Clexane to prevent clots after miscarriage

[anotherypasswordtoremember]

Hi,
After a miscarriage in August (first pregnancy miscarried at 10 weeks) I was in a position to be able to pay for some private tests to check if there was anything obvious that was wrong. And I tested positive for Lupus anticoagulant.
This means that my blood overreacts and produces clots when it doesn't need to. Chances are this is what caused the miscarriage and without medication I'm likely to keep miscarrying.
So I managed to get on a blood thinner (clexane) about 3 days after my positive test last week. It's injectable which I'm not used to and finding a bit weird to do.
Any one else got any experience of clexane injections? Or a clexane pregnancy?

Hi. I was positive for Lupus anticoagulant antibodies, and had a successful IVF pregnancy with clexane, following 4 miscarriages. You do get used to the injections, although they sting a bit. DS is 9 now so I can't remember much. Good luck, I hope this pregnancy is successful.

I've had them after a section.

Make sure you are following the instructions on how to inject. Always pick a different site. They can go in your thigh as well as stomach if you get very bruised. They get easier to do, just strange to start with.

All the best for your pregnancy.

Hi, I have something called Factor V Leiden which also means my blood clots too much.

I had 6 miscarriages before they diagnosed me and went on to have 2 successful pregnancy with Clexane. I am currently 25 weeks and have been doing the injections since 4 weeks pregnant.

You do get used to it, it's not pleasant but just becomes part of routine. I have found some areas on my tummy are less painful then others and some bruise more easily.

It is all worth it in the end though when you have that prefect baby.

Apologies if these pictures get posted twice, my first post doesn't seem to have appeared! I got this weird red mark at yesterday's injection site. Anyone else had this or know why it happened?

I'm so sorry to hear about your losses ladies. It's too much isn't it? Pleased to hear your happy stories though x

I had several marks like that and some incredible bruises. I didn’t have a diagnosis but was treated for recurrent miscarriage with fragmin and clexane injections, twice a day in my last and successful pregnancy. Don’t rub where you’ve injected and I found going in at an angle helped reduce the sting and bruising.

It takes a while to get used to, I remember having to psyche myself up for ages the first time! I was on them morning and night from 3+6 when I got my bfp till 40+3 when I went into labour and then one a day from delivery day for 2 weeks as I had a section. Felt like a pin cushion but I could do it in the dark, on the train, at a festival, in the office, anywhere I needed to without a second thought.

Wishing you every luck

Is there someone who can inject it for you? I found it really difficult to do myself, and it would hurt more as I knew exactly when I was putting the needle in, so dh used to do it for me. I'm a bit of a needle phobe anyway so this was my worst nightmare, and I was probably very overdramatic, but it was so much easier with someone else doing it. Good luck with your pregnancy op xx

@jumpingforgin I'm ok doing it myself, although it does feel really weird! My bestie is type one diabetic and injected herself 3 times a day from a really young age so I'm trying to be tough. Although I did have a very small cry after yesterday's injection!
It's reassuring to know other people feel sore afterwards. There's so little info online about all this. It's also reassuring to hear it helped you guys.
Hope you're well @fatisnotafeeling! Did you get referred to an obstatrition? I've been told I'll go that route rather than midwife led but not sure if my referral has gone through yet. That's ok my list of things to chase tomorrow.

I also suffered 3 miscarriages and currently at 30 weeks with clexane. Been doing the injections from about week 10 and I've only just started getting used to them now.
At first I used to get freaked out and it used to take me about an hour every day. I only inject on my thighs, one day on each thigh... I always bruise....
the first couple of days I got like blisters and went to see the midwife but she said it was totally normal.
They do sting most days and I do sometimes have a little cry to myself but it's totally worth it.

Hi ladies, I know this thread was a while ago but are any of you able to advise what tests you had carried to determine you required clexane?

I was prescribed it for recurrent ivf failure and am currently 3months pregnant. I have now been moved to nhs maternity care who are saying that I have no history of recurrent miscarriage or family blood clotting and so am being taken off the jabs. I’m just terrified, as my mum had numerous late miscarriages and I’ve never gotten to this stage to ‘test’ it out. If I understand what tests could be done I will try and have a more specific chat with my midwife.
thank you in advance and hope all went well with your pregnancies!

@Agapanthus13 hey lovely... so I went on to have a perfect pregnancy and had the clexane injections... so when I was put on them I was told it was because of 3 factors...
Previous miscarriages
Overweight
Age

So almost 3 years later and I am now pregnant again at 8 weeks... I asked about the injections and I was told I didn't need them!!!
I've lost 4 stone in weight so my BMI is just what it's meant to be and they told me that the age factor wouldn't come into place unless I was over 40 (I'm 39) they said they will review it when I am 26 weeks pregnant...

Maybe go back and double check if you are worried xx

hi love so I had a general fertility screening privately and they tested me for lupus anticoagulant. it's a marker for a blood clotting autoimmune disorder.
despite being a very common cause of miscarriage its not routinely tested for on the NHS. the test was quite expensive.
in the meantime you might want to take a low dose aspirin as it has a blood thinning effect. talk to you midwife or gp about that before though. Good luck!

Thank you @sjmco & @anotherypasswordtoremember for your messages, both really helpful. I actually went back and spoke to our ivf consultant who prescribed them in the first place. He said that you can’t do the lupus anticoagulant or other tests whilst pregnant and that whilst they had prescribed them for recurrent ivf failure they had seen no other markers in my tests to warrant continuing past 3months. The midwife has put me on 2xasprin a day and so I’m hoping they’re both right and I’m trying really hard not to worry. It’s just tough after such a long journey! Thank you both for responding x

@sjmco what wonderful news about your pregnancy 💕 hope you’re feeling well? X