Having quite bad health anxiety since finding out I'm pregnant after losses

[YourCoralPoster]

Hi everyone.

I'm currently 5+1 after an ectopic and a previous missed miscarriage.

For the last week, I've been panicking about it being another ectopic as I can't get scanned till next week.

Last night, I came to the realisation that even if it isn't ectopic, I could very easily have another miscarriage. Now I'm panicking about all the things that could cause a miscarriage.

I have thyroid problems. This was discovered in my first pregnancy and I believe maybe it was the cause of the miscarriage. I take levothyroxine now but my levels could shoot up again and cause trouble. I upped my dose but who knows?

I have negative blood. My husband has positive. What if I've developed antibodies in the past two losses and now this is going to harm the baby?

I have a cat. What if I catch toxo or some sort of worms from her and this causes miscarriage/stillbirth/disabilites? What if I already have it?

I'm just terrified in general :( Even if my scan next week shows the baby in the right place, how am I ever going to relax? I'm going to panic the whole way through...

So sorry you've had such a rough time with your previous losses but congrats on this one!

I know it's easier said than done but you need to try and relax. No amount of worrying, stressing, scans or doctors visits will prevent whatever will happen from happening and I don't mean that to be harsh at all so sorry if it comes across that way.

I can tell you first hand that the anxiety will be there no matter what. Whether you've had previous losses or not, you will naturally be anxious as everything