In 2018 I suffered 3 chemicals and 1 early miscarriage at 6 weeks. I was absolutely beside myself. I figured something must be really wrong with me my body just couldn’t get them to stick! After 3 my GP referred me to the NHS recurrent miscarriage clinic at my local hospital. The consultant was very friendly but politely took me through an online document which detailed what the NHS will and will not look in to when it comes to early miscarriages (for those interested google ESHRE Miscarriage Guidelines). She explained that early miscarriages, prior to 8 weeks, are usually just bad luck and to keep trying and make an appointment to see her in 6-months time if still not pregnant. I cried the whole drive home. Feeling so useless and let down. The consultant did follow up the appointment with a letter asking me to start taking 75mg of Asprin straight away, while we were trying, and to keep taking it throughout should I fall pregnant. She also offered the support of EPU and told me to self-refer to them in my next pregnancy – so the NHS weren’t completely useless! They just didn’t have a magic fix for me which was all I wanted.
My husband suggested we use some of our savings on some private tests via a private fertility clinic. This in my opinion was a big waste of money and also a bit of a con preying on desperate women but I wont get in to that. All the tests at the private clinic came back fine apart from I was low on folic acid even though I was taking the recommended amount daily, and that I had mild polycystic ovaries which I had suspected for a long time. I was sent away from the private clinic with two options 1. It was bad luck and we should keep trying or 2. Visit a private doctor in London for some further testing which would cost close to £5000 – we chose to just keep trying.
I spent hours and hours and hours googling and reading all sorts of stories online from women with similar experiences and what their doctor had suggested they do. From all I had learnt this is what I decided to try:
Before BFP
- I was slightly overweight so I lost about 10lbs
- There was some science behind the fact that women with Polycystic ovaries where insulin sensitive, a bit like being a pre-diabetic and not able to metabolise carbs properly so I limited myself to 40gs of carbs a day using the ‘my fitness pal’ app and also drastically lowered my refined sugar intake and upped my exercise.
- 1000mg of Innositol a day (there is some research to say inositol helps metabolise insulin – going back to the PCOS comment)
- 100mg of CoQ10 /Ubiquinol a day from cycle day 1 through to BFP (stopped at BFP)
- 50mg of B6 a day
- 400mcg of Methlfolate (as the private doctor had told me I was low on folic acid I wondered if maybe I didn’t metabolise the folic acid as it is synthetic so decided to try folate instead)
- 1000mg of B12 a day – (apparently if you take Methylfolate instead of Folic Acid you must take B12 alongside it in order for your body to absorb it properly)
- 1000mg of Fish Oil a day (no fish liver e.g cod liver oil – this has too much Vit A in which is bad in pregnancy)
- 75mg of Asprin a day
- 2 x centrum multivit gummies a day (which are high in VIT D)
I started taking all of this late October. I had a normal period in November but in December I noticed my ovulation had moved forward a day and in January it had moved forward two days and had gone from CD 19 to CD16 which in turn shortened my cycles. I also noticed my pre-period spotting which usually lasted 4 frustrating days cut down to 2! By January I had my BFP!
After BFP
I continued same does of B6, Methylfolate, B12, Fish Oil, Asprin and Centrum multivit.
I cut the Innositol to half – 500mg a day
I completely stopped the CoQ10/Ubiquinol
I am currently nearly 8 weeks pregnant and so far so good….
I appreciate all of this might be completely irrelevant BUT if you, like me, are feeling so low and so willing to give anything a try maybe give the above a go?? Good luck.
Please note – I didn’t take any pregnancy multivits (pregnacare etc) during this time.
x