A cause for celebration but not a miracle...
Dillan’s mother, Tara Clinkscale, had experienced severe difficulties with
conception and carrying to full-term. The use of the ovulation-stimulating drug, Clomid, had resulted in two failed pregnancies, miscarriages occurring at weeks
6 and 8. So it is easy to see why some commentators have grasped at the word
‘miracle’ to describe Dillan’s safe arrival.
The dictionary defines a miracle as ‘a surprising and welcome event that is not
explicable by natural or scientific laws’ but this is to miss the point; while
Dillan’s conception and birth represented a dramatic overcoming of known risk
factors, it was not a miracle but the result of a method of risk avoidance that
is open to all similarly affected women but is completely within ‘natural and
scientific laws’.
Perhaps surprisingly, being of African origin is a risk factor for infertility
and poor pregnancy outcome, a situation worsened by obesity and increasing age.
Although not generally recognized, being of African origin doubles the risk of
infertility and increases the risk of perinatal death three times. Obviously no
intervention can alter a person’s race or age, however knowledge of why such a
predisposition occurs can assist in preventive care. As an inbuilt protection
against malaria, people of African descent have a larger number of
pro-inflammatory receptor making them more likely to develop chronic
inflammation in response to immune activation by ‘non-self’.
Chronic inflammation is implicated in obesity, low progesterone and all aspects
of infertility and poor pregnancy outcome. By removing the source of
inflammation, immune activation, Tara was, with one intervention, able to reduce
each risk to Dillan. Prior to conception Tara lost 26 pounds (virtually 15
percent of her body weight) as a result of reducing her insulin resistance, she
increased her progesterone by controlling the concomitant expression of the
pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF alpha and INF gamma, thus protecting against a
failure to implant and the risk of succumbing to pre-term labor (both requiring
adequate levels of progesterone).
In addition, Tara found that a chronic skin complaint and recurrent migraines
(4-6 episodes a month) also cleared, both conditions being the result of chronic
inflammation, too.
By addressing cause, Tara was able to avoid the use of drugs and to safely carry
Dillan to term. Everyone at EPC sends their sincere congratulation to a proud
mother and father and to a new life but at the same time we are anxious that
Dillan’s safe passage from conception to birth is not considered as a miracle,
definitely dramatic and welcome to all concerned but the result of an
intervention that is available to all. Dillan’s parents have a strong Christian
faith that has sustained them through the difficult times of infertility; their
prayers have been answered not by a miracle but by the discovery of the cause of
inflammation. Dillan is no more and certainly no less a miracle than any other
child but he is the answer to prayer in a form in which all infertile couples
can share; by combating chronic inflammation, Tara has had a successful
pregnancy and provided protection for Dillan that will have positive
implications throughout his life.