3rd chemical pregnancy in 6 months

[Blondepeach]

Hi all, I am 29 and have been TTC since May 2024. I fell pregnant the first month (unexpected as I thought it may take a while) but unfortunately it ended in an early miscarriage at around 5+2 weeks. I felt positive as it had happened so quickly as completely appreciate it can take years for anyone to even get a positive test. Since then, I have had another two chemical pregnancies (one in October and one this week) which has been really concerning.

I have had very detailed hormone blood tests with an endocrinologist during Oct/nov 2024 (I have private healthcare through work so took advantage) as was having a few symptoms which I felt pointed to a hormone issue, however everything came back normal. So I am not sure what further tests I could request from my GP when I call them this week to ask for further investigations.

I guess Im hoping for some positive stories or suggestions on what to do next, as I’m feeling really down about it all. Thank you xx

Did it cover progesterone during pregnancy? It is notoriously hard to measure as it fluctuates throughout the day, but if overall it's too low you'll miscarry. It's a common cause of chemicals so I'd speak to your GP about progesterone suppositories for your next pregnancy x

I had about 6 before dd. I was literally getting positive tests every cycle. I took some aspirin the month that I fell pregnant with her. Not sure if it made the difference but she’s now 11

Hi @Blondepeach,

I’m so sorry to hear about your losses, your story really resonated with me. I had 5 miscarriages last year, like you I got pregnant really fast each time and then lost each baby between 5 and 8 weeks.

If you haven’t already, I would ask your GP to refer you to Tommy’s charity, who specialise in baby loss. They ran a load of blood tests on me, and like you, they found nothing. So now they’re booking me in for an HSG scan where they inject dye into my uterus to get a clearer picture than they get with regular internal scans. They’ll also be taking a biopsy of the tissue to check for endometriosis amongst other things, I think.

I’ve started to look into immunology too and have decided to go private with Dr Shehata (thanks to some lovely people’s recommendations on here). I haven’t been yet so am unable to provide any feedback but it might be another avenue to explore if you haven’t yet. He’s also available on the NHS so you can potentially ask your GP to refer you to him, or check if your health insurance covers it (mine didn’t).

Tommy’s recommended I read the book “It Starts With The Egg”, which is packed full of scientific research and has changed the supplements me and my husband are taking and made me more aware of environmental factors. It also will explain more tests that are worth looking into such as DNA fragmentation for men.

Now that you have had three miscarriages, if it were to happen again you are also able to ask to send your pregnancy tissue off for genetic testing (called karyotyping). You can speak to your EPU about this.

I hope you’re doing ok. Obviously do what is best for you but found that taking a little break really helped my mental health. I also had some counselling with Charlie’s Corner who specialise in bereavement for parents, and they really helped me through a dark and painful time. x

So no my progesterone was not tested at 21 days (during my detailed blood tests) and the endocrinologist had said after Christmas to schedule in a blood test for that if I was still worried - however I’ve now used up all my private healthcare balance which does not renew until June, so think I’ll have to go down the GP route with that. Keen to get it tested as heard so much about progesterone suppositories, thanks for the reply x

Hi @CWC

thank you so much for your lovely reply, it means a lot. I’ve never posted to mumsnet before but have found it a comfort over the last 6 months to read about everyone’s experiences. I have lots of friends who have been pregnant and had babies recently (I would genuinely not wish anything else for them!) but I’ve found it quite lonely and felt like ‘why me’ a lot of the time.

thank you for all of the suggestions, I’ve done a another test this morning as was bleeding all day mon/tues, not super heavy but I am not somebody who has heavy periods. The test today is slightly darker, but very aware this is probably due to the Hcg still lurking. Will test again this weekend and see.

definitely going to go down the route of looking further into things, I have bad experiences with my GP (always fobbing off) so I’m really hoping I don’t have to push too much for further testing. I actually didn’t realise how many factors it could be, which I find a little daunting but guess you just have to get through it.

what supplements do you take if you don’t mind me asking? I have been taking Nutriadvanced - Pregnancy multivitamin for conception, they’ve got good reviews but wondering if I should be taking anything else.

💗 Hugs x

@Blondepeach I completely understand that. I got pregnant for the first time at the same time as two of my best friends, who both now have gorgeous daughters, and as happy as I am for them, it hurts to witness what I could've had. It really can feel so isolating sometimes, so it's really comforting to speak to other's that understand the pain, trauma and emotions.

It sounds unusual that the test would be getting darker. Have you spoken to your local EPU? They have always scanned me pretty quickly when I've started bleeding and then taken blood tests to confirm the miscarriages.

Sorry to hear your GP has been fobbing you off, I think that's a very common experience sadly. To be honest, as soon as I got a referral to Tommy's I stopped relying on my GP and local Recurrent Miscarriage Clinic completely. Tommy's have felt like the only ones I can rely on.

Speaking of RMC, your GP or local EPU should be able to refer you to them now that you've had three. I haven't had the best experience with mine but it's always good to have people looking out for you.

It's so daunting. I found researching has been really helpful - I've bought about 3 books now, which have helped me rule out things I definitely don't think is causing it and given me more of a push to get tested for the things I think it could be. The more I learn, the overwhelmed I feel.

