low dose aspirin whilst ttc - conflicting info

[greenwolf]

I'm hoping some of you might be able to share your experience.

I've been TTC for 4 years nearly. I had endometriosis diagnosed and treated (to a degree) through laparoscopy and I became pregnant quite soon after that. Unfortunately our little one died at around 16 weeks in what was a mmc. I was advised by the obstetrician to take low dose aspirin as soon as an interuterine pregnancy was confirmed. I eventually got pregnant again around 18 months later, and my GP interpreted the aspirin instruction as waiting until a scan at 8 weeks to check the pregnancy was indeed intrauterine (not tubal) and to then start taking it. Unfortunately the pregnancy didn't last until 8 weeks - I miscarried at 7ish weeks. I then had a fertility clinic appointment where the fertility consultant told me I should be taking baby aspirin whilst ttc. I haven't been taking any because the info conflicts. Do any of you take aspirin whilst TTC? Does it help? So confused

I took it after conceiving my second (I'm now 37 weeks). I didn't take it with my first as he was unplanned and no reason to think anything would go wrong.

I had two mcs in between them, first one I didn't know I was pregnant until the mc at 13 weeks so of course no aspirin. Took it with the second miscarriage pregnancy but lost the baby anyway.

Thanks for sharing your experience Purpledahlia. Did you just take the aspirin when you found out you were pregnant or did you also take it whilst ttc?

I've taken it during a high risk pregnancy under consultant care- from 14 weeks.

It's meant to help prevent preeclampsia I believe.

Sorry should have added though I had let heard of taking it while TTC - but will watch this thread with interest.

According to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, in women with recurrent pregnancy loss with no cause found, aspirin does not improve pregnancy outcomes and therefore isn't recommended (source: www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/scientific-impact-papers/sip_26.pdf)

However women with proven risk factors for pre-eclampsia are advised to take baby aspirin from 12 weeks until birth (www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg107/chapter/1-Guidance#management-of-pregnancy-with-pre-eclampsia)

Of course there may be different advice in individual cases!

I took it the month of my BFP to try and improve my uterine lining as my periods had become so short and light it was ridiculous (literally 1 day of light bleeding)

I don't know if it was the baby aspirin or the HSG I had that cycle but something did the trick after 11 previous BFN cycles

I didn't take it when ttc no, after my first mc a midwife advised I take it straight away next time I got pregnant but I suppose it couldn't hurt to take from as soon as you are trying

I took it from getting my BFP in my second pregnancy after advice from a consultant following pre eclampsia in my first pregnant.

I took it as advised from midwife at 7 weeks as preeclampsia in first pregnancy 10 years ago but mc at 10 weeks so didnt make any difference to me.

There’s an association between pre-eclampsia and some types of recurrent pregnancy loss (anti-phospholipid syndrome, possibly others).

Implantation occurs around 4 weeks so I just took mine as soon as I got a positive test. But my cycle is regular and I tested as soon as I was late, plus I get awful gastritis on aspirin and didn’t want to take it for any longer than I had to! You’d be fine to take it while TTC if you want to, it’s cheap enough OTC and won’t harm the fetus.

For pre-eclampsia the advice is to start at 12 weeks (as that’s when the placenta takes over).

For recurrent miscarriage due to aPL you take both aspirin and heparin while TTC (or as soon as you find out you’re pregnant if it’s unplanned).

The evidence isn’t strong enough to make recommendations for other causes.

(Not an obstetrician, just had a lot of obstetric problems and read a lot of the relevant guidelines and papers).

Thanks everyone for sharing info and experience.

Thanks for the link to the paper, Strawberrye.

I also asked my consultant about use of progesterone if I did become pregnant. Her response was "it's better for babies to miscarry at an early stage than have to make a decision to have a termination for medical reasons at 20 weeks" - which was weird and insensitive. It seems that there really is limited info and evidence base on so many of these things which may or may not support conception or early pregnancy.

I did have a test for aPL after the first, late, miscarriage, which came back fine/negative I believe. I didn't have any investigation after the second miscarriage. In hindsight, I should have pushed for some testing.

I think both the fertility consultant and the obs & gynae consultant have suggested I take aspirin, heavily caveated with 'it may not help, but it won't do any harm'. And as I've been ttc for so long, I may as well give it a shot.