Recurrent miscarriage thread

[cocosherbie]

Platypus good to hear the ball is rolling on your tests (sorry to hear AF arrived for you this month ) ugh, the blood test I had for my tests was just so awful too. My arm went all numb because they took so much blood and I started to pass out. I hate needles so much.
Which is why I was surprised at myself that I made it through my first acupuncture appointment yesterday! Im going to try to go weekly now, although I don't know how long I can afford it, its bloody expensive here!

CARNAT - thanks for your story, I really hope I get 4th time lucky too.

 

[Hopeful75]

Hi ladies,
Can I join you? A short bio of my mc history:
Started ttc May 2012, caught first month. Mmc found at 12week scan, baby was around 8 weeks, went through medical management.
Bfp2 in May 2013, another mmc in July, again baby was around 8 weeks, Erpc
Bfp3 in Nov 2013, natural mc two weeks later. Had all the blood tests and karotyping -all clear.
Bfp4 in Jan 2014, took aspirin but another mmc in Feb, another 7-8 week baby. Opted for erpc, but surgery delays meant ended up with medical. Referred to Liverpool women's rmc clinic. Tested again - all clear but high thyroid antibodies so put on the Tablet trial, high dose folic acid and aspirin.
Bfp5 in Aug 2014, mmc detected at 9 weeks, baby had died within the previous 24hours, erpc.

We've seen hb with babies 2,3 & 5. Baby 5 was found to be a little girl with downs. Was prescribed the thyroxine (was on a trial so could have been on the placebo) and told to keep trying, which we did from Dec. However, we get married next March, so now having a break and think we won't be trying again until after the wedding. I'll be 40 in October, so this comes with serious worries, but I also know that I couldn't cope with another mc coming up to my wedding day. So I'm trying to see the next 10 months as an opportunity to really focus on being as healthy and as happy as possible -acupuncture, no caffeine, stress reduction, exercise, fun. It's hard to put the ttc bandwagon to one side though (although the only time I jumped on the opk/temp checking train was the time it took us 10 months to conceive, and it happened the month I stopped doing it, so I've never bothered again).
I wish everyone who has experienced the heartache of rmc the best of luck - it's lovely to hear positive stories and to be reassured that I'm not alone in this. I've also found a group on babycentre.co.uk - I don't post there but it has loads of info on tests, clinics, doctors etc.

 

[platypus]

Hi Hopeful,

thanks for sharing your story, hopefully bfp6 will be your rainbow. I'll have to scoot over to babycentre and have a read as I'm currently going through the tests now so very interested in info on tests etc at the moment.

 

[madsticks]

Welcome to the thread hopeful

Do any of you know if there are tests they can do when you get a bfp? Like anything at all? I was referred to the epu my last pregnancy but they only offered scans from after 6 weeks, no blood tests or anything.
I'm expecting next time that my doctor will refer me straight to them, but if all they can do is look and say 'yup you're pregnant see you in 2 weeks' then is there much point?


Hope you're all well x x x

 

[Hopeful75]

Hi madsticks,
All they can do is check that the pregnancy is developing as normal unfortunately. However, there are studies that suggest the tlc approach with extra scans extra does have a positive effect on rmc reduction. And take it from me- I was counting down hours in between fortnightly scans, so having 6-7 weeks to wait would have been torture! (4 of mine have been mmc, so not knowing whether baby is alive or not was the most terrifying part).

 

[platypus]

Had my ultrasound to see if they could find a reason for recurrent mc. They said my uterus all looked good but she did find a cyst on my right ovary. She thinks it is a haemorrhagic and should resolve it self in a few months. I will probably have to get another scan to check it does resolve but she doesn't think it has anything to do with the mc. Now to wait for the official response from the consultant

 

[Rainbow1234]

Just to give you my story and maybe a little hope...

I found out i was pregnant dec 13, had an early scan and saw heartbeat then found out I had a MMC after some spotting at around 9 weeks.
Got pregnant again oct 14 then had a natural miscarriage around 5 weeks.
I was referred at this point for the recurrant miscarriage testing and told to expect to wait 3 months for an appointment (jan15) then found out in dec, whilst waiting, that i was pregnant again. I hadn't had any tests and havent had aspirin or anything else but I'm now 32 weeks and everything seems ok.

Dont give up, I hope you all get your rainbow babies soon x

 

[platypus]

last week I suffered another loss at 4+3 so I'm guessing it was a chemical/very early loss. although every loss hurts and sucks, strangely I seem to have got comfort from the thought that if I rule out mc 1 and 4 as chemicals then it is really only 2 mcs I have had, and 2 is better than 4, although 1 is too many.

