Recurrent miscarriage testing and beyond.. Part 6.. Over here!

[orangebowl]

We have filled up the last thread so here is the next.. Deep breath and grit your teeth for the roller coaster of emotions that continues... Hope tea and butterfly and all find it!

So I will start off with an update on what was supposed to be my 6 week scan today... Turns out they changed it to Monday but I never got the letter.. Nice 2 hour round trip for no reason there then!

Hi school found it i'm sure tea will be along soon!
Sorry you didn't get your scan today i know whats it's like when you have counted down the days to it and get yourself all geared up i'm keeping everything crossed for you on monday, would be nice with this being a new thread to kick it off with some good news and then hopefully the rest of us might follow..... X

Hi - thanks for new thread school

No good news from me unfortunately.
Found out today at dating scan that baby hasn't made it. 13 wks - exactly the same stage as the last one. So it appears the medication made no difference.
I'm just over the 12 week cut-off so will have to go through medical management in hospital for the third time. So sad and angry - pretty sure that I'm not going to put myself through this again.

Oh ilove. I'm so so so sorry. God it's awful and horrible and just not fair in any way. I hope you have some support with you right now. Thinking of you tonight. X

Oh iloveblue i'm so sorry, I know there's nothing I can say but just want you to know i'm thinking about you. I hope everything goes as straightforward as it can for you i mean that in the best possible way. I've never got quite as far as you but i understand all those feelings you will be having at the moment it's incredibly hard, keep strong and take care xx

Hi everyone I've just found this thread so School thanks for starting it. But I am just so sad for Iloveblue.

Iloveblue I am really so sorry that this has happened to you again its so unfair and makes me so angry that we have to go through this especially at such a late stage. I hope you are coping and have support. Can you have an erpc so they can test the baby for chromosomal issues? I've had 2 erpcs & last one was tested and they found triploidy which helped explain it. I guess what I'm saying is that maybe there was another just random reason which won't happen again?

It's just not fair and I was so hoping it was going to work for you and you would be our success story. I really don't know if any of this ramble is helpful so sorry if not. Did you see your consultant at the scan? Did they have anything useful to say?

Keep posting on here. Thinking about you.

Butterfly how are you doing? Hope you are feeling ok. Your posts sound really strong & positive.

School that's so annoying about the scan. It would drive me round the bend as I get in such a tizz about scans. Well done for not losing it with them - I probably would have done!! Really hope you get some good news on Monday - we definitely need some!

No news from me really. We are ttc again and I'm feeling a bit more calm than previous attempts and also enjoying time just me, DH and DD. although no idea how I will cope if I get a bfp. Trying not to think about it. Need to stop drinking though & eating rubbish but its a bad time of year for that..!

Just thinking about you Iloveblue and wanted to say so.

Tea. Yes I was a bit annoyed but then just thought well in the scheme of things it's not a big deal.. Am however very very nervous about Mondays scan. If it goes ok I am pleased that try will scan me every 2 weeks but that is also pretty stressful in itself!

Another few days of over eating and drinking will be fine before ttc kicks off for you tea! I find it so annoying that I have been pregnant for about 8 months of the lat 2 years and during those times had to go trough all the rubbish pregnant stuff without even a baby to show for it. Humph.

Just had another read of the chapter of Lesley regans book about APS as well.

Xx

Can i join please?
I've lost 3 babies since April at 23 (baby boy), 7 & 7 weeks. Also had 3 D&C'S, PID & now Over active tyriod, got to wait 3 months for tests to take place, I'm 18.. Partner is 25.

So sorry to hear about your loses, no one should have to go through it once let alone 3 times :(.

Hi tea i'm doing ok thanks trying to be strong after the last mc i got quite down about things and have only recently felt more like my old self so don't want to let things get on top of me as hard as it is. As awful as this sounds this time hasn't been quite as bad i think it mite be because we had only known for a week so didn't have time to think about things too much either that or it hasn't hit me yet.
I'll keep my fingets crossed you get your bfp soon i see you are ttc again good luck x

Welcome Riley, so sorry for your losses, I've had 3 mc since march 9, 10 & 6 weeks. I've had 2 erpc and currently a natural mc. I've had basic tests done but have a app with my consultant next week so i'll ask whats the next step if there is one. There's some lovely ladies on here i'm sure you will get lots of support and some good advice x

Hi all. Just thought I'd check in on this thread as haven't posted for a while.

Have had 3 mcs in the last year and a half, diagnosed with Factor V Leiden and will be given heparin for next one. Now trying to conceive again. The last 3 times I got pregnant on the third cycle. Third cycle has just come and gone this month so no such luck this time, although I've become used to this stuff not going as you'd like it to so no surprises really.

Iloveblue, I was sad to read your news. I dread it going wrong a fourth time, while on the treatment you hope will make the difference. I feel there is a limit to the amount of time and energy and emotion you can give to it, but then you hear of everything going fine for people after 5 or 6 mcs. It's hard to know when to give up. Do keep us updated on your news.

I'm just trying to enjoy being able to drink over the new year, trying not to be jealous of pregnant friends, trying not to stress about not conceiving quickly... None of it's particularly easy as you all know. x

Hi all

So sorry butterfly I was so caught up in my own bad news that I didn't realise you have had another loss. Hope you are okay xx

Hi riley sorry to hear of your losses. My first loss was a baby boy at 20 wks so I know how awful it is to go through such a late loss. Have the doctors said if it is connected to your thyroid problems?

Hi to guppie. Glad to hear you have got a diagnosis, hope you get your BFP soon.

Thank-you for the kind words tea and school - I just can't believe I'm going through this again.
I've been into hospital today for the first tablet and then will be admitted on Monday for medical management. The limbo is horrible.

The professor from Coventry has emailed me (I emailed them to update them) and wants me to come in for a consultation regarding what may have gone wrong this time and alternatives if we decided to try again.
He suggested that as my NK cells are so high it might be better to treat them before I become pregnant. Its something to think about maybe in the future but at the moment I need some time away from it all.

Iloveblue- sorry to hear about your losses and that your medication isn't working. Hopefully they'll look into it more! My Gp thinks loosing my baby boy triggered my thyroid as I've lost 2 stone since then, but its not bugged. My appointment to see spevialist isn't until the 27th January.. Ive been really ill with it, sometime my partner has to carry me out of bed because Im to weak to stand! My 2nd mc i didnt no I had a thyroid problem, I think my last two may be down to it.

Thank you butterfly, I really hope they can help you. I've only had a chromosome test after my first loss at 23 weeks. Spoke to my lecturer who is also a midwife, she said they do loads of test.. which are whether your compatable with your partner, natural killer cells and aparebtly abnormal sperm can be a problem.. which my partner has due to smoking. Hope they find answer soon. X

Iloveblue- i hope your consultant can get you on the right treatment soon x

Riley- I wonder if they will do any more tests on me now i do hope so. I'm interested in the abnormal sperm due to smoking I've not heard that before but my partner is a smoker. Can that cause mc?
I hope they can sort your thyroid out for you can you not be seen sooner you shouldn't have to suffer feeling so unwell xx

Butterfly, I'm not sure if it can cause mc. But they advice you not smoke(makes it lazy) so your sperm sits thee. Drink makes it swim in circles. They can have two head ot tails. Type in abnormal sperm for images. x

Iloveblue I hope it goes as well as it can today. Will be thinking about you. Let's hope 2013 is a better year for all of us.

Riley welcome! And so sorry to read your story, must be absolutely heartbreaking. I am terrified of a later loss - mine were at 12, 9 & 7 weeks so I've been 'lucky' in that sense but I know someone who had a triploidy pregnancy like me and didn't find out til the 20 weeks scan and that must just be devastating. Anyway I hope you find some answers and regardless you will definitely get some support here!

Butterfly glad you're doing ok. I know what you mean about getting used to mc. I am so tough to it now it its depressing! Although each one feels different and I never know how I'm going to feel on a daily basis. I have 3 very close friends who are now heavily pregnant and I'm finding it so hard to see them, just thinking 'it should be me'. Although most of the time I manage to just get on with things. No idea what I'll be like now we're ttc again but I guess January is a good time to avoid people!!

Guppie hello! Let's hope we can support each ttc again. Must be nice to know there is some treatment for you to try next time? Does it feel reassuring?

Happy new year everyone!! Praying for healthy babies all round in 2013!

Tea: what's a triploidy pregnancy? Sorry to hear about your losses, no matter what stage it still hurts :(

They just found a chromosomal abnormality when they tested the tissue after my erpc. Apparently it's when the foetus has 3 of every chromosome instead of 2.

Welcome Riley and guppie. Hope you are feeling welcome

Ilove. Hope you are doing ok today.

I had my scan and saw a heartbeat. Looks to be about 6 weeks which is what I thought I was so so far so good. Got given the heparin to start injecting- did the first one there today. Happy web have a start..

So now it's just to get through the next few weeks without going mad!

Tea.. When will you be testing next then? Few more weeks I guess?

