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Miscarriage/pregnancy loss

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For those of you who have suffered reoccurent mc, have you ever had an explanation or reason for it?

33 replies

brokeoven · 15/10/2010 11:51

Curious as in my Sadexperience, no one has been able to tell me why, even though out of my 5 mcs, 3 of them have been the same type.

OP posts:
mumatron · 15/10/2010 20:56

broke i had 4 rmc and am now 30 weeks pg. i never had a reason found for my losses.

have you had any tests?

ZombiePandaEatsEis · 15/10/2010 21:04

hi,

so sorry about your MCsSad

i have had 7MCs and i have a form of AntiPhospholipid Syndrome (APS) called Lupus Anticoagulant (LA), underactive thyroid and im having investigations for coeliac disease (gluten allergy) as that can cause unexplained infertility and early MCs (5 of my 7MCs have been 7 weeks or less) and i fit a hell of a lot of the criteriaHmm

what investigations have you had?

equator · 15/10/2010 22:35

Sorry to hear about your m/c's :(
I have two dc and then 4 m/c's between 8 & 11 weeks.

I had testing done (bloods) via my local hosp which came back normal after my 3r m/c.
Following my 4th m/c my GP referred me to a specialist miscarriage clinic at Liverpool womens hosp.

These results inicated that I have factor V leiden (clotting disorer) and borerline results for lupus which is now being retested.

My 4th m/c was diagnosed as a molar pregnancy so no medical intervention would have saved it but I am still pissed off at the hosp who did the initial testing as quite frankly my knowledge of misscarriages was greater than the nursing staff.

If you can, ask to be referred to one of the specialist units St Mary's in London or LWH whose knowledge around recurrent m/c is amazing.

ZombiePandaEatsEis · 16/10/2010 02:20

equator i am under LWH. they are really good arent they. i tested -ve for factor V but borderline +ve on LA on the first test and the second was very high. apparantly the levels can vary from month to month. i am on 5mg folic acid and 75mg asprin daily- the folic acid is for chronically low folate levels aswell though. glad you have a 'reason' and you hopefully should be able to move forward from here (if that makes any senseSmile i felt more...at ease(?)...sort of when i was told i had a reason...

brokeoven i hope you get a reason or a BFP that sticks very soon Smile

sotough · 16/10/2010 21:19

hi there, i had four miscarriages in a row following a successful and straightforward pregnancy with my DS who is now three years old. we had every test under the sun, through the NHS, including at St Mary's specialist clinic; and also privately at the Lister hospital. All the tests revealed only very slight possible causes - one test for lupus anticoagulant came back 'strongly positive' but i actually had the same test four times and the other three results were negative. I did have raised levels of NK cells (testing through the Lister hospital.) In case the lupus positive result was significant for this pregnancy i have been on clexane injections (heparin) and in case the NK cells were the cause i took steroids for the first three months. I am now 27 weeks pregnant Smile

jasmine51 · 18/10/2010 09:53

Hi
Have you had all the blood tests and scans? There are alot you can have. I have had 4 mcs and suspect I'm about to have a 5th (symptoms stopped at 5ks plus 4). Tests so far show polycystic ovary (not relevant as can easily get pg), polyps - might be more relevant. Also missing enzymes that process B vits and blood clotting probs! It might seem like odds are stacked against a sucessful pg but the care is available out there. Make sure you get referral to recurrent mc clinic or if you can afford it, go private and get the answers you need
xx

mumatron · 18/10/2010 16:53

jasmine my cons tested me for pcos, it can be related to rmc. it's to do with hormone levels not being sufficient to sustain a pregnancy. so please dont dismiss it as being irrelevant. i would hate to think you were missing out on possible treatment.

jasmine51 · 18/10/2010 17:50

Thanks Mumatron - thats really interesting, its not something that has been mentioned yet. I'm registered with Mr Rai at St Marys Paddington so if this 5th mc happens I'll certainly ask him. More importantly, are you having the tests you need?
x

Kileyrs · 19/10/2010 02:30

Hello. I am in the same boat as most of you also. I have been through 5 miscarriages and have no children. Me and my hub have been tested for many things included lupus anticoagulant which was high two out of three time but when the third test came back not above normal the doctor confirmed it as negative for the disorder.We have also been tested for celiac disorder and had a saline ultrasound done to look at my uterus which showed normal also. My doctor said there is a few more blood clotting tests we could test for but now our insurance is maxed out for the year so we are waiting untill after jan 1st to have those tests done. A part of me feels like giving up. I dont really mean that im just so tired of the heartache and here I am almost 30(next year) and keep suffering these losses. We want a baby more than anything! If anyone has any advice or opinions for me please respond.Thanks and I truly wish you all the best!!

equator · 19/10/2010 02:35

Are you in the UK, kileyrs?

