Can aspirin cause harm when pregant? 7.5 wks after 2 mc but told not to take it

[iloveberries]

Hi, I have lost 3 pregnancies. 1 EP, 1 MMC at 11 wks and 1 MC at 5.5 wks,

When I had my last MC the girl at EPU said with next one to take aspirin but when i had this most recent pregnancy confirmed they told me not to unless expressly prescribed by the doctor. Is there a reason for this? I can't seem to find any negatives with taking it? I am so petrified of losing this baby too.

Aspirin was considered child safe when I was small, we had "junior aspirin" I still remember the taste.. but has since been linked to a (rare) condition and so isn't recommended for under 12s I think. However I am shocked that you've had so many miscarriages and yet you aren't being given more help and support. Can you get to talk to anyone at the EPU? I'd call your GP, see if you can get an appointment with someone to talk properly through your concerns and what (if anythng) you can do to help minimise the risk. Do they have any idea why you have lost your pregnancies? I really feel for you, what a worrying position to be in. I think you need more advice and better care.

A small amount of aspirin is safe in pregnancy, as long as it is recommended for your caregiver.

I take 75mg a day to improve blood flow to the placenta (previous abruption), prescribed by my consultant (now 39 weeks with DC3).

Don't worry, but do make sure your MW/consultant knows your are taking it and are happy for you to continue.

I was told to take 75mg from 12 weeks due to having existing high blood pressure and somethings to do with blood flow to the placenta. I think you should book into the gp to find out for sure. they didn't want me to take it before 12 weeks for some reason, but for you it might help to have it earlier on. Good luck X

The use of low dose aspirin divides even the experts on miscarriage eg Mr Shehata tends to recommend it but Prof Quenby doesn't...
I've been taking it since BFP in this pregnancy on the advice of both my GP and a fetal medicine consultant I saw privately after my two first tri miscarriages. I'm also taking Clexane due to a possible blood clotting issue and took metformin until 12 weeks due to PCOS. I'm now 7 mths pregnant with no issues.
Personally, I would take it in your position.
Some people get told to take it even when still TTC but there are some studies that show that taking it before BFP can hinder implantation.

Thanks...

No reason given for my MC/s or EP and no investgation. (Although i did have my other tube checked after EP).

Someone at EPU told me to and then more recently EPU said there was no "reason" for me to take it.

If this one doesn't work out the I will definitely go private.

I have just tried to book a GP appt. I have been put off until now as generally they have been so poor. When I went to request an early scan this time I was told off for getting pregnant after MC without waiting for a period and asked if it was a mistake.

I just cant bear going through it a 4th time :(

Congratulations to you all

Aspirin is a blood thinner so I think the idea behind you taking aspirin is for your heart to find it easier to pump the blood around, ie to the placenta and baby. It also prevents clots should you be at risk due to a medical condition. However, do not take it unless your GP recommends it as it is a medication and you are obviously pregnant and if you do take it daily make sure you take it with food to make it safer for your liver to process and to ease the effect on your stomach lining. I do think that if you are not at particular risks, you should simply ensure you move around and do gentle exercise like walking during your pregnancy, hence enhancing your own circulation for your baby's benefits.

Im sorry I just realised I wrote that you are obviously pregnant when you are not. Sincere apologies.

Don't worry cassie - I think I am pregnant..... positive test and a scan at 5+5 and no pain or bleeding since so keeping fingers crossed that i still am!

Really hope this pregnancy is all fine for you op.

Hello ilove I had 3 miscarriages before 12 weeks (2 mc, 1 mmc). I had good consultant care and was told if I became pregnant again, which I did, I was to take progesterone pessaries (cyclogest) as soon as I could and up to the 12 week mark. I was then prescribed 75mg aspirin. I'm 33 weeks now and I'm to take the aspirin right up until the baby arrives.

No one seems to be sure if these things make a difference - there is a theory that low progesterone levels MAY cause recurrent miscarriage, hence the pessaries, and aspirin is a safe blood thinner.

Maybe you can ask a consultant about these things?

Just spoke to lovely GP who said his initial thought was not to take it but he wanted to check guidance and ring one of the consultants and then call me back. Just nice to have someone seeming to care and want to help.

Glad things are going ok then :)

Make sure you speak to GP/consultant/Dr before taking anything.

Good luck for this pregnancy x

I had 4 miscarriages prior to this pregnancy and was also told to research aspirin by one of the sonographers at the EPU. I also had investigations for the MCs and was told there is nothing specifically wrong and that there was no 'reason' for me to take aspirin.

However, having done my own research I chose to take 75mg per day from before we conceived this one (evidence to suggest that the womb lining is of a better quality as it grows, as well as the benefits of better blood supply to the placenta), and have continued doing so since. Now, I have no idea if the aspirin has had any effect on the success of this pregnancy but we had our 20 week scan yesterday and seem to be growing a healthy baby boy so it hasn't done any harm either!

I would do the same again if we were to try for another baby - the advice is so contradictory, but like you I found very little to suggest that taking aspirin would do any harm so I went for it. Just check with your MW when you should stop taking it - I understand that there should be a few weeks before the birth ideally.

God luck OP - recurrent miscarriage is heartbreaking and sucks the joy out of early pregnancy. I really do feel for you.

Maitree advised me to take 75mg of aspirin a day this time around, Quenby didn't mention it.

Currently 32 weeks and going strong 😊

Congratulations to all of you with healthy pregnancies after M/C.
It does seem that the aspirin can help...
I will see what Dr says.

