular signals in the womb, could revolutionise how the NHS and fertility clinics diagnose and treat miscarriage risk, offering renewed hope to thousands of women across the UK and beyond.
