Recurrent miscarriage support - tests, treatment, trying again - thread 8

[Bakingtins]

Welcome everyone, pull up a chair! A thread for anyone who has suffered multiple miscarriages and is in need of company, information, moral support, tea or sympathy.

Can I suggest we start page 1 with a recap of where we are all up to, because my fuddled head can't keep track?

oh yes and dry cereal to eat when you are feeling sick butterfly I was in hospital for hyperemesis and a lovely nurse who had been through it suggested dry cereal as its pretty inoffensive and has vits and minerals.

hello, no new news here, waiting for AF to come after the ERPC which will hopefully be around the start of December...

And next wednesday have a session with a counsellor at the royal free hospital as i finally decided to call the leaflet they gave me when I went for my first scan at the EPU

Nearly it becomes a sensitive subject and gets frustrating when doctors don't get it, good luck when you start ttc again.
Thanks for the cereal tip! I brought cereal to work with me today as a 2nd attempt at breakfast but don't think the milk did me any favours so I'll try it dry I'm feeling guilty about not eating anything healthy but I just cant stomach it.

Tiny I eventually gave in and saw a counsellor months after having my mc's and it was really helpful I wish I'd done it sooner I cried a lot but it was good for me, I hope it helps you x

butterfly if you look at the leaflet for cyclogest it says you can insert them either rectally or vaginally, so either is fine. Glad everything seems to be ok today.

nearly so crap when you get someone who doesn't understand. It's very hard to go and "try again" without a reason for previous losses or an action plan to be doing something differently. I hope the specialist is more helpful.

We've had baby hedgehogs several times before so we've used the obvious names (think so far we've had Spike, Spiny Norma, Iggle and Piggle, Bernard Bernard is not very obvious )

Tiny hope your counselling session is helpful.

Hi all - can I join in?

I have two DS, aged 7 and 5.
I'm 39 years old.
History this year: MC May 2013 at approx 7 weeks; MMC in late July (scan at 9 weeks, foetus was measuring 5/6 weeks).

Since then have been ttc with no luck. Every time I get my period I hit quite a bad depression. I'm currently in the midst of my two week wait and don't feel optimistic.

I'm in a foreign country too and don't have my usual doctor and support system around. Was actually also wondering if any of you have good advice on ways to help conceive or improve fertility. Obviously I haven't had problems conceiving in the past - but I'm getting older of course so any little tips much appreciated.

A part of me feels like my life is kind of in limbo or on hold until I get pregnant or have a baby. But I wish it weren't and that i could move on. But it's hard when you can't even allow yourself to have a big night out, get drunk, and forget about it all.

Anyway, hello everyone!

Hello MableMay, sorry you find yourself here.

I thought that you might find these two books interesting, and they may answer some of your questions:

www.amazon.co.uk/Coming-Term-Uncovering-Truth-Miscarriage/dp/0813540534/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385015797&sr=8-1&keywords=coming+to+term

www.amazon.co.uk/Miscarriage-What-every-Woman-needs/dp/0752837575/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385015839&sr=1-3&keywords=lesley+regan

There are a range of ladies with different issues on this thread. Most of us have had 3+ miscarriages, which is the recognised medical definition of recurrent miscarriage. However, many of us did try to get some tests done for 'the basics' after two. Being abroad, I don't know what you would be able to access where you are. The books might give you an idea of what you should ask for, though.

As for ttc'ing; as annoying as it may sound, my best advice is probably to relax and stop putting pressure on yourself. If there's one pattern that seems to emerge in all areas of fertility, it's that it tends to happen once you stop 'trying'! In the mean time, how about some reflexology or acupuncture? I have also taken she oak remedy in the past (no idea if it helps, but it might do and it doesn't seem to hurt).

www.amazon.co.uk/Australian-Bush-Flower-Essence-Dosage/dp/B006URJ08A/ref=sr_1_1?s=drugstore&ie=UTF8&qid=1385016322&sr=1-1&keywords=she+oak

Check with a doctor first, though.

Good luck today Baking, thinking of you.

JBrd glad you're feeling positive about your results - good luck!

Squiz I think we're going to take the same approach over Christmas; try but not try in the run up to Christmas and then enjoy the cheese and wine if AF arrives!

Butterfly hope you're still hanging in there - fingers crossed it's all still going well. I don't miss those nasty pessaries! I used to get up and put it in an hour or so before properly getting up and showered etc. I found this helped with most of the messiness by being horizontal for at least half an hour after putting it in. :)

Waves to everyone else - hope you're well?

I'm off the HRT now (yay!!!) and looking forward to/dreading getting the IUDs out next week. I have been warned that it is 'uncomfortable'. Hope to get a few interim results and see a lovely scan of a normal shaped uterus. A bit like the big reveal after a make-over!

From the numbers of us coming to the end of our investigations, hopefully we'll all have a merry Christmas! ;)

BTW, I've never had any counselling, did it help? In stead I get to teach medical ethics... which is sometimes interesting!!! It is possible I am quite emotionally detached....

Hi everyone, I have my rmc referral appt this morning at 11. I'm also 5 weeks today.

Any tips on what I should be asking about and for would be really appreciated.

Scared shitless going into week 6 as this is my time to mc.

Good luck Baking, sending you positivity

Good Luck Tanny! Not sure what you need to ask specifically, but do write down anything you think of so that you don't forget it when you are there. Sending good vibes!

Had a terrible night of either not being able to sleep then having horrible dreams when I did drop off.

Mabel welcome. I'm sure you don't actually have a problem conceiving since you've been pregnant twice this year. It just becomes a major part of recovery to be pregnant again and it's hard not to get caught up in the roller coaster of waiting for ov, trying, 2ww, disappointment if AF arrives How does the system work where you are? Have you looked into accessing miscarriage investigations?

tanny good luck today. I guess I'd want to know what they can do to support you in this pregnancy. If nothing else they ought to offer you regular scans and TLC, which has been shown in one fairly big study to be as effective as the other interventions for cases where there is no diagnosis. I'd also ask which of the standard RMC tests can still be done, though I think for quite a lot of them you need to not have pregnancy hormones in your system.

Scan is at 3pm, will let you know how it goes.

Tanny, they can do at least some bloods as some conditions come up in pregnancy, also, ask them for fortnightly scans

xx

Good luck for the scan Baking

Hello all, please can I join you?
My history, I'm 36 and have an amazing DS who is 3. Had 3 natural early miscarriages before having him and have been having problems again over this year ttc our 2nd. Had natural 7wk miscarriage in January then lost a little girl at 19wks in June. Found out she had Down's syndrome which we were fine about, but she had fluid everywhere filling her organs and heart didn't develop and we lost her and I had to give birth to her. Saw a fertility specialist after this and from blood tests were told her downs was not genetic from us. Was put on progesterone as have very short luteal phase and got pregnant again. Unfortunately I've just lost this one at 9wks and had erpc this week.
Been referred for recurrent miscarriage testing in January and testing will be done on what they removed from erpc. I'm very frustrated as I've always done everything "right" whilst ttc and see other people who don't and manage to get pregnant very quickly whenever they want!
We're very lucky to have our son, but to have only 1 child out of 7 pregnancies doesn't seem very fair to me!

Hi MabelMay and Katieash. :)

Best of luck Baking for 3pm!

Quick question - anyone with 'sticky blood' experience the joint/back pain? I have had unexplained, terrible back and hip pain for the last few years that comes and goes (but doesn't get worse) and could only be relieved with painkillers that as a side effect slightly thinned the blood (funny that!). At St Mary's they said it was probably the sticky blood as it's a common symptom.

My problem is: if I can't use aspirin when TTC then (TMI) it makes it quite tricky TO TTC if I cannot move my back or hips without pain. :/ Any suggestions? It's not muscular so stretches are of limited use: it's the blood aggravating me.

squiz I have blood issues, but never have had (or heard about) problems with back pain being associated with it. There is a lot of conflicting evidence about using aspirin while ttc, but I have heard from several doctors now that they don't believe that taking low doses will do any harm. So I guess the question is what dose do you require?
If you need more than junior aspirin, maybe taking it as & when (i.e. when you want to dtd) and stop again might be a compromise? Did they offer any advice about this at St Mary's? If not, it might be worth asking then, as it's indeed a tricky one!

Baking Good luck for your scan today! One step at a time...

Mabel From my experience, I can only say please don't put your life on hold while ttc and waiting for a baby! It will only add to the stress and anxiety that comes with that anyway... Do what you would normally do or want to do with your life, why hold back? There is and never will be a 'good time' to have a baby anyway, so no point grinding to a halt while waiting for it to happen. Were you referring to anything in particular that you want to do?
So go and have that night out, it will do you good and no harm!

tiny and butter very of your counselling sessions, I wish that I had had the sense to do that, esp after my first mc!

Sooo, I'm currently ovulating and back to dtd as often as possible, while still trying to still enjoy it... Really not a fan of the whole SWI anymore, it takes a lot of fun out of it

Welcome mabel & katieash

Baking hope your scan went ok today.

Tanny hope your app went well too.

just counselling did help me I went for I think 3 sessions around the time my sil was pg and when baby was due then after it arrived I went no more after that it made me realise what I was feeling was totally normal and I wasn't a cow for hating sil, also that it was my baby I wanted not hers it was really helpful just wish I'd gone sooner.

Waves to everyone else I'm on phone so will catch up properly later.

Quick update to say everything ok on scan, baby leaping around and I have permission to stop all treatment and be a normal pregnant person. Slightly worrying but must trust Prof Q!

Fabulous news Baking :)

OOOH Baking! How wonderful! So pleased for you! :)

Jbird they were a bit cautious at st Mary's so i'll probably do as they advise ... It gets worse at night ... Time for some afternoon delight lololol!?

Baking Wooooooooooo!!! Yay!

Baking that's fab! What a milestone!

katie welcome! Sorry to hear about your losses, 3 in a year is pretty tough, but a late loss as well must be even more difficult. I hope the testing brings you some answers. I'm with you on the being with women who do everything wrong and still get a baby. I had to restrain myself from ripping the fag out of some hugely pregnant woman's mouth on my way to the RMC clinic today.

squiz have you asked about other painkillers? Patacetamol?

tanny hope your appointment went well.

Thank you for all your messages of support. Sorry I didn't reply sooner. I've been trying to think through everything.

My gynae was very nice, took my history and didn't tell me off for getting pg so soon, said I was doing the right things. He explained that there wasn't much more to do about my rmc history whilst I am pg.

Then he offered to do a scan to see how pg I was.

There was no sign of any fetus on the scan and he thought my lining looked very thin. He looked at my tubes and ovaries and found a cyst on one ovary.

So he thought that either it is earlier in my pg than I thought, or I have an ectopic.

He sent me to get bloods taken to check my hcg levels and said if they were over 1000 it would be a concern, under 500 and we might be early and in between we'd need to retest.

Bloods came back 511, so I have to go back on Saturday for more testing.

If they have doubled, good news, if not I will have another scan early next week for signs of early mc or ectopic.

I feel ok. Relieved to hear about it this way, and if it is ectopic then this will be the second time the NHS will have saved my life.