Unexplained Is Unacceptable

Driven by the stark reality that half of all recurrent pregnancy loss cases go completely unexplained, Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Association (RPLA) co-founder Megan Hanson shares her story and discusses turning patient heartbreak into scientific progress. Megan opens up about her personal path through six consecutive miscarriages, the trauma and anxiety of navigating pregnancy loss, and growing her family, first through gestational surrogacy in 2021 and later through an unexpected spontaneous pregnancy in 2023. She reflects on the dismissive reactions often encountered in healthcare settings after miscarriages and underscores why medical curiosity and emotional support must be prioritized after every loss. Turning her pain into systemic action, Megan explains how she and her husband founded RPLA on the principle that "unexplained is unacceptable," asserting that finding answers requires dedicated research funding and prioritization. She highlights RPLA's key initiatives, including support and resources for anyone navigating recurrent pregnancy loss, an annual research grant funded in partnership with the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the launch of the RPL Community Registry on the I Am Rare platform. This HIPAA-compliant registry allows anyone aged 18 or older with multiple losses to contribute self-reported health and care navigation data, creating a community-powered data set to help researchers discover root causes, identify and eliminate healthcare barriers, and turn collective lived experiences into meaningful scientific progress. Ultimately, Megan emphasizes how patient-contributed data can give purpose to personal grief while finding answers and improving care for future families. Connect with RPLA at https://rplassociation.org. Join the RPL Community Registry at https://rplassociation.org/rpl-community-registry. TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE: Pregnancy loss, miscarriage, recurrent pregnancy loss, Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Association (RPLA), Megan Hanson, recurrent miscarriage support, unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss, RPL Community Registry, pregnancy loss research registry, surrogacy, gestational surrogacy, intended parents, IVF with PGT, reproductive immunology and miscarriage, antiphospholipid syndrome miscarriage, pregnancy and infant loss awareness, emotional support after miscarriage, support groups, peer support, support groups for pregnancy loss, fertility advocacy and research, navigating fertility after loss, how to support someone after pregnancy loss, maternal fetal medicine for recurrent loss, pregnancy after loss, parenting after loss, NICU and premature birth after loss, time to live birth after miscarriage, AllPaths Family Building, American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), research grant funding, community dataset, grief support CONNECT WITH ALLPATHS FAMILY BUILDING: https://allpathsfb.org Follow us on social media @allpathsfb Want to share your story or ask a question? Get in touch at podcast@allpathsfb.org!