BALTIMORE -- Black women are twice as likely to have a miscarriage, but knowing if you have a gene that causes miscarriages may help reduce your risk, according to doctors.

Watch The Report

Avalon Brown-Bartley had a surgical procedure to improve her chances of a full-term delivery. Last week, she started having contractions, and she's only three months pregnant.

"I've had a prior loss because of the same situation, and so I knew what the outcome could be if I didn't have the cerclage right away. I was like, "Let's do it,'" Brown-Bartley said.

Cerclage is the procedure that will reinforce her cervix. Mercy Medical Center Dr. Robert Atlas said that Brown-Bartley's situation is not unusual and that multiple miscarriages and premature births can sometimes occur from underlying genetic problems.

"There are a number of causes of miscarriage, which can be either chromosomal, meaning when the egg and the sperm get together they are abnormal, or that the parents themselves have a rearrangement of their genetic material that can lead to higher rate of miscarriage," Atlas said.

He said black women are at an even greater risk.

"When you look at African-Americans compared to Caucasians or even the Hispanic, they have about a two-and-a-half to three times increased risk for pre-term birth and miscarriage," he said.

Atlas said it isn't clear why that's the case. He said it's important for all women to see their doctor before getting pregnant.

"There may be something that the doctor wants to investigate. If you've had lots of first trimester miscarriages, there may be a problem with your uterus or your own chromosome that they may want to investigate prior to you conceiving," he said.

Doctors said Brown-Bartley will still have to go on bed rest after the surgery.