You're right about it sucking the joy out greatergood. I am so anxious and cry a lot just because I can't bear the thought of it happening again... 7+4 today so 12 weeks seems like a lifetime away...

hello
sorry about your losses, but after 3 mcs have you not been referred to the recurrent miscarriage clinic? you should be pushing for that if not. (not that the NHS ones are that helpful ime)
I take 75mg aspirin following mc Dr guidance after 2 mcs. i'm also on a trial for progesterone use as there's no evidence at present that it actually does anything so they're investigating it further (see www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk/information/research/the-prism-trial/)
x

ilove as blackpool has just mentioned, I was offered early scans and consultations because I had experienced 3 mcs. I wasn't sure if this was specific to my hospital (in Scotland) so I hadn't mentioned it.

It was a huge relieve to have a scan at 8+4 and then 10+4 to get me to the 12 week one. They also suggested the progesterone. This extra attention was offered as standard at my hospital, which I thought was amazing, but I don't know if this is the norm. It really, really helped with the anxiety and fear of the same thing happening.

I think because one was an ectopic they don't class it as a miscarriage... so 2 mc only and they just told me i'd been unlucky. (I have a DS age 5)

I had a scan at 5+5 due to prev ectopic and saw a heartbeat :) but was then just told to come back at 12 weeks. I have arranged a private scan at 8+6 but maybe i should be pushing through the GP for the EPU to do this for me and save me the £75.... I pay a boatload of tax after all!

When the GP calls me back I will ask.

Thank you - the kindness and knowledge of strangers is amazing

Hi there iloveberries. Best of luck with your pregnancy. I am now 14 weeks after 1 early mc and one chemical, so can empathise with the 12 week scan feeling a lifetime away!

On aspirin, I was prescribed 75 mg daily by the consultant last week and told it was to reduce the risk of pre-eclampsia. I have no risk factors for that other than my age (42) - no blood pressure problems or unusual bloods. The consultant had no qualms about prescribing it as a precaution.

Best of luck !

Hi. I take 75mg of aspirin daily, I was told by doctor to take them as soon as I found out I was pregnant. They were then prescribed by my consultant along with Fragmin, an injectable blood thinner. I take them because I have antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) which causes my blood to be too thick. This could be one possible reason for your MCs - do you have any blood clots or strokes in your family? The main indicators of APS are clots, strokes, miscarriages and stillbirths so it's a common one in people with recurrent miscarriages. You can be tested for it with a couple of blood tests. You may be more likely to have it if you have any other autoimmune conditions but you don't need to have any others to have it. Other autoimmune conditions can also cause MCs - I have Pernicious Anemia and Hypothyroidism which both have infertility and MCs as symptoms.

There are other possibilities and I know a lot of people take aspirin for them but it's not recommended unless your doctor prescribes it because it thins the blood and if your blood doesn't need thinning then it can contribute to a drop in blood pressure which can be dangerous.

Obviously these are only a couple of possibilities but they're the ones I have experience with. I'd say to push for them to look into the cause of your MCs because something like APS can cause many problems during pregnancy (not just 1st trimester) if not treated. Good luck.

HI there - I was told by the doctor today to take 75mg of aspirin daily... till 34 weeks i think, maybe he said 36... i sort of switched off at that point as it seems like a lifetime away!

He said he's spoken to the consultant who'd reviewed all my notes and thought on balance it was a good idea but they did point out that the evidence is very limited re: aspirin.

Anyway - I've bought some and taken one today. I also asked GP for a scan and he said he would ask the midwife. He was great about it and said he really understood the anxiety.

Feeling really worried today as sure my boobs aren't as big as they were but i may be overthinking the whole thing.. I just want to feel happy about being pregnant but after carrying a baby without a heartbeat for a month last summer i am just so worried about the same.

Hi lisa so interested to read what you posted.

I am 4weeks preg after 2 MC in the past 10 months. One at 13 weeks and one at 9 weeks. I am private and my Dr told me that if I were to get preg again to take 75mg of aspirin.

There is a strong history of stroke, DVT and clotting issues, auto immune disorder (leading to recurrent MC) and pernicious anemia in my family.

We'd previously thought we'd need fertility treatment (prior to MC) and all the doctors I mentioned those to said that there would be no link or any cause for concern. But it's always been in my mind, especially after the two MC.

I hope this aspirin helps.

Echoes with that family history I would ask your GP to get the view of a haematologist ASAP as they may advise precautionary Clexane (heparin) in addition to low dose aspirin. Have you had a full thrombophilia (clotting) screen done? It's a blood test. I'm on both low dose aspirin (since BFP) and Clexane (since 7 weeks) due to possible clotting issues.

Hi Echoes - I assume your post was aimed at me? Can't find a Lisa on the thread.

Sorry to hear about your miscarriages. I would ask to be tested for APS. My doctor tested for this but my heamatologist also checked for it. It's good to see if you can find a specialist in your area though as I found heamatologist didn't know anything about it at all and were pretty useless other than confirming the diagnosis. There is a list of specialists on the Hughes Sydrome (one of the many names for APS) website. Saying that, I found that my consultant was very knowledgeable about the condition, possibly because most of the common issues are pregnancy related. They often check for it once you've had three MCs but given your family history of blood clots you really should have been checked for it. My mum has had two and my sister has had one and it was on that basis that I was checked for it.

I thought the same as you, that I would either have a problem with getting pregnant or MCs but luckily there have been no problems so far. No idea if that's to do with the aspirin, but I always only taking it from week 4-6. My doctor said we'd have no problem with it too and in this instance he was right but I find that doctors are very ignorant to PA and hypothyroid. Particularly PA. I have a very good Facebook board for PA if you're interested - do you have it yourself? If you have a family history of it you really should be checked but I also wouldn't take their diagnosis for granted as their methods are not the best.

If you need any more information or there's anything I can help you with feel free to PM me. I hope the aspirin works for you. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy.