Patient's question:
Doctor, since my divorce, I have had three miscarriages. The fetuses always stopped developing in the early stages of pregnancy. Later, the doctor suggested I get my chromosomes checked, so I did. The results showed that I have a balanced translocation on chromosome 5 and chromosome 15, indicating chromosomal abnormalities. I would like to ask, what is the cause of chromosomal abnormalities?Doctor's answer:
Chromosomes are the carriers of genes. If a segment of genes on one chromosome detaches and attaches to another chromosome, it is called a translocation. If gene fragments from both chromosomes detach and exchange positions with each other, it is referred to as a balanced translocation. Carriers of this type usually do not exhibit any abnormal symptoms, but they often have a higher risk of experiencing recurrent miscarriage, stillbirth, or giving birth to a child with congenital abnormalities. This type of chromosomal issue is generally caused by either hereditary transmission across generations or genetic mutations that occur after birth.