Ttc after testing positive for lupus anticoagulant

[Claire78564]

Hi so as my subject title suggests I have just been diagnosed with lupus anticoagulant. I have had 2 miscarriages in the space of 8 months. One at 6 weeks and the other at 11. Needless to say I am feeling like giving up. I have had to go private to get this diagnosis as NHS told me u would have to have 3 miscarriages before they would look into why this is happening. From a young age I've never felt confident that I would have a baby and it's starting to look that way.i guess I'm on here trying to hear some success stories that can I e me some hope. The specialist says it's a simple fix but I just dont know what this means for the future. Anyone had this problem and have healthy babies after treatment? I feel like my body has completely let me down and feel terribly guilty towards my husband xx

I tested positive for Lupus Anticoagulant (14 years ago). I already had one DS but then had 2 late m/cs before I did some internet research and asked for testing. I found an online support forum but I cannot remember the name. Try and do some Googling. There is also the m/c association who may have advice. I got referred to a high risk pg unit at nearby city hospital. I had amazing care there with regular blood tests and scans. I sadly had another m/c which was because of a chromosome abnormality before going on to have DS2 who is now 13! I took low dose aspirin and had daily injections of heparin. I also seem to remember the blood results fluctuating and sometimes coming back as normal. Good Luck!

@Awning10 thank you so much for responding. I really appreciate you sharing your story. I'm sorry to hear that you also have suffered but its encouraging to hear that you now have two children. Do you mind me asking how far along you were with your mcs? I'm praying that third time round I will be getting this kind of treatment and I will have my baby if I'm lucky enough next year. I'm 30 and already panicking I'm not gonna have my kids young xx

I'm glad to help in any way. When I was going through it all, I was heavily involved in m/c forums and met loads of women there going through the same thing. We were a great support for each other. Helping others really helped me get through it all. I've moved on now and only popped onto this board by chance as I am stuck in bed with a cold.

My first m/c was at 18 weeks which as you can imagine, was horrendous. I thought it was a one off. Then it happened again at 15 weeks. The hospital at this point should have referred me or tested me but they didn't. They should also have carried out tests on the first baby and also tested the placenta but they didn't. Luckily, I did some Googling, went to my GP and she referred me to the high risk pg unit. They were amazing. It could be that your earlier m/c was just a normal m/c. In fact, they both could have been....

My experience may be out of date now but I remember women being referred to Queen Mary's m/c clinic in London and I think there is one in Liverpool. There are probably many others. Try and get a referral. I also saw a private doctor for a second opinion and he also added progesterone to my treatment. Also do a Google on Antiphospholipid Syndrome... this is related to Lupus Anticoagulant. This was also in the name of the pg support group I joined. There's also Natural Killer Cells that can be associated with recurrent m/c. Bear in mind my knowledge is possibly out of date now.

Don't panic about the age issue... I was 36 when I had DS1 and 41 when I had DS2.

Here's something I found:

www.aps-support.org.uk/about-aps/what-are-the-symptoms/pregnancy

Hi @Claire78564
I had 2 early losses last year around 6 weeks, I just turned 38 and so I pushed for testing and it showed high anti-cardiolipins. I was out on low dose aspirin and heparin, unfortunately I went on to have another Mmc but have since discovered another possible issues. Usually the protocol is simple, it’s low dose aspirin plus heparin injections from a positive test. My consultant told me this treatment increase odds from 15% to 80% so I believe you absolutely have a good chance of a healthy pregnancy as long as you get the medications. Hope that helps and good luck.

Hi i have just 3 weeks ago had my rainbow baby after a treatment protocol during the pregnancy of daily clexane injections and taking a daily aspirin. I had previously had 3 miscarriages and tested positive for lupus anticoagulant antibodies. During my successful pregnancy i was under consultant care and treated as high risk so had weekly scans through the 1st trimester and extra growth scans in the 3rd trimester. I was also induced early at 38 weeks. Dont worry about your age - iam 40 yrs old and my baby boy is healthy! It took 5 yrs of trying and miscarriages to get him but we got there! Dont give up!!