Pregnant after three miscarriages

[cornflakegirl]

I'm currently 7 weeks pregnant, having had three miscarriages in the last 6 months. I had a scan at the EPU yesterday, which confirmed everything is currently okay. After the scan, the sonographer told me to book in with my midwife - from a previous conversation with a doctor at the EPU I was kind of expecting that they would be more involved with this pregnancy, but I didn't feel confident enough to challenge the sonographer.

So, when I get my midwife appointment, what should I be asking for? I've read Professor Reagan's book on miscarriage, where she says that for (unexplained) miscarriage the most effective treatment is supportive care and regular scans. So I want that! But I also feel that it's probably some sort of placebo effect that doesn't work quite the same if you have to wring it out of the local EPU.

So basically, I don't really know what to expect. Or what I want - except for someone to make sure that this baby makes it. Anyone got any advice?

no advice, just huge congratulations and wishing you good luck. we've had two miscarriages in the last five months and are just trying again. desperately hoping to be third time lucky as a third miscarriage would be devastating.

Congrats on your pregnancy.

I had 3 miscarriages (I had no reasons given for the recurrent miscarriages, I take it you didn't either?). When I got pg a fourth time I was asked by my (lovely) midwife if I'd like to be under a consultant's care, to which I said yes. I don't know how much difference it made to the pregnancy, but it certainly gave me reassurance.

Though I do also have a condition called ashermans syndrome (scarred uterus from erpc with first miscarriage), so while no dr could say for certain whether this was a cause of the miscarriages (it normally causes infertility rather than mc), this was another factor in my anxiety - but I think it was my anxiety rather than the ashermans which made them offer the consultant iyswim.

So... point of long ramble is that you could certainly ask if you can be under a consultant - this will mean regular check-ups, plus the reassurance, which helped me. On the NHS this won't mean more scans than the standard ones but you can of course get them privately.

Btw my last pg was successful, now have a 20 month old ds . And this pregnancy was the only one where I ever saw a heartbeat, so the fact your early scan was good is very encouraging .

Good luck, hope you have a smooth uneventful 8 months.

Thanks both.

I don't know the cause of my miscarriages. I haven't managed to get an appointment with the right consultant yet, not that they could do much at the moment anyway.

Thanks for the advice about asking to be under a consultant - that sounds like a good plan.

Hope things go better for you this time, silvermum.

Hiya, have had 3mc myself and so can imagine how frightened you must be this time round. Hopefully you will get some extra support. Take care of yourself as much as you can, relax and sit on mumsnet Hope this one sticks x

Congratulations!

I'm 22 weeks pregnant after 2 early miscarriages this year. I went to see my GP when I was 5 weeks pg to ask pretty much the same questions as you. Obviously without tests my GP had no idea why I'd miscarried, and told me that she'd refer me to a consultant for an early appointment. She told me to go to the consultant whether I miscarried or not. She also advised me to take baby aspirin until my appointment with the consultant, which I did.

I've since read that baby aspirin is often recommended as a means of preventing miscarriage, although in very specific circumstances. I've no idea really if it did the trick for me, but I'm still pregnant.

Good luck!

I'm not really frightened - a bit anxious I guess, and trying not to get my hopes up. Praying quite a lot...

It's just completely new territory to me, and I don't know what I should reasonably be expecting my GP / midwife to do. When I went to see my GP just after my last miscarriage, he wasn't particularly helpful, and offered no advice or sympathy. I asked for a referral to a consultant, which he arranged, but when I turned up at the hospital, I was told it had been cancelled. The staff at the EPU said later it was probably because it was with the wrong consultant - not the recurrent miscarriage specialist. I have no idea - it just left me feeling really crap.

So anyway - I'm just not feeling entirely convinced that everything is under control here. I want to know what is normal, so that if the crapness continues, I can protest. But I don't want to protest unduly.

llareggub - I'm glad your pregnancy is still going well. (You were really helpful on my previous miscarriage thread.)

What sort of consultant would one get referred to? Would it be a miscarriage specialist? Or a general pregnancy bod? I have completely no idea what I'm talking abuot here...

Hi silvermum and all:
I'm new to this site and glad I found it. I just had my 3rd miscarriage - it started on New Year's day. How fabulous! This one was the hardest because we actually saw the baby grow and saw (and heard) its heartbeat. Then, boom.

I'm seeing a reproductive specialist and she has run some tests (HSG) and nothing is wrong. She says 98% of the time they never find anything wrong and it's simply bad luck, with the chromosomes and what not. Of course this does little to comfort me but what can I do?

