Due April/May after MC 🌈

[BellaBella38]

Hi everyone, I know this is might be a bit early to start a thread but after more than 2 1/2 years of trying the overwhelming excitement is real!

Me and my husband lost out first at 10 weeks back in December 2020 and to be honest had kind of given up. I only peed on a stick at 16DPO because a banana repulsed me to the point of spitting it out! Trying not to be too excited or paranoid, but we'll see how that goes. 🤣

I've ordered the Pregnancy after Loss book by Zoe Coates Clark in an attempt to keep my sanity, but the going to the loo fear of seeing blood is real. And I've booked an apt to talk to my GP on Thursday at 5+3 to talk about whether or not progesterone would be appropriate.

Thankfully my husband is level headed and reminds me not to get too ahead of myself yet, but it would be great to meet others in the same boat for a hand hold.

Thanks everyone for you kind words and good advice! @IWillBeWaxingAnOwl @Janefx40 @somethingluscious

I don't actually know if I have a progesterone problem, I think I convinced myself I did from temping but when I saw the consultant last week to get the drugs for ovulation induction, he reminded me that when we did a 21 day test back in June my progesterone was 50 which is apparently fine?

I think it's probably a bit rogue to take the pessaries without a confirmation - the NHS gynaecologist recommended it just broadly after a 5 min telephone chat about my background (PCOS, MMC, subclinical hypothyroidism) I just would hate to miscarry again when I have them in the house!

I've read MMC is not a progesterone problem - mine stopped growing around 11 weeks so apparently just most likely a chromosomal thing but it's so hard not to worry it will happen again.

Congrats on everyone's bfps and hope you're all doing ok. I keep telling myself that I've been dreaming about this positive for nine months, it would be nice to be able to enjoy it for one minute ha! I even feel guilty messaging on the pregnancy forum as if I'm jinxing it... Sigh!

Thanks for the good wishes. Scan went well and there was a fetal pole and good heartbeat. All in the right place. She didn’t measure the heart rate but said she was really happy with what she was seeing. It was so clear. I wasn’t expecting that as never saw a heartbeat last time!

Measured 6 weeks and I thought I’m around 6+1 per my last period.

Cried with happiness.

Still being cautious, but feeling more settled and optimistic!

@Singingloudforalltohear that's great news! Such a nice reassurance to see the tiny heartbeat ❤️

@Singingloudforalltohear that is great news! Understandable to still feel cautious but a heartbeat is a great milestone!

@Singingloudforalltohear 💃yessss great news!

@MO22 , congrats on the BFP and welcome! There's no evidence progesterone does anything except for those who've had 1+ miscarriage and have spotting/bleeding. Big impact doesn't kick until 3+ MCs and spotting/bleeding (no impact for 3+ MCs in absence of spotting/bleeding). But consensus seems to be that it is unlikely to do any harm generally. The big question is whether you'd be able to get someone (GP/EPU) to prescribe more once you run out. GP might be reluctant as it's not consistent with the current guidelines and would be an off-label use of progesterone. But people have definitely convinced their GPs to prescribe it in similar circumstances.

I just got my blood results back from Thursday and today and the levels are good and rising well. Still nervous as with my miscarriage they were good to this point and then stopped rising although the miscarriage didn't happen until nearly 9 weeks.

But I'm really pleased to have passed another milestone and also reassured that whatever I may feel or not feel is meaningless and doesn't relate to what is going on in there! X

@Singingloudforalltohear Glad your scan went well. It is so reassuring to know everything is going ok. I think there is evidence that if you get support and reassurance with EPAU it can help outcomes, maybe because of lowering stress.

@Janefx40 The blood tests are funny as they always feel a little out of date and retrospective, but they have always helped me to know what is happening with the hcg. Again, I think that helps lower stress or if not good news I at least knew what to expect.

@MO22 I was checking my progesterone because of temping too as my temps gradually began to drop after a really good surge at ovulation. My progesterone was 25.7 nmol/L at 18dpo and then 17.2 at 32dpo, but I think I am just on the lower end of the threshold as have had no spotting and hcg growth has been good. I never tested progesterone with my other pregnancies so I think it's all part of my fertility makeup. I kept temping as was using an ava bracelet. My temperature dropped suddenly to coverline at 29 dpo, but then gradually increased again and more steeply increasing in the last 3-4 days. I read progesterone can drop around the luteal-placental shift between 6 and 8 weeks.

I thought about and researched taking progesterone and then I worried that it might actually be a bad ideas to interfere with things too, plus I don't think I would have been able to convince a doctor to prescribe it. The midwife sonographer and midwife I spoke to reassured me as they said if hcg was good and I was having good growth scans then that was what mattered. I'm happy as I feel like I have good antenatal care and I have really good past experiences with my hospital.

