Recurrent Mc help - which tests I should have done

[flynn80]

I have 1 ds who is now 5 and since i'm have had 7 Mc's, the last being in June this year. They all seem to end around 5-7 weeks.

Ive been ttc for just over 2 years now, since the Mc's I have had the first round of blood tests done, all came back fine, and im currently waiting for the results of the karyotyping tests I get them 21st of this month after the hospital los the first set so had to wait another 3 months, DP decided he didnt want to have the test done at all so ve gone on my own for it.

If this comes back as fine I still believe there is something going on that they just havent found yet. Im reading all about the tests I can now ay for but havent a clue where to start, My consultant in Liverpool Women's has given me a leaflet about the warwick clinic so will poss try that, but what other tests should I be asking for.

My head is constantly baffled when I go to my appts, I would like this time to go in with a list of things to ask, any help is appreciated as at the minute im lost!

Hi Flynn, so sorry to hear you have had so many losses. I had 6 mc and currently pregnant (I also have a nearly-5-yr-old DS).

I was referred to St Mary's in Paddington and had blood tests and was booked for a hysteroscopy but became pg again first. The blood tests showed a tendency to clot so I've been told to take aspirin from getting a BFP. Several of the women on the mc threads are also taking aspirin even without those test results and have been told by their HCPs that they will not do any harm. I don't know if you've tried this. Did your consultant talk about a hysteroscopy?

The other testing you can have is for Natural Killer (NK) cells which would have been my next port of call. I know this testing is done in Coventry (but could be Warwick as well if that's what your doctor was talking about).

I also had an endometrial scratch which I had as part of a research study but you can get privately. It's often given to women who have IVF as it helps with implantation.

When you say your DP didn't want to be tested that is a bit strange. Was it just a blood test? I hope he is giving you support but if he has an undiagnosed issue that is very unfair to expect you to undergo potentially invasive testing.

There is a very supportive thread for women TTC after pregnancy loss which helped me get through some dark times. I would highly recommend it. All the best to you.

Thankyou Ms Juniper, Congratulations on your pg, that gives me such hope when i hear stories like this. Would you say anything in particular worked for you or just down to luck and timing?

My consultant said she didn't recommend i take aspirin as it wouldn't change anything, I took that to mean i don't have a clotting disorder it would treat, but i bought some just in case and once pg will take it anyway. Is the hysteroscopy something I should be asking for or would they recommend that if they thought i needed one? I just find it a minefield knowing which tests to get done.

Once i have the genetic tests back and if nothing is found with them i will get in contact with the NK clinic which is the Warwick one in coventry, I also googled about the scratch late last night and it can be performed in a private hospital close to me.

As with dp he is caring for his terminally ill father at the moment, the slightest things kicks off his anxiety so i'm not pushing that right at this moment and just trying to do everything I can get done myself, I will ask him to do it again though in the future if nothing changes.

I was actually on the thread quite a while ago under a different name, just found it hard to keep up with everyone though and eventually gave u but will check it out again now

Hi sorry to gate crash but just winding how much aspirin should you take? I'm tempted to take some if I get a bfp....If it does no harm... I had a mmc in December but no idea why... No testing done. Baby died at 6-7 weeks but erpc at 11 weeks.

Hullabaloo they are 75mg tablets, sometimes known as baby or junior aspirin. Usually have a label on saying gastro resistant. Most people take one per day with food. I get them from Tesco or Boots.

Flynn it's hard to know what made the difference (and I am still not 12w so nowhere near out of the woods but this is the most pg I've been in 5 years). Things I did in the 6 months before this cycle:

Lost 2 1/2 stone (I was overweight)
Upped activity levels
Changed to a mostly Mediterranean-style diet with no meat or dairy (so basically fish, eggs & veg)
Read It Starts With The Egg and followed the supplementation advice, so I took Ubiquinol, Myo Inositol and high dose Vit C plus pregnacare
Had the endo scratch

Since getting BFP, I've been taking Pregnacare Max, aspirin and 800mg additional folic acid.

I feel like the scratch may have been the thing as I had had several chemicals so perhaps the fertilised egg was struggling to implant properly. But as the blood tests found some clotting issues, hopefully that means the aspirin is helping.

It's hard not getting a definite answer and as I never had the hysteroscopy I'm not sure if that would have found anything. It was recommended by the consultant based on my history and age (41).

Hi - so sorry to hear of your losses. I've 'only' had three, also all between five and seven weeks. I'm just waiting for my test results now - I've had day 3 and clotting blood tests, and I also went to Conventry for the NK cells tests. I had the results of the first biopsy from Coventry (they do two) yesterday and it was normal, so I suspect that's not the problem, but I'm still glad I ruled it out. They give you progesterone no matter what the tests show as they believe that has a beneficial effect (albeit quite small, I think). I haven't had any karotyping - they told me that if I had another loss they'd do genetic testing on it, but I'm not convinced that would be possible if it's another one nearer the five week mark.

That's interesting Lisa, did they prescribe the progesterone now to take if you get a BFP or do you have to go back if that happens?

Now - but you actually take it from 7dpo, then test and either stop if BFN or carry on if BFP (they gave me four cycles' supply). I asked Prof Brosens (who I saw) about this, as I'd read about the PROMISE trial (which they did) showing that progesterone isn't an effective intervention - he explained that they think the issue there was that it was given too late, and you need it from very early pregnancy to make a difference.

*test at 14dpo, that should say

Thank you @MsJuniper 👍

lisa how much where the tests done under the warwick clinic? In the leaflet my consultant gave me it says around £300 but searching on their site its £500+, obviously I need an idea so I can decide when to get it done.

msJuniper thats for all the info, The 1st thing on my list to do is carry on loosing weight, I was 2 stone overweight, lost half then whilst caring for a terminally ill family member put on nearly a stone so its a forever ending cycle that I need to change, Ive often wondered if all this pain was down to being overweight?

The more I hear/read about the endo scratch the more im desperate to try it.

I was in exactly the same boat re weight. I felt it was something I could and should be able to change but somehow things kept going in the opposite direction, partly due to the depression of the mc. It is worth doing though, I have felt much healthier and more in control since losing some weight.

I think it was £540 for everything (two biopsies, and three consultations - the last one is done by phone), except prescription charges. If you ring them they'll talk you through the whole thing (you have to go at a very specific point in your cycle, so need to use OPKs). They're really nice, kind people who have obviously thought a lot about how to communicate with people who've had multiple losses in a compassionate but pragmatic way.

They think having the test has an effect which is a bit like having the scratch, I think - it traumatised the uterine lining and so encourages new growth. So they said that although it's primarily diagnostic it is also a bit therapeutic in and of itself.

The scratch is also referred to as a biopsy so that makes sense.

So do you have the scratch the cycle before you try and conceive? Or earlier in the same cycle? They won't do the biopsy if you've been TTC that cycle and that's always slightly confused me about the therapeutic effect - it must last over a period?

They told me the effect could last up to three cycles - I guess as long as it takes for the scratch to heal.

I had to ensure I wasn't pg that cycle and they did a test before the procedure.

It was like a more invasive smear test - not fun but over quickly and you know (hope) it's for the greater good.

Ah, it is very similar indeed, then. That's good to hear - I hope it might work for me, too, as mine seem not to implant properly. I reacted very badly to it - found it painful and straight afterwards I had horrendous cramps that the first time made me feel faint and the second time made me throw up! It was clear from other people's accounts and their kind but bemused reaction that my response was extreme, though - it would appear that my uterus is particularly angry when poked...

it would appear that my uterus is particularly angry when poked.

Right I feel I understand it a bit better now so thankyou both, so the endo scratch is pretty much the same thing as i'd be getting at the warwick clinic. Once I have these test results back for genetics I will ask for an endoscopy and see what they offer. and if not will move onto the warwick clinic.

The amount of dildo cams Ive had I don't think anything private phases me anymore!

Yep it was painful but I didn't have cramps after, just some blood but I knew to expect it.

Really hope it works for you Lisa and that this has been useful flynn

Ms Juniper, sorry completely forgot to say good luck with everything! Really hope this goes well for you, and we all get there in the end!

No idea if you fancy it, Flynn (and msjuniper if you want, but I'm hoping you'll soon feel confident enough that you're leaving TTC behind!) but I just started a thread for chatting about TTC after recurrent miscarriage.