Recurrent Chemical Pregnancies

[charlzz]

I have cross posted this so apologies!

TW: Recurrent chemicals

Hi everyone. I was looking for some advice really, and maybe some friendly people I can stay in touch with who have been through a similar situation.

TLDR: Trying to conceive my second child for 8 months. 3 consecutive early losses/chemical pregnancies. Looking for answers.

In April, May, and June I had 3 consecutive chemical pregnancies. For all three I've had darkening tests, followed by them getting lighter then I bleed. The first one was around 5 weeks, the following 2 were just a day or two after my period was due.

I went to my GP after the second, who was pretty dismissive but agreed to do some basic blood tests (iron, thyroid, vitamin levels) but nothing hormonal. The only relevant thing these showed were low vitamin D, which I'm now supplementing. They also showed low white blood cells and neutrophils (but I always have this so don't think it's relevant) and a slightly raised ALT (liver enzyme) which they are rechecking.

Now I've had a third chemical, they have reluctantly agreed to refer me to the recurrent miscarriage clinic but the wait is likely to be at least a year.

This cycle I took a break from trying and checked my progesterone privately. It was 45.5nmol/L at day 21 which looks pretty strong, and indicates I'm ovulating well. My luteal phase is anywhere from 11 to 14 days, although during my third chemical I started spotting at 9dpo. ChatGPT did say I could potentially still look at progesterone suppositories as my levels may not be staying high enough to sustain a pregnancy, but obviously I've got no way of knowing if that is good advice or not, and no way of getting progesterone anyway as I doubt my doctor would agree to prescribe it.

Up until this month I was still breastfeeding my 17 month old. I've now stopped as I convinced myself it may be affecting my hormones. So we will see if that helps at all.

Does anyone have any other advice or ideas of what I could do to try to have a healthy pregnancy?

@EmPeEfwhat wonderful news! I think we’ve been in some of the same TTC threads previously, so I’m so thrilled to see this 🥰

I didn’t do or notice anything different except I had a stronger initial line and actual line progression. Didn’t stop me worrying of course, and wouldn’t necessarily be indicative of anything.

Not much nausea. A lot of tiredness and in the first trimester, a lot of bloating. Very uncomfortable. It’s been really tough I’d say, but not as hard as it could have been with nausea on top. The hunger and pickiness over food choices has been insane. And I have an appointment with the gynea physio Friday as SPD has set in already (I’m hypermobile). 16 weeks today and I listened to the heartbeat yesterday. Can’t be sure I’ve felt movements yet or not though.

Amazing news, glad all is going well 🥰

Back for a bit of a moan! 11dpo negative here, still time but I doubt it now.
I went back and looked through old test photos (obv I take photos of most tests to keep a record!) and I’ve definitely had 3 cycles this year of VVVFLs around 9/10dpo that didn’t progress, plus the chemical that I lost at 5 weeks. So that’s 4 actual conceptions I think this year, that’s not even considering last year. I know lots of pregnancies are chemicals and people don’t know, which is Normal, but it doesn’t seem normal that in 2 years none have been successful!

we’ve got a fertility clinic review in the new year. I’ve still got more letrozole cycles to try but I just feel there’s more going on. Husband is really stressed and I hate that this is another thing to add to it. Going to try and chill over Christmas - on the bright side I don’t have to pretend to drink or make excuses!! Undecided whether to stick to my “not drinking much” or just let my hair down as not drinking hasn’t brought me any luck lately!! And then focus more on it in the new year.

Hope everyone else is doing ok ❤️

@Muddysocks1 no you're right. I think one or two can be bad luck, but by the time you're at three or four there has to be something going on. Even if 50% of pregnancies end in a chemical the math isn't mathing by number 4! Honestly I would let your hair down and enjoy it. What a sh*tty year it's been and I think we deserve it!!

And on that note, I am on chemical number five.

Oh @charlzz I’m sorry to hear that!
I took another MN break so only just seen. How are you doing?

and how is everyone else?

10dpo here and BFN. Fertility clinic review coming up soon so starting to prep what I want to say/ask.

Oh @charlzz I’m so sorry. How did things go? How are you feeling now? Stupid questions I know but I just want you to know I really feel for you.

I’m currently in hospital in week three of food poisoning! Supermarket prawn sandwiches apparently. I thought it was pregnancy stuff initially, then my GP said stomach flu. But I was ordered to come in by her cos I couldn’t keep anything down, and was admitted on Monday. A&E was rammed so after 15 hours in agony in a chair, I ended up sleeping on the floor for over an hour at 4am.
Can’t keep anything down unless I have a specific anti sickness, but they’re battling with my blood pressure at the moment. 77/47 this morning as it just keeps going lower no matter how many fluids they pump in. Not the way I expected to spend my 20th week pregnant for sure!

But by all accounts baby is coping fine. Saw it on the anomaly scan last Wednesday and it’s perfect. It made me look at my losses a different way, as they clearly wouldn’t have made it bless them. And my body did the right thing and waited (hopefully) for a baby I could take to term.
I’ll wait to hear if anyone wants to see a picture. I don’t want to flood this thread with difficult things people need to scroll past xxx Love to you all.

I’d love to see a pic ☺️

That sounds tough, hope you’re feeling better soon 🤞🏻

Hey, how’s everyone doing?

I’m on what seems like cycle a million.. 9dpo and think I can see a VVVFL but not totally sure. Clinic has now given me progesterone to take from a positive test, and doing some additional blood tests (lupus anticoagulant I think?) and a more in depth semen analysis.

Some positive action from the doctors is really good. I really hope it makes the difference for you. Looking forward to seeing your tests over the next couple of days and massively crossing my fingers!

I went straight from food poisoning into three weeks of bacterial pneumonia! And a week after finishing my antibiotics I went back today still having symptoms, and I have a viral chest infection. I think Boxing Day was the last day I was well! It’s been really hard on my youngest as he’s worried I’m going to be hurt or worse by the birth, and worries about me being ill.

25 weeks today, am absolutely huge, and baby is kicking like crazy! We’ve been able to actually see them for a couple of weeks now. Have a growth scan in a few weeks as well as a bunch of other appointments. I don’t know whether it’s my autism or my age, or all the loses. But every day I have to look in the mirror to remember I’m actually pregnant. It seems surreal.

Sorry to hear how difficult things have been for you OP. I had my first ‘easily’ but then had an ectopic followed by two very early losses. I couldn’t get much help on the NHS other than some basic blood tests so I did a bit of an internet dive and ‘thanks to Mumsnet recurrent miscarriage thread’ I’m now a Mum to 4 children.
I basically took some of the clinical trials research with me to a private appointment at CRGW and after a scan, sperm test for husband and bloods they were happy to write a private script to cover me for potential reasons behind the losses. I went on clexane injections until 12 weeks, progesterone from positive to 14 weeks and steroids until I think about 9 weeks (plus aspirin for first one). I managed to get a kind GP (backed by a phone call to a fertility specialist) for number 3 and 4 who then honoured the private script (which she didn’t have to as no one would do that with number 2). Interestingly I fell pregnant between 3 and 4 and wasn’t int he position to financially pay for the private script and the kind GP was on holiday and the others wouldn’t agree to the medication and I lost that one also - which is suggestive that something worked for me with medication combo.

I looked at the time to go privately for NK testing but I think if I recall they had a bit of a waitlist at the time and I wanted to just try my luck with the medication as wasn’t in the best headspace for waiting.

with number 4 I took doxycycline beforehand. It should also be noted that I went to see a functional medicine practitioner so had supplements and changed my diet a bit etc so that may have helped etc.

Wishing you the upmost luck x

Sorry the ‘scan’ was just a general health check and not because pregnant at the time x

I had 4 losses before my children. I went privately and they prescribed aspirin, progesterone from ovulation and metformin. Borderline Pcos. I carried my next two pregnancies. I definitely needed to do something but I don’t know which of those things helped. I have a suspicion that it was the progesterone.

Hello. I am late to jump on this. However I just wanted to share my experience.
ive had two girls back to back, they’re now 5 and 7, we tried for a third and we ended up having a little girl stillborn with Edward’s syndrome- that was in 2022,

weve been trying to have a baby for the last 20 months or so? But we’ve had 11 consecutive early losses, I get pregnant very easily it’s just staying pregnant. We had alsorts of tests done and the only one to flag up with anything was the antiphosphilipid test. We retested 3 months later and got the same raised result so we’ were prescribed inhixa injections. Progesterone and 150mg aspirin to take from our next BFP,
we are currently 6 weeks pregnant today and up to now, TOUCHWOOD, it doesn’t seem to following the same patterns. We’ve had the hook effect on tests at home, we’ve got no bleeding, HCG is still super high. We’re feeling super hopeful this time-
we have a scan this week to check for a heartbeat.

If you’ve not had your phospholipid bloods done I highly recommend asking for them.

what I also found super interesting is, the anti phospholipid syndrome is an auto immune thing,
in 2023 I had sepsis and they seem to think that could have triggered it, apparently a bad illness/ infection can trigger something in your body? I mean it all fits timeline wise…

I hope this has been a tad helpful for you.

baby dust to everyone xx

Hi everyone. I haven't been on mumsnet for a while so hadn't seen all of the lovely supportive comments we've had on here. Thank you so much!

I just wanted to give an update for anyone searching through these threads as I know how annoying it is to never find out what happened.

I am currently 13 weeks pregnant. My last cycle was another chemical pregnancy (my fifth in the space of a year).

This time round was my last hail Mary before stopping ttc for a few months so I could have the recurrent miscarriage testing on the NHS. I decided to make some changes. I was consistent with aspirin from the start of my cycle. I also ignored my doctor's advice and took the progesterone twice a day from 3dpo rather than waiting for a positive test, because I just felt that by the time I was getting a positive I was already losing the pregnancy. I also took my vitamins religiously and stopped vaping (I know it was naughty to be vaping while ttc but wanted to mention it here JUST IN CASE it made a difference. I would obviously always stop when I tested positive, but this time stopped for the whole cycle). I will carry on with aspirin and progesterone until 16 weeks.

I got a positive on the evening on 9dpo (our wedding anniversary!) and just instantly felt it was different this time, I have no idea why. I had hcg blood tests which showed numbers doubling nicely which they never did with my chemicals, and then an early scan at 5.5 weeks which a flicker of a heartbeat.

I've had my 12 weeks NHS scan and finally feel like I can breathe a little easier, although not sure I will fully relax until my baby is in my arms!

I hope this can give people reading this and going through multiple early losses some hope, plus all of the other lovely success stories in this thread. ❤️

@charlzz how lovely!!! ❤️❤️ this is such amazing news!

Well… I’m also pregnant! I’m currently 9 weeks. I had a scan at 6 weeks and saw a heartbeat 💓 had another at 8 weeks and again all fine. I don’t feel I can relax yet and waiting for my 12 week scan date but I feel so blessed and lucky at 42 having another child especially for my daughter too. Please keep in touch @charlzz 🤍

Ladies- I will also add that I also started taking low dose aspirin at 3DPO and also on progesterone. The first cycle I added aspirin.

Oh @charlzz that’s such wonderful news. Your experience of getting so many positives and then chemicals I could really relate to. It’s brilliant to hear you’re over the 12 week mark as well. I hope everything goes smoothly for you.
I’ve been keeping up with your posts in the other threads too, @Iris2024. Amazing news for you too. Wishing you both all the best and keep checking back in.
Just goes to show it can take us a little longer, but there is definitely hope x

I’m now 31 weeks and extremely uncomfortable 😅 I’m being monitored closely and often due to gestational diabetes now, as well as frequent growth scans as baby seems small. God knows how with the belly I have.
Has not been smooth sailing for a few reasons, not all pregnancy related. I’ve yet to have a chance to actually enjoy it. Bedridden for over 3 months from food poisoning, followed by pneumonia, followed by sinusitis which was awful. I couldn’t move without vomiting so I’ve only put on about 5kg. I wonder if it’s my age that I’m struggling so much. I just want it over and done with already but we don’t even have names sorted. Feeling very underprepared.

So happy to hear all the positive news!’ This gives me hope!!

Still no luck here, think we’ll probably be moving onto IVF. It’s crazy how much time has passed and we still feel in the same position, but I’m hopefully it’ll happen at some point, I think we just need to up the ante now 🤞🏻