@Janefx40 yes the symptoms are all meaningless aren't they? 🤣 Spotting can be fine, you can be vomiting daily and still miscarry, you can have no symptoms and still have a healthy embryo. Glad your blood test was good news.

Ugh I hate FB. Is anyone else being bombarded by advertisements for maternity clothes and egg donation clinics? It's a bit much since my googling is basically all around miscarriage - who decides that's the right algorithm for maternity wear?!

Had some more bleeding today and getting absolutely obsessed by the idea that this is ectopic. I have near constant pressure and pinching on my lower left side and no uterine cramping at all which is normal for me in pregnancy. I'm hopefully just doing what I do and worrying unnecessarily but it's hard. I have a scan booked for a week's time but not sure if I can last that long ☹️

@Janefx40 this is my fourth first trimester and the first one where I have had hardly any cramping so I know how you feel although if I was cramping I think I'd be worried too! 🤦‍♀️

I had a scan at 6 weeks due to strong pains on my right and also feeling concerned about ectopic, and the baby was in the right place, sonographer said I ovulated on the right and that can often cause pain, maybe that could be similar for you?

@calipoppy that's reassuring to hear. Yes I think I ovulated on the left and I nearly always get a cyst post ovulation (had lots of scans prepping for this transfer) so hopefully it is that! The bleeding is making me nervous. I'm scared to go to the loo! It's not been much so far. Just a shame after good blood result yesterday it might have been nice to have a positive 24 hours!

Struggling to keep up with all the messages as hyperemesis has absolutely floored me now and looking at screens is making me dizzy 🙄 But those of you with early scans I hope you've found them reassuring.🤞

I’ve booked in a scan for Saturday 24th I should be 7weeks+1 and hoping to see a healthy heartbeat 🤞🏻

I agree with the above the symptoms can kind of be meaningless sometimes. I’ve been struggling with morning sickness (aka all day sickness!) but I had this in April and both the twins had already passed. Hoping I see a little heartbeat on Saturday

Also yes not only is FB full of baby related posts it’s full of friends / family announcing their pregnancies which I have struggled with since the loss of mine in April!

A lot of people seem to think that being pregnant again means you’re fine and healed but it definitely isn’t

@BellaBella38 sorry to hear you're suffering with HG 😞 have you been prescribed anything? I don't know if you're into this kind of thing but I read up a lot on acupuncture for pregnancy sickness incase mine was really bad again, it seems to have quite a big impact for some women so it could be worth looking into. Otherwise I recommend lots of audio books, it's all I could handle when screens made me feel 🤢!

@Essexgalhere it's so true about people thinking a new pregnancy will 'fix' things. It definitely helps compared to the desperation of losing a baby, but I just see it as one more step on the journey really, it comes with a different set of emotions to deal with doesn't it!

Had a scan today due to some abdominal pain and being on norethisterone when I conceived - looks all good for approx dates (~5wks). So the first point ticked.

No concerns about ectopic found.

They're going to offer one at 8wks too.

@IWillBeWaxingAnOwl I saw a tiny gestation sac and yolk sac at my 5 week scan, hoping to see a heartbeat this weekend xx

Hey ladies, I may come and lurk in this thread with you if that's okay. I don't post much but like to read up on how everyone in a similar boat to me is going!

Me and DH have been TTC since Sep 2020, had no luck at all until I finally got pregnant in March this year, but then had a MMC around 10 weeks (had symptoms up to about 9 weeks but no idea at what point the pregnancy had stopped progressing because scans could only see a sac).

Took a few months off trying until they could remove a submucosal fibroid they spotted during the mc. Every dr/nurse I spoke to seemed to have a different opinion as to whether it was potentially making it difficult to concieve, making it difficult for a pregnancy to progress, or having no real impact at all!

But I was glad to get that sorted, and sure enough first full cycle post-removal I've come up with a BFP, and that puts me roughly at 4 weeks along and so just squeaking into the May due date category with you all!

I'm not feeling too strongly one way or another - main thought is a sort of blank 'Well, here we go again...' but hubs is def more pessimistic this time around. Guess we'll see how things go, maybe once we've had a positive scan or two might start feeling a bit more real. Because last time we never even got that!

I'm also going to wait another week and take a couple more preg tests before I register with the hospital, just in case.

So I guess now I just have questions about scans: how long would you wait until getting an initial scan? I think I have a retroverted uterus (one ultrasound tech mentioned something like that but nobody has since and I've not asked so I'm not sure!!) which I've heard makes getting a good look a bit more tricky, so should I wait longer?

