Pregnancy advice, miscarriage trigger warning [title edited by MNHQ]

[alita7]

Of course if there's something wrong it might just happen but I thought we should all share tips on what we do to help prevent it, we might have more sticky beans then you never know :)

I've been taking omega 3 fish oils and drinking grapefruit juice to help keep my progesterone levels up. I was going to the aspirin as I have clotty periods and a mmc so thought I might of had a clot cross the placenta but some sites say it can increase the chance of mc so I decided not to.

What about you?

[Pregnantberry]

How far along are you?

I know this isn't what you want to hear, but almost all first trimester miscarriages happen because of chromosome defects which were set at conception, so aside from not engaging in medicine ball training/overdosing on things then there's not much which can be done.

After that, I think just be strict with yourself about not overstraining yourself as later on in PG that can bring on premature labour, keep good hygiene because infections can cause miscarriage, and follow all the advice about what to avoid/take supplements to keep the baby healthy in there.

[KatAndKit]

Avoid heroin and crack. Dont smoke and don't get wasted. That's it really. There is nothing more you can do. If an embryo is not viable then it won't stick and there is nothing you can do to change that. Very few miscarriages are preventable. I had two which led me to being diagnosed with a medical condition which can be treated, but even with my treatment, a miscarriage due to chromosome defects can't be prevented. I do take low dose aspirin but that is with a doctors prescription, do not self medicate please.

At the end of the day grapefruits will give you lots of vitamin c. If you want to take any supplements except for pregnacare you should get medical advice. Dr google can do more harm than good sometimes

[nearlyreadytopop]

The miscarriage association has an excellent website with accurate information on mc. If anyone is concerned about mc it should be the first stop.

[KitKat1985]

Like the other posters, as I understand it most miscarriages are caused by chromosomal issues or failure to implant properly, meaning there is very little you can actually do to prevent a miscarriage unfortunately. Eating fruit etc is fine but I would strongly recommend against self-prescribing yourself anything based on what Google says. There is a lot of crap unfortunately on Dr Google as well as useful advice, and you may do yourself more harm than good. xx

[allisgood1]

I guess until you go through recurrent miscarriages you don't realize that you can prevent miscarriage (only in pregnancies that have an chromosomaly normal fetus).

I have had 3 MC's and the thing I did differently in the pregnancies I did not miscarry (after tests came back "normal") was:

-take magnesium

• take progesterone suppositories prescribed by consultant "just in case" as my non-pregnant levels were fine
• take baby aspirin from 6 weeks (another "just in case" blood tests didn't indicate an issue)
• take vitamin D (I also used a sunbed prior to and when TTC)

I've had 2 sticky pregnancies (fingers crossed with this one!) using the above regime.

[Plateofcrumbs]

Alas in the vast majority of cases it is one of those things that 'just happens' and I don't think it is very helpful either for pregnant women to be panicking about 'preventing' miscarriage or for those to have experienced a loss to be beating themselves up that there is anything they could have done differently.

Follow NHS advice about health in pregnancy and any advice given to you by HCPs about your personal circumstances and try not to worry.

[alita7]

That's the sort of thing I meant all is good - obviously most miscarriages just happen unavoidably but you don't know if yours was or not so there must be things that might help with avoidable mcs . I'll see if there's magnesium and vit d in my vits.
I'll ask doc about baby aspirin.

[britnay]

Absolutely DO NOT take aspirin while pregnant UNLESS have you specifically been advised to by your GP.

[KatAndKit]

Yes but all is good has seen a consultant! Please do not take a range of non prescribed over the counter supplements. They might not be safe in pregnancy. Taking a pregnancy supplement will give you a safe and balanced amount of the nutrients that you need.

[squizita]

I am a recurrent miscarrier. Believe me, I have read pretty much everything on miscarriage and how to prevent it, and believe me bar very obvious things like not crash dieting, drinking, smoking, hitting yourself in the belly with a bat etc' there is very very little anyone can do. Even lysteria is phenomenally rare now. Recent research -unhelpful- into 'preventable' losses counted the 25% that were 'preventable' including women over 35 getting pregnant (your eggs get older, and the 'cure' is to not get pregnant: so their realistic advice was making women aware) and women with medical conditions such as thyroid, Antiphospholipid and diabetes who did not know (so nothing done once pregnant). So by preventable they didn't mean anything you could do - they were thinking purely as scientists where the cure would be 'only 20 somethings who've had extensive medical testing should have sex'

Many of the 'how to avoid' threads I find just add stress and worry to women at an already stressful time. At worst they can cause real psychological guilt or relationship breakdowns as a woman who has a loss can wonder, was it that coffee? Hair dye? etc'. Just puts her through hell.

My losses were preventable: because I have a blood condition. I therefore inject myself daily with blood thinners to keep this bean going (my odds are still 5-10% riskier than other women my age but thanks to my diagnosis well lover 50%).
Bar unlucky people like me - just do the usual NHS stuff (no booze, high risk food, smoking) and you are more likely to succeed than have a problem so chins up!

And whilst stress doesn't cause miscarriage (horrible old wives tale used during the baby boom to get women back out of work and in the kitchen) it's utterly shit combined with pregnancy AND can cause PND. So by not worrying, you're doing yourself a favour health wise too.

[squizita]

And as others have said NEVER TAKE ANYTHING UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN AN OB/GYN DOC... I WOULD GO SO FAR AS TO SAY NOT A GP!