I just don't want to go through this again. The waiting and nervousness during the first weeks of pregnancy, then dealing with the loss and having to face everyday life which is like a total struggle right now.
Of course the days inch by when you're suffering and they fly by when you're happy!

Well, I just wanted to share my experience and wish everyone luck.

Hi Cornflakegirl. COngratulations on your pg and keeping everything crossed for you. I've been in a similar situation myself - 3 mc in a row and am currently 23 weeks pg so there is hope for you!!!
As far as advice goes, do you have a nice GP? My GP referred me after my third mc to a recurrent miscarriage specialist. In my area ( East Midlands) we were lucky enough to have a lady who specialises in this field rather than just an obs/gynae consultant (absolutely no disrespect meant to them BTW!). I then got weekly scans which I'm sure were a big part in getting me into my second trimester. My mcs were at 6,9 and 11 weeks.
Just try to get some care that makes you feel reassured and if you can get weekly scans, my consultant said that was a big part of taking care of the problem.
Good luck.

After my third mc, I insisted on being referred to the consultant responsible for recurrent mc care (he was mostly involved in infertility care). By the time they'd lost my appointment stuff/faffed around I was pg again, but managed to persuade him to scan me every other week until 12 weeks (when I got a doppler of my own).

TBH the only real sympathy and care I got was from my GP who was lovely - I hope you get more than I did

PS Come and join us on pregnancy after miscarriage thread - aka the knicker checkers annonymous. You'll find some kindred spirits there.

I'm also on the baby Aspirin after three early losses, in eight months. I'm now 18 and a half weeks pregnant. A coincidence? Who knows. I have no obvious blood clotting disorders. I don't know if it is helping or not, but is isn't doing me or Little Tab any harm. My consultant has told me to keep taking it.

I'm also on the baby Aspirin after three early losses, in eight months. I'm now 18 and a half weeks pregnant. A coincidence? Who knows. I have no obvious blood clotting disorders. I don't know if it is helping or not, but it isn't doing me or Little Tab any harm. My consultant has told me to keep taking it. Good luck to everyone on here!

ladyhelen - did your consultant offer any backup on why weekly scans are helpful? I feel like they'd be really reassuring - but that whether a scan shows good news or bad, no-one's really going to do anything different. Am I wrong?

dibbler - I assume dopplers are pretty expensive? Did you feel it was worth it?

(Thanks for pointing me to the other thread ladyhelen.)

Daynee - I'm so sorry you've had another miscarriage. I thought about not ttc again after my third - not because it was traumatic, as I'd been deliberately not getting excited - just because it felt pointless. The feeling didn't last long though. I hope you feel better soon too.

Tabitha - glad your pregnancy is going well - keep it up!

Actually the Doppler was about 50 quid from ebay, and then I sold it on afterwards. It really saved my sanity as two of my miscarriages were missed, and until I was feeling really good consistent movements I couldn't feel certain. I limited myself to once a day, and it made all the difference

I think I'd rather not know because if I knew that it would inevitably end but that I had to wait another 2-4 weeks, that would be even more agonizing than not knowing. You're just waiting...and waiting...how terrible.

I was wondering if anyone who has had multiple miscarriages has went ahead and tried baby aspirin even though the doctor may not have suggested it. If so, what were the results?

I've had 5 miscarriages in the past. 4 between dd and ds1 and another after ds1 but before ds2.

I was sent for tests with a recurrent miscrriage specialist and initial blood tests at my gp showed nothing abnormal. By the time I got the appointment I was pregnant a few weeks. I kept it and he was lovely and scanned me a few times over the course of a few weeks for my reassurance and it really did help.

Good luck with your pregnancy, I remember the feeling of constant dread every time I went to the loo or felt discharge (sorry tmi) come out of me always expecting to see blood.

dibbler - that sounds like a really good idea - think I'll look into it.

Jodie - completely not tmi - that's exactly how I feel, although it's been much better since the scan. Morning sickness has also kicked in, which is another new experience, as I only ever had mild nausea with DS. I'm trying not to resent the reassurance too much!