Kileyrs · 19/10/2010 02:47

Equator, No I am not. Why do you ask? Is this only for Uk people??haha, if so I feel stupid!!! HA!

equator · 19/10/2010 03:44
Grin I was just wondering if the NHS were doing your tests.

I think there are a couple of women on the recurrent buns/testing thread who may be able to give you some advice on testing outside of Britian.

I have dc, but have had 4 m/c's over the last 3 years had all the diagnosed with Factor V Leidon.

I really hope that you get some answers soon
xx

mathanxiety · 19/10/2010 04:17

Kileyrs -- I had 3 in a row, and afaik the tests I had after the third were only for genetic abnormalities, and non were found. I had blood tests and assume I had nothing wrong with thyroid, etc., as I had no symptoms. I do suspect that I have some problem metabolising B vitamins but nothing I have ever had tested.

My doctor put me on progesterone therapy (uterine suppositories) and the next pregnancy 'took'. I was sick as a newt though. (US experience, early 90s)

I had one other mc a few years later, a late one at 13 weeks, but that was a once off as it turned out. The 3 in a row were all from 5 to 8 weeks, between DD1 and DS.

jasmine51 · 19/10/2010 12:07

If you want to explore your vit B metabolism, ask for an MTHFR test and also get your folate levels checked

mathanxiety · 19/10/2010 15:28

I'm definitely not ttc at the moment, but I think it might be useful to find out what's going on all the same with the B vits. Thank you very much for the tip.

mumatron · 19/10/2010 19:02

math i think alot of women are advised to try a higher dose folic acid after rmc.

i was advised to take a double dose of folic acid amongst other things and am almost 31 wks pg, so who knows. maybe it helps!

jasmine51 · 20/10/2010 10:40

Mumatron, am also now on 5mg folic acid and its importance was explained to me recently. Its not just about neural tube development, the Bvits are crucial for cell replication, they play a part in clotting control and others important stuff that I cant remember. For people like me who have a previously undiagnosed BVit metabolism problem, taking 5mg is like a caffeine hit...I've never felt so wired! Will have to take it through full pg and beyond though.
x

mathanxiety · 20/10/2010 19:20

I can never sleep if I take a vit B supplement after noon -- have to take it in the morning or I toss and turn all night.

mumatron · 20/10/2010 20:02

i don't think i was ever tested for any deficiency, but was advised to take as it wouldn't hurt.

what are the symptoms of bvit metabolism probs then? is it linked to coeliac?

jasmine51 · 21/10/2010 10:28

Mumatron
I am no expert but I have had certain conditions all my life that were indicative. Some are quite specific (I get blisters on my tongue) but more generally I had a consistently low blood folate level, I have always been quite anaemic and have had some clotting issues, oh and restless legs at night which is bl**dy annoying. If you google MTHFR test it will give you more info as that test is wider than just the BVit issue.

Mathanxiety - thats really funny, have been taking mine first thing in morning. they dont taste as good as a nice cuppa coffee but they certainly get me buzzing!

mathanxiety · 22/10/2010 17:15

Is the clotting aspect the reason why baby aspirin is often recommended in early pregnancy?

mumatron · 22/10/2010 17:29

i had the mthfr test, i know that because my nhs con refused to do it and i paid privately for it. don't think there was anything indicated there though.

i was advised to try aspirin and claxane due to a possible clotting issue, not from the mthfr test.

banana87 · 26/10/2010 14:53

Did everyone who had tests on this thread have karyotyping as well? I have just had my 2nd mc and am worried to death about chromosome abnormalities, even though we have 1 healthy child. They do that as part of the recurrent miscarriage testing on the NHS, correct?

Jackstini · 26/10/2010 14:58

Sorry to hear that Brokeoven. Have you had a blood test for Lupus?
A friend who had 3 mc found that was the issue. Easily sorted with daily injections and she now has 2 dc. Her mc consultant told her around 25% of rmcs are down to this.
Hope you get pg and it sticks soon.
I had 2 mc in between my 2 dc and it's the pits x

mumatron · 26/10/2010 16:32

banana yes they do the karyotyping tests on the nhs. make sure your partner goes with you to get them done at the same time. my dp had his done through his gp and they took an age to get back.