On Friday I had a call from the rmc clinic and she read out the letter that is in the post and it basically says they found I have factor V leiden and as a result recommend for my next pregnancy I take asprin and then heparin. they explained that there is no strong links between factor V and mc in the first trimester (its more of a risk in 2nd trimester). my husband however is really worried about possible effects on a developing baby given there is no real scientific evidence been done to prove it has no effect, so we need to have a proper chat to decide what to do with the next pregnancy and have a appointment with the consultant to discuss it further.

In the meantime, has anyone had rmc and factor V and didn't take the heparin and still had successful pregnancies?

 

[ButtercupDaisy]

Hi guys, I feel ready to come back to the forum now after a series of m/cs
I had a chemical back in sept 14
Had a m/c at 6 weeks in Oct 14
And a possible m/c in Dec 14 (although this one is a mystery as we dtd once with protection but had a +ve test, but I think it may have been leftover from before or an hormonal imbalance)
and finally just last month I had a m/c at 17 weeks, the worst thing I've been through, and we still don't know why it happened. I'm sure I did everything right. I think this time we're going to wait to ttc. I just feel so lonely esp. as everyone around me is preg/having babies.

 

[flisstebbs]

In the meantime, has anyone had rmc and factor V and didn't take the heparin and still had successful pregnancies?

I don't have factor v leiden but they did find a clotting problem after my 4th mc. I am on heparin and aspirin again in my 6th pregnancy now (5th one was successful with this treatment). They've monitored me really closely and it can't be co-incidence that I am now "2 for 2" in the success stakes after 4 consecutive losses. Its horrible doing the jabs, but the medication itself is very safe. The way I saw it, I couldn't have carried on doing nothing as I was finding it soul destroying.

 

[platypus]

I see the consultant Friday but am thinking as a compromise for hubby I will have one more try and then if I need a 6th attempt take the heparin then, as I think if I lose another I will feel like you and not able to handle another loss. I had a letter this week with more results and they have discovered I have a thyroid disorder, and I see on Google that this has links to mc as well. I'm seeing the gp also on Friday to start treatment to get that under control as well. Feeling optimistic at the moment as I feel I thyroid issue is something I can correct and then hopefully have a successful pregnancy.

 

[Drc]

I had a missed miscarriage back in january which I had medical management for on 1st February, got my 2nd BFP early June but after some bleeding we were devestated to find out on Monday that I've had another missed miscarriage I would have been 11 weeks today but it seems baby stopped growing 4 weeks ago a week after a big bleed which I was scanned for and assured all would be ok, saw heartbeat at that scan so we were really hopeful. Back to hospital this weekend for medical management and then back to the start again. I'm really thankful that EPU said they are going to recommend to my GP that I am referred to miscarriage clinic for investigations, i wasnt expecting that as I've only had 2 and I thought it was 3 before they helped, maybe it's because I'm 33?

Can anyone here who has had investigations tell me what it entails? What should I expect? X

 

[platypus]

Hi Dawn,

MC really heartbreaking and I'm so sorry you have had to go through it again. I am currently going through testing and based in Edinburgh so i don't know if it differs where you are.

I've found the process is slow which is frustrating as you just want the testing so you know if there is anything there and can move to the next stage.

i was referred after my 3rd mc in Feb/March, about a month later i got a letter with the appointment to see the consultant, but that appointment wasn't until early June. the consultant was lovely but the appointment was quite quick she asked my history with mc, some medical history questions and then explained what tests she was going to order (i wish i had wrote them down at the time as i have forgotten a lot, am seeing them on Friday so will get it then and update) - she even added a couple of extra on as I came with a full list of any health issues i was having just in case it helped. I then went into another room where i had heaps of blood drawn. the tests were mostly for blood clotting disorders and thyroid function.

i then had to wait for a letter to come with a ultrasound appointment to check out the internal organs, and ended up getting the ultrasound at the end of June.

My results came back in the last fortnight via a letter and I since they came up as having factor V leiden I have an appointment on Friday to discuss the treatment options in the next pregnancy. The tests also showed I have a thyroid disorder so I'm seing the GP for that on Friday. i'm not sure if i'm lucky or unlucky as they did warn me that in a lot of cases no reasons can be found for why some ladies have awful luck with mc.

I'll update on Friday with what tests they did exactly but I have found mc to be very lonely and isolating as not many know you have gone through it and those that do know i think, think you are OK after the initial loss/don't know what to say/don't like talking about it. I have found PF great to have an outlet to talk about it and help release the thoughts that get trapped in my mind and feel free to get in contact if you ever want to talk.

just realised thats a long reply, hopefully it makes sense what i typed

 

[Drc]

Thank you for your reply platypus, will keep an eye out here for tour results, sounds like it's a long process.
My first due date is fast approaching on 1st September, I told myself I wanted to be pregnant again by then and I thought we'd done it but sadly not, it is a lonely place and people really don't know the pain you're carrying around with you on a daily basis, being recently married last year as well I get the normal questions from everyone about when we might have children, you just want to blurt out everything so they know how much that insensitive questions hurts!
Got so many friends who are expecting which is tough, I'm happy but really wanted it to be us annoucing our pregnancy next week after our 12 week scan!

 

[platypus]

I was a mess on my due date, I think I found it tougher as apart from my husband those that did know of the mc didn't remember it.

We get the questions to when are we going to have kids. I had a girl I went to school with ask me on my fb page! Needless to say I deleted her post and then pm'd her and told her I was struggling with mc so didn't want that on my page. I had hoped she might realise how insensitive those comments are but I suspect she missed the point.

Hang in there, the nurses at epu told me that very few women can't have kids its just that sadly some of us have a bumpy ride to get there. The stats are favourable for you to have a successful pregnancy next time so try not to lose hope.

 

[Drc]

Thank you, it really is nice to talk about it with people who truly understand what you're going through.
I'm lucky to have a wonderful husband who has been my rock through both mmc's, he keeps me grounded and positive, we are really hopeful it will be 3rd time lucky.x

 

[ashleighlouise]

Hiya ladies.
I am 23 and have 4 MC.

1st- MMC 6weeks
2nd-MMC 5weeks
3rd-Natural MC 5weeks
4th- Surgery to remove twins 11weeks- 1 weeks ago.

I am like so many women on here who doesn't have a problem getting pregnant but carrying the baby is the problem. As its says above. I only have the surgery on Tuesday just gone to remove twins. I had seen the babies and also seen heartbeat at 6week scan. Completely devastated. They are finally willing to help us! I start my testing in 6weeks. Hubby wants to pay privately as he thinks i will get better care. Does anyone else pay privately? I think we should give the nhs a try but Jamie thinks not. We have fallen through the loop holes so many times.
I'm so sorry to hear of your losses ladies. I wish you so much luck! Xxx

 

[platypus]

I Had my dr appointments on Friday. First was the GP who said that I have an underactive thyroid - my TSH hormone levels was 4.9 and the upper level of normal is 4. She looked up I was tested back in 2012 and it was normal then at 0.98. She wasn't really sure what dosage to give me so is writing to the endocrinologist to ask advice give the mc history and ttc again. I have another blood test next week to check levels and then a phone appointment with her the following week to see what they have decided re medication.

In the afternoon I saw the mc consultant and we went over the results and she has reassured me that the asprin/heparin will be OK. it's very unlikely the heparin can affect a baby as it doesn't cross the placenta. I asked her about the thyroid and could it have caused a mc and she didn't think so, but on the nhs sites and papers I have found all say there is a link; which is a bit confusing but I guess it depends on your levels.

I got a copy of all my results and it seems that in Edinburgh at least they just check for APS and blood clotting disorders as well as look at the uterus. she added thyroid to mine because she thought I was showing some of the symptoms.

hubby has at least come round to asprin/heparin but I think I am not going to do it for the 5th pregnancy but if I need a 6th attempt will. My reasoning being is they are treating the thyroid problem now and I no longer drink any coke or caffine which after talking to the consultant I was probably consuming too much.

so I'm 5dpo now and fingers crossed I get my bfp quickly and have a successful pregnancy.

 

[cocosherbie]

AshleighLousie - Im so so sorry to hear you had another loss recently I cant believe they've waited until you lost your 4th to offer any testing! I don't really know how the system works over there but I understand there are a number of world-class clinics who offer very thorough testing and if you can afford to go privately, might be worth looking into? Seems not all regions/countries test for the same things so its hard to determine who is offering the most thorough tests.

Platypus - sorry to hear about your thyroid issues too. On the plus side you can now take the steps to get it treated and hopefully remove that issue from the equation. Im sure you'll get your next bfp soon! Have you decided to definitely skip the aspirin/heparin combo next time and see how it goes?

 

[lottie89]

Morning everyone hope you're all ok? Off to the doctors this morning to get my bloods taken to see if we can find if anythings wrong! Not sure if I want them to find something or not, because at least if something is wrong, hopefully I can fix it