Hey cornflake girl know exactly how you feel - am 5 weeks today with 4th preg, lost prev 3 in 10 months (first 2 at 9 weeks, last one at 13 weeks). Lost last one in July so had all the tests under recurrent mc specialist at local hospital (london) and no cause found. Now I'm preg again will be seeing the specialist within 2 weeks who will see me through this preg, and will also have fortnightly scans at EPU, last preg I had weekly ones and know all the lovely nurses at my EPU like old friends! You should be able to have scans as often as you want at your EPU if you have suffered recurrent mc. I'm aiming for fortnightly but at some points last preg was every 4 days! Main thing with this preg is that I am now taking baby aspirin daily and tonight start using cyclogest pessaries which are progesterone supplements so am praying that this will all help make this one stick! Its reassuring and heartwarming to read of the ladies above who are using aspirin and it seems to have made a difference!

Fingers crossed for us all and I'm praying for us!

To the last woman who wrote in (didn't see a name) - I wish you the best of luck with #4. Please keep us posted. I, too, am about to begin trying for the 4th and I'm so nervous. Like cornflake girl said, it's constant dread everytime you go to the bathroom or feel discharge. It's like a ton of bricks collapses around your heart.

I was also wondering - all 3 of my miscarriages were faily early on, between 5 and 7 weeks. I read about some of you having had miscarriages later - one at 13 weeks! I read that usually if it's earlier on, it's a chromosome abnormality, or just chromosomes not coming together correctly. And if it happens later on - especially past 3 months, then it could be something with the uterus. Does anyone have input on this? Just wondering, not that any of us have the exact answers - not even our doctors do!!

Hi Daynee thanks for wishing us luck! We need all the luck we can get! In answer to your question, my first 2 losses at 9 weeks were missed mc and didnt grow beyond 6-7 weeks, however loss no 3 at 13 weeks had grown to perfect scale (I had weekly scans and watched its progress) at 11 weeks they did the nuchal test which looks for excess fluid on the neck which point to downs or other chromosome disorders, it was 4 times the average fluid, at 13 weeks the heartbeat stopped, it was definatly a chromosome disorder, so thats contrary to what you read! MC happens for so many different reasons, it seem my 3 were all different so I dont think you can pinpoint it.

Very best wishes and best of luck to you with ttc no 4!

Cornflakegirl, sorry for the delay in replying about the weekly scans. The consultant said it was just that they do take some of the worry and stress away to see each week how things are progressing. Lesley Regan says the same in her book on miscarriage too.TLC is a great medicine! I guess if anything did go wrong, it would just mean that they would be onto it quicker which is also, in my view, better all round. It could just be co-incidence but this pregnancy with the weekly scans seems to have been the most successful so far so I am inclined to think there is something in it!

Just a final thought there is research being done in Liverpool about natural killer cells being a factor in recurrent miscarriage and a steroid being prescribed which the research suggests does help. I know there has been some threads on here about it, but you have to not be pregnant first to have the investigation done to see if your body has these cells. This may help some of the other ladies on here.

hi, had 3 miscarriages, now have a gorgeous 7 month old son! It is possible, many congrats and good luck!

Cornflakegirl: have only had a chance to revisit this thread just now. Sorry, I misunderstood - I thought you'd had the tests for recurrent mc and nothing was found. AFAIK these tests are standard after three miscarriages in a row. I'm surprised your GP and hospital brushed you off like this.

Anyway, now that you are pregnant again that's a bit academic. But I would definitely be insisting on a) weekly/fortnightly scans early on at your EPU, at least till the 'official' 12-week one, and b) even if everything is fine, you could still ask for a consultant if you feel anxious enough.

As I said, this gave me reassurance throughout my pg. Although tbh it was the first 12 weeks which were the worst, given that all my mcs were early, so as yours have been too, regular scans for the next few weeks would certainly help. I seem to remember when I was pg for the third time (ended in mc) I just turned up and said I'd had bleeding (I hadn't but didn't know if they'd see me otherwise - and as it turned out lucky I did cos it was a missed mc so needed intervention to deal with it early).

Good luck - let us know how you get on over the coming weeks.

F&T - I don't think anyone intended to brush me off - I think there was just general miscommunication and crapness!

Did you get regular scans with your last pregnancy? Were you offered them, or did you stamp your feet? (I'm guessing that they'd get suspicious about weekly bleeding after a bit...)

congrats on your pg

All in all I have had 6 m/c and at no point was I offered extra care. I always had to fight for early scans and sometimes they were not good news, but as I said to the dr if I have a scan at least I'll KNOW.

The thing is you have a scan and it IS reassuring for that day, but what about the next day?

I think they only way one can relax a bit about a pg is when the 12 week scan is all ok. No matter how many scans you have you are always worrying and that is the sad thing about experience recurrent m/c I think.

Hope it all goes well for you.