X

teaandchocolate - It would be lovely to have someone to share the probable frustrations of trying to conceive and if successful the nerves of being pregnant again with! It feels like forever ago I was last pregnant, although it's only been 6 months (waited 3 for the tests).

I have mixed feelings about them having found the Factor V Leiden as my consultant wasn't hugely reassuring that the heparin would necessarily help. She basically said some hospitals think it helps and prescribe, some don't but that she thinks it's worth trying until 3 months pregnant. But she said she asked the hematology dept at what point they think it should be stopped and they said it wasn't proven to help anyway so it doesn't really matter when it's stopped..! I've also read a lot online that FVL can cause a late loss if blood clots form in the umbilical cord, and that scares me. But I guess despite all that, I am glad something will be different about the next pregnancy, if we get there.

Schooldilemas - Congrats on your success so far. It's great news there's a heartbeat :-) Do you mind me asking why you're on heparin? Do you have a clotting condition too? Do you know how long you're going to be taking it for? Totally agree with what you said about being pregnant for all that time in total and nothing to show for it! It's such a bummer, plus hard not to feel a bit in limbo when planning for the future. For instance, I'd normally be applying for jobs at the moment as my current one is going nowhere, but I feel I'm too focused on TTC to be committed enough to a new job.

iloveblue - I hope you're doing okay. I guess it's positive that this expert thinks they might be able try something different next time. Were you being treated for the high NK cells already for this pregnancy but they're saying they could start treating for them before the pregnancy has begun next time? It's so sad and cruel what you've experienced but you sound wise to say to need time away from it all for now.

Hi to everyone else and looking forward to hearing everyone's news and - fingers crossed - successes. x

School Thank you :). I'm Riley by the way, changed my name. x

Hi Guppie,
dont mind you asking at all :) yes i have been diagnosed to have Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS)- some people call it sticky blood- after my 4th miscarriage. My consultant said same as yours that there is significant evidence that asprin helps but not conclusive evidence that adding heparin does so it was up to me if i wanted to have that too. i did some googling and looks like the main place to think that asprin with heparin is better based on research is St Marys- lesley regan has done research where the results showed that for patients with APS. taking just aspirin live birth rate rose from 10% to 40% but adding heparin as well as aspirin it rose to 70%.
as i say that was one study- a few others have shown similar and some show no difference.
but given lesley regan is the leader in the field and also that there are no adverse affects I just thought that i would cover all bases and take heparin too.

i agree that everything seems to stop- I guess we only have so much energy (emotionally) and this takes so much out of you that it's difficult to add work etc. into the mix.

x

That's interesting research Schooldilemas. It sounds like it's definitely worth trying as well as aspirin. My consultant didn't say to take aspirin as well - she said it was something they used to advise and now don't. But I think, from what I've read, the advice has only changed about taking it while trying to conceive - ie it could reduce your chance of conceiving. It seems to still be a good thing to do once you're pregnant, especially if you have a known clotting problem. I'll speak to her once I get there again, but I think I'll do both. Are you taking 75mg aspirin or a higher dose?

Anyway, I should probably just be concentrating on getting pregnant again first..! Despite our best efforts (!) it is proving elusive. A bit annoyingly, miscarriage seems to have knocked my cycles a bit out of whack so that probably doesn't help...

School thats fab news about the scan and a hb!! I think I'll be testing in a few weeks. Expecting to ovulate this week although my cycles can be pretty erratic so who knows. Just can't imagine getting excited about a bfp. Really scary!!

Also can't believe its 2013 and still no baby! Suddenly felt a bit panicked that I'm getting old and its been a whole year and no closer to another baby. Not helped by everyone else giving birth left right & centre! (Not literally.. )

Guppie let's stress together! I completely agree that mc makes it hard to focus on anything else. As I expected to be on mat leave this year it's kind of thrown my plans out and I was finding it really hard to get motivated about my job. But I don't feel I get concentrate on a new one as too much else going on. Although it is nice to worry about something other than mc!

Also interested to hear about the research into aspirin and heparin. It's mad that there's no conclusive evidence about their effectiveness and that we all seem to have to do our own research about all of this. Just so frustrating!

Anyway hope you all had fun last night

Just a quick one to say yes aspirin is just from the point of BFP as apparently can interfere with implantation. My consultant ha also prescribed high dose folic acid (5miligrams, usual dose when there are no issues is 400micrograms so over ten times usual dose). Off to bed now as first day back at work after 10 days off tomorrow.. Yuk Sunday night feeling magnified!