I don't want to go too early and have them go, yep, can't really see anything so come back later.

Last time I went for my first (private) scan at 10w, and they could only see a sac & nothing else - they called it a 'Pregnancy of unknown location'. I then miscarried naturally 1.5 days later before the hospital referral came through. So I don't really know if there was ever anything beyond a sac or whether it had at one point developed further but because it was almost ready to miscarry that the embryo had, I dunno, been reabsorbed or something? 😕

Anyway, sorry for the giant essay!! Fingers crossed for a more positive journey with everyone this time! x

@BellaBella38 sorry about the hyperemesis. It is brutal. My best friend gets it and it is just horrendous so feel free to complain about it - I know we are all super grateful to be pregnant but you are still allowed to complain about feeling rough! Definitely chase the meds if you haven't already.

@Essexgalhere fingers crossed for your scan on Saturday. We've booked our first one for the day after on the Sunday when we would be 6+1. Terrified is an understatement.

@IWillBeWaxingAnOwl yay!! That's amazing news. So pleased you've been reassuring. I've been having lots of left sided pain too so may ask the GP for a referral although I feel like I am constantly badgering her at the moment.

Hi @Sera123 welcome and sorry for your loss. Congrats on the BFP.

Because I've come from the IVF route I am used to lots of information and I think on balance I find that easier. In some ways it can increase anxiety - and part of me doesn't want to know if things have gone wrong. But on the other hand I just worry.

So I have booked for a scan at 6w1 day. I'm hoping we can confirm the location of the pregnancy (totally obsessed with the idea of ectopics) and see yolk sac, hopefully heart beat too. However because I am an IVF pregnancy then we have total certainty about dates which means that measurements etc should be fairly accurate. In a natural conception there is less certainty about exactly how far along things are. So I can see that in a natural conception you may want to wait longer.

It's definitely personal choice. I suppose I ask myself "if it's bad news, how soon do I want to know?". Ugh this is so hard.

Got the book Pregnancy After Loss today so am hoping that will help x

@Janefx40 let me know what the book is like! I wanted to get it, and then felt like I was jinxing it, I'm wondering if that feeling will ever go away?!

I also wanted to ask the group if anyone is not getting an early scan, and will wait until 12 weeks? In my last pregnancy I had a scan at 9 weeks and heard the heartbeat only to go on and have a MMC.

The EPU where found out said I can come in whenever for my next pregnancy, but I feel a little burnt. I equally don't want to wait until 12 weeks if there is something wrong. It's stressing me out a little not knowing what to do!

@Sera123 I would have booked a 7 or 8 week if the EPU wasn't offering it to us. At that stage you should see a baby shaped embryo and a heartbeat if the pregnancy is likely to continue

@MO22 I got the book too, just started using it now I'm 5 weeks.

@IWillBeWaxingAnOwl Yeah, I think I might do that, aim for 7/8 week scan if they don't offer us anything. During the MC I think they mentioned they'd likely get me in for an early scan next time, so maybe they'll decide for me. Also would prefer not to go back to the same private place we found out the bad news last time...

@MO22 I guess now I'm feeling like I would rather know earlier, rather than continuing on making plans for weeks when it wasn't progressing.

As much as it sucked to get the news at the private scan, as it turned out, that way I could kinda process/google things a bit before it actually happened so I didn't have to deal with the physical and emotional shock all at once? Not fun either way though!!!

And of course everyone's different, if you feel like even a positive scan will just remind you too much of last time and won't help settle the nerves then maybe best not to. There's no right or wrong way x

@MO22 to be honest I have put the book back down for a bit. I liked the first couple of chapters but then it is all about how to overcome your anxiety and I just can't do that today! Plus it also made me swear not to use Internet forums! And honestly these are my lifeline when things are hard.

I'm in a total tailspin because the pain on my left is becoming worse and more persistent. I think I'm going to try to go to an EPU tomorrow for a scan to check location.

@calipoppy I've just started another 28 hrs of Harry Potter to keep me sane. I hadn't thought of acupuncture, but if I can keep my head up long enough to make it into town I'll make an apt. Need to try plan B with my GP tomorrow. She's got 3 plans and the first one was ok ish but I'm still not functioning as a human grown up yet.

@IWillBeWaxingAnOwl I just saw you've knocked down that early scan milestone! Fantastic! I feel like I should be putting together some post of crafty chart with everyone's milestones and highlights whilst I'm off work. Now we really know how much the boredom's kicking in 🤦‍♀️

@Essexgalhere Got everything crossed for your tiny heartbeat this weekend. Those super early scans can be such a mixed bag, just hang on in there 🤞❤️