Why do you want to receive materials from all of my pregnancies, even those with no complications?

It is unlikely that tissue samples exist for any past uncomplicated pregnancies, as in these cases placentas are not routinely sent for pathologic analysis. However, if they do exist, they should also be sent. The more pregnancies (both uncomplicated and complicated) that can be examined, the more likely patterns of pathology are to be discernible.

Why is my detailed family history so important?

Many diseases and conditions which affect you systemically can also affect your pregnancy, especially those that involve your vascular system (e.g., cardiac conditions, hypertension, diabetes) and your immune system.  In some cases, predisposition to develop a condition may be inherited. While you may have never experienced any clinically evident vascular problems, vascular complications (e.g., thrombophilia, accelerated atherosclerosis) may manifest themselves in the unique uteroplacental vascular environment.

What should I do if I start to lose my pregnancy and pass tissue at home?

CONTACT YOUR PHYSICIAN. Your condition should be evaluated immediately. If you think that you may lose your pregnancy before you can get to your doctor, you can collect as much of the tissue as possible in any sterile container that you have access to and refrigerate (NOT freeze) the tissue with no additional liquid until you can preserve the tissue for transport. Please contact our office if you plan to send tissues.

Will my OB-GYN be issued a comprehensive report?

Yes. We request that you send, along with your own demographic information, contact information for your treating phsyician(s). The consultation report should become part of your permanent medical record and should be received by your physician(s) approximately 24 hours after the report is discussed with you and your physician and is considered complete.

If my next pregnancy is successful, do you still want to receive the placenta?

Yes. You will not be charged any additional fees. If you have been treated during the pregnancy, it is important that we see what changes were manifested in the tissues in comparison to your earlier losses. In addition to your successfully completed pregnancy, this detailed information may help us better understand if the treatment actually worked, what processes the treatment acted upon and in some cases how a treatment can be improved.

Will the report be in terms that I can understand?

The written report is technical and will not necessarily be easy for you to interpret. This is why, whenever possible, we strongly encourage the participation of your obstetrician or other physician of your choice. We can only recommend, NOT provide, additional laboratory tests and/or treatments, so their participation is very important. Dr. Salafia is also available to explain her findings to you directly, in terms that are easier to understand, but it is preferable that your doctor receive your results first.

What happens after I get my results?

Dr. Salafia may or may not have recommendations for additional testing or treatment options for future pregnancies. Any laboratory testing can be done at the laboratory of your choice (you can check with your insurance carrier to find a lab that is covered by your plan). If the laboratory is unfamiliar with a particular test, we can try to help you find an appropriate alternative. It is important that any prospective treatment options are fully discussed with your treating physician as this is a consultation, not a venue for treatment.

What circumstances might cause a delay in my results?

Delayed receipt of your specimen
If specimens from multiple losses are from different institutions/sources, a complete analysis cannot be performed until a complete set of all available materials are received.

In some cases, the source of your tissues (the hospital or laboratory) may have to make new slides from your original pathology blocks, rather than simply mailing existent glass slides to us. This will obviously take more time than simply mailing the glass slides.

Processing delays
If slides or blocks were received in poor condition additional materials may be required, or slides may need to be re-coverslipped to remove air bubbles.

In order to be entered into our hospital system we require some general demographic information and the name and contact information a referring physician. Please be sure to provide this information as soon as you decide to send slides.

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