Of course, I don't mind sharing (though bear in mind I'm no doctor!). I've been taking:

• Seeking Health Optimal Prenatal (it has 800mcg of methylfolate, which is meant to be absorbed more easily than folic acid)
• CoQ10 ubiquinol (for egg quality) 400mg a day
• Omega 3 - 500mg
• R-alpha lipoic acid (200mg)
• N-acetylcsteine (600mg)
• I'm also supplementing with extra vitamin C, B12, vitamin D3 as my prenatal has less than the dose recommended in the ISWTE I mentioned before

And my husband is taking:

• Proceive Max Men
• CoQ10 ubiquinol (200mg)
• Omega 3 - 1500mg
• R-alpha lipoic acid (200mg)
• L-carnitine (1000mg)
• N-acetylcysteine (600mg)

Truthfully, I have no idea what R-alpha, l-carnitine and n-acetylcsteine do, but they were recommended in the book (based on scientific research), so figured it was worth a try.

I've also given up alcohol and caffeine, and am now considering whether I should cut out dairy, gluten and sugar too to try and reduce inflammation. I'm struggling with that though as I feel like I'm cutting out all joy, what is life without cheese, chocolate and wine?!

Depending on what's in your prenatal already, I'd look at adding CoQ10, Omega 3, Vitamin D3 and maybe B12 and vitamin C, but definitely do your research first! xx

Hi @CWC

Thank you so much for the above support/information, it’s very much appreciated. Apologies for the radio silence as I was taking it all in and have ended up having a bit of a mental week in the end.

My tests continued to get darker this week, so had an early scan at the EPU today (I would be 6 weeks) and unfortunately they strongly believe it to be ectopic as they were unable to see a pregnancy and could see a sort of shadowing on one side/on my tube. I’m devastated as I truly believed that the darker tests were good news and that I would have maybe have had a positive outcome today. They did bloods and have said my Hcg is still low (I’m sure they said about 150 - it’s a blur!) so I have to come back on Sunday for them to retest, literally praying I don’t need to medication or the operation.

This baby making thing really is a rollercoaster!! All those years I spent worrying about not taking my pill or getting the morning after pill on a couple of occasions 🙃

wishing you and your partner loads of luck xx

@Blondepeach No need to apologise!

I’m so sorry to hear about your test results. I was really hoping for a positive outcome for you. How did the retest go and how are you doing now?

Honestly, isn’t it just the worst?! I wish we had more education at school about it all, so we wouldn’t have been so in the dark about how much of a physical and emotional rollercoaster it can be!

Thank you. We’ve decided to pay to see a private consultant as I’m so tired of everything moving so slowly on the NHS. Hopefully we’ll get somewhere with him and won’t end up bankrupt 😅xx

@CWC So I’ve had bloods done Sunday and then on Tuesday, unfortunately my hcg has been rising slowing (it was at 409 on Tuesday, from 150 on the Friday). They have said they are happy to continue to do ‘expectant management’ which is where they monitor to see if it resolves itself, but I feel I’m too full of anxiety and would rather just do something about it. They have given me the option of medical management (the injection to stop the pregnancy developing further) which I am actually now considering, you cannot TTC for 3 months after having the medication - to be fair though, I think mentally I need the break. I have a scan tomorrow, I guess that’s to check if anything has changed visibly, so will know a bit more then and will likely make my decision based off of that.

Completely agree with needing to have more education on all of these possibilities, especially when you are younger. I think it would prepare us a lot more in knowing that there can be so many complications when trying for a baby :(
When diagnosing my ectopic the doctor had asked whether I have ever had an infections/STIs as this can be a potential cause/risk factor as can damage your tubes, leading to ectopics. Unfortunately I was in a relationship when I was 14-19yrs old, where he gave me chlamydia towards the end. He told me but never admitted when he could have caught it (at the time he had been my only sexual partner) so I never really knew how long I had it which is scary and makes me soo angry.

great news your starting to move forward with private investigations, I think it will also put your mind at ease that you’re going something positive towards it - I’m sure that a lot of the time stressing really makes the body to some funny things.

xx

Baby aspirin has worked for me so far (15weeks ) after two early loses.

Sending best wishes

@Blondepeach I hope the scan goes ok tomorrow and you get some answers. The waiting and the unknown is so difficult, I’m thinking of you.

I had an enforced break between my 3rd and 4th as I was told I couldn’t be pregnant when I had some tests done and even though I didn’t want it at the time I think it was the best thing for me. So even if you don’t have the medication, I would consider having a little break to recover mentally and physically. I’m currently having another break whilst I wait for my latest results from my private clinic and I finally feel like myself again (I’ve missed her!).

I’m so sorry that happened to you with the STI. It must be so upsetting to know that someone betrayed your trust in such a way.

I should get my results back next week from the private clinic, so hopefully I’ll have a plan to move forward soon. He has told me to start taking baby aspirin every night before bed (75mg), so thought I’d pass that on as I saw someone else has recommended it.

Hope tomorrow goes ok xx