One of the few things that can lead to complications (for you if not the baby) is thinning the blood at this time when blood is thinning/working hard anyway.

"Normal" women don't have to worry about preventing miscarriage... count yourself lucky if you're one of them and take full advantage by chilling. Remember your enthusiasm for 'preventing' could upset or offend someone who has had a loss or losses.

[allisgood1]

I agree with Squiz, do not take any baby aspirin or progesterone without those being specifically prescribed or recommended.

Vitamin D and Magnesium, however, are fine to take and are NOT found in normal pregnacare, etc.

sites.google.com/site/miscarriageresearch/vitamins-and-miscarriage/magnesium

sites.google.com/site/miscarriageresearch/vitamins-and-miscarriage/vitamin-d

[ItsSpringBaby]

This is a difficult subject to discuss, and I'm not sure my contribution is the most helpful but it's my experience.

With my first I was 18 and ignorant, still smoked the odd cigarette, took masses of senokot to relieve constipation, Imodium for the opposite purpose, ate what I wanted, took no prenatal vitamins and didn't really have a care in the world. I even caught flu in the final trimester and was really very ill, but it had absolutely no effect on my little one.

Now on my third and I have been so super careful. Have religiously taken my prenatal vits, I took anti-biotics at the first sign of a urine infection, had the flu jab and have been as safe as possible. The end result is the baby has a congenital abnormality that is not thought to be life threatening...but of course I still kick myself up the bum regularly wondering what, if anything I did to cause this.

I think the reality is, you can only try and avoid the major hazards - drinking, smoking, drugs, the no-no foods...eat well, take care of yourself by following all medical advice given and then hope for the best.

[ohthegoats]

As far as I understand, so long as you're not totally beasting yourself with drugs and booze, there is little you can do to prevent miscarriage. It's the one thing that I think would help me deal with one if I were to have one. That nothing I did, or didn't do, caused it. Articles like those in the Daily Mail last week don't help.

[squizita]

Allisgood yes I take vit D tablets- I meant actual 'medicines'. :)

Although it's also worth checking which vitamins are OK (i.e. reading up) as some vitamins and herbals aren't recommended when pregnant (some which are ironically meant to be great for conception e.g vitus).

[Aliama]

Vitamin D and Magnesium, however, are fine to take and are NOT found in normal pregnacare, etc.

Are you talking about a minimum amount, Allisgood? I was pretty sure the pregnacare I'd been taking included vitamin D (had been recommended to take it by my GP), and have just checked the ingredients of Pregnacare original on Boots' website. It includes both vitamin D and magnesium - 5 mcg of vit D and 150 mg of magnesium.

www.boots.com/en/Pregnacare-tablets-90-tablets_6361/

[Purplefrogshoes]

I have had 3 mc and I done everything right! No caffeine,alcohol, don't smoke, took all the recommended vitamins, avoided pate,blue cheese etc, made no difference

[alita7]

There's magnesium and vit d3 in my asda equivalent of pregnacare, is vit d3 Ok or would full vit d be better?

I obviously didn't start this thread to scare anyone but having miscarried before I want to make sure there's nothing out there that I've missed just in case- if it was due to chromosomes then what I do differently this time won't affect it, but I don't know that it was so I'd like to be safer this time!

[AmyMumsnet]

Hi all,

Thanks for your reports. We've edited the title of the thread now, because we felt that suggesting miscarriage can be prevented can be quite upsetting to those who have miscarried.

[allisgood1]

It's a high dose vitamin d (4000iu). The magnesium in those vitamins is different to the one specifically recommended to me (hence the reason I take a separate dose). Will have a look and see what the exact name is.

[peeapod]

unhelpful mnhq. people will now be clicking on this thread (as I did) and getting triggered re miscarriage... not helpful

[Mummytobeforthefirsttime]

I've had five recurrent miscarriages and none of these were preventable. The two had testing on the remains and these were chromosomal abnormalities, two were blighted ovum and one unknown.

I have been tested at the recurrent miscarriage clinic at St. Mary's where I have been told I do have slightly thicker blood during pregnancy and to take 150mg of aspirin. I was taking this for the last two pregnancies. I don't drink, smoke, take drugs or eat anything on the dangerous list, yet I still had recurrent miscarriages.

I am now pregnant again this time everything looks good, I have my 20 week scan tomorrow.

I'm afraid the advice I got at St. Mary's was that the majority of miscarriage are not preventable unless you have been diagnosed with a specific condition causing miscarriage. Someone mentioned the article in the Daily Mail regarding this topic which as someone who has suffered so many losses I found extremely offensive.

Good luck in your pregnancy.

[Armadale]

OP, I think you may have missed your calling.

Through my 5 miscarriages I have been through many tests and consultant appointments at several hospitals, including the hospital that is considered the gold standard of recurrent miscarriage care in Europe.

Not one of these poor doctors has a clue that grapefruit juice can prevent miscarriage!! Not a single one!!

Likewise, they don't prescribe omega 3- I don't know what they are thinking.

They also believe that the evidence that progesterone levels cause miscarriage is inconclusive at the moment, and only prescribe it just in case, believing it is probably a placebo, silly them, hey?

Are you planing a lecture tour soon to share your wisdom with the world??

Amy Mumsnet: you should have been much braver. It isn't the title that needing zapping here, its the whole bloody idea.