Advice after two unexplained late trimester losses and whether to seek further testing

[YourZippyZebra]

Hi All,

In 2023 we went through a second trimester loss with our baby girl at 20 weeks when we went in for our routine 20 week scan they told us that her heartbeat had stopped. We were completely devastated and blind sided as everything in the pregnancy had been going well. The genetic testing on her came back clear and all of my bloods came back clear, and we were told it was just unlucky to lose a baby so far along. So we got no answers for our perfect baby girl :(

after a year of stressful trying after our loss we fell pregnant with my son, he went full term and he is now a healthy and beautiful baby boy.

This year we fell pregnant again, everything was going well until we got the NIPT/Harmony results back at 11 weeks, it confirmed that all of the major chromosomes were fine but the babies sex could not be determined, they went through a list of all of the worst case scenarios of conditions this test result could mean, such as Turner’s syndrome etc and told that we won’t know until the pregnancy gets further along and we may need to do amnio testing so I was of course spiralling given our history. We then went in for our routine 13 week scan and it was confirmed the babies heartbeat had stopped again and I had a D&C to have bubs removed. We recently got the genetic testing results back and again it was another baby girl and they couldn’t find anything genetically or chromosomally wrong her they said again it’s just bad luck to have this happen again even though we had been told it would be rare to have two second trimester losses. The results just don’t make sense to me given we got the strange harmony test results I thought for sure this time we would have answers.

Before we bring ourselves mentally to try again, I just want to make sure we are in the best place possible to avoid any more of this heartbreak so hoping I can find anyone who’s been through something similar and may have any advice?

My questions or help I’m trying to search for are -

— could I not be able to carry baby girls? Has anyone experienced only loss’s with girls?

• We are looking to do karytype genetic testing on my husband and I to see if it is anything to do with us, has anyone done this and found any answers?
• we are also looking to do DNA fragmentation test and seamen analysis, could the late loss’s come from the sperm or are we wasting our time?
• in my next pregnancy is there any medication I should be taking to help? Given it’s not my cervix as both times have been missed miscarriages.
• did anyone lose multiple of the same sex and eventually go on to have a healthy pregnancy of that sex?
• are there any other tests I should be looking at or, is it really just one of those things and we just need to try again and hope for the best?

any help would be really appreciated xxxxx

Hi @YourZippyZebra, so sorry for your losses. It’s so heartbreaking and unfair.

Have you been referred to a Recurrent Miscarriage Clinic? I have had an 18 week loss and a 13 week loss both in the past 7 months and have recently been referred. Testing for the 18 week loss came back all normal (for me and baby) and we are still awaiting results for the 13 week loss. To answer some of your questions:

My 18 week loss was a boy, and I have a healthy baby boy earthside, so I don’t think it’s a sex thing for me but it could be for some.

Haven’t done karotype testing yet.

Have done a private DNA fragmentation test but according to the NHS doctor we spoke to, they don’t usually look at the man for second trimester losses as we successfully conceived etc. Doesn’t make sense to me.

Medication - I’ve heard aspirin and progesterone could help but I’m no doctor. Lots of supplements eg CoQ10 are supposed to help egg and sperm health too.

Lots of tests can be done, which you may already have had done on the NHS. Clotting tests, infection tests, thyroid etc. More specialist ones are usually done privately eg auto immune conditions, NK cells etc.

I am also still on the journey of trying to figure out what happened and how to improve our chances of an earthside baby in the future 🙏🏻

@user4455 hello, thank you so much for responding, and I am so sorry for you have also had to experience two losses. And both so close together, I am sending you lots of love!

isn’t it just so hard to hear that they couldn’t find anything wrong, it is a lot harder to accept that it happened for no reason. I hope you get answers on your second loss <3

I have been referred to the recurrent miscarriage clinic, but so far have only had a scan booked for a few weeks time, I haven’t heard anything further!

I really appreciate your response and I will let you know if I find anything along the way to help improve our chances too xxx

Hey both of you, I had a loss at 16 weeks of a little boy in 2022 - full post mortem revealed nothing as did the bloods on me. It was a missed miscarriage - the best they could determine his heartbeat just stopped just before 16 weeks. I caught pregnant quickly again with a little girl this time, where again everything progressed normally but at a routine midwife apt at 15 plus 5 she litstened for the heartbeat and couldn’t find it. Scan showed she had gone. All testing again showed no cause or reason.

I had a boy and girl at home, so there was never a question to me that it could be related to the sex of baby. It’s just so hard thinking there is no reason for something so awful happening.

I went on to have a little boy in 2024 who is now 2 - they put me on aspirin, clexane and progesterone to support the pregnancy and I had extra reassurance scans. I’ve no idea why I couldn’t have those babies, I’ll certainly never get over them.
Theres no other meds protocol that in aware of, do you have a debrief apt with the hospital? There were no tests they did on my husband, it was pnly me and the placenta

Hi @MrsC2018, thanks for sharing your experiences. I’m so sorry for you tragic losses. I’m so glad you went on to have an earthside baby after them. It’s hard not knowing why the other 2 never made it. That medical protocol is the one I seem to see a lot so it must do something or it might be a placebo effect, who knows.

I’ve had my appointment with the Recurrent Miscarriage Clinic which said all tests back normal (eg. Thyroid panel, Vit D, clotting etc), and have also done a 3D uterine scan with them where “everything looks good” according to them. No tests on husband either here. We have the follow up appointment in about 5 weeks so let’s see what they say….. not holding out much hope for answers.

@YourZippyZebra- have you had your scan yet? Will they do more blood tests too?

@MrsC2018 thank you for sharing your story 💙 and I am so sorry you had to go through 2 late trimester loss’s too, it’s so heartbreaking, I am so glad you went on to have your beautiful boy 💙💙

@user4455 I have spoken to a fertility specialist and they have mentioned I take the list of things that @MrsC2018 has mentioned! They said even if my blood clotting panels come back clear they recommend taking it anyway just in case! I did get the dna fragmentation back and my husbands results were outside of the normal range, so I wonder if that could play any part!? We are still waiting on the karyotype testing so we will see! My scan came back all normal though!

my homoscysteine levels came back elevated so then I was recommended a thrombophillia blood panel so I’m not also waiting on the results for that!

who knows if I’m searching for answers I’ll never get but Atleast I’ll know I’ve checked everything before we try again! I hope you mange to get some answers too and we can bring another beautiful baby into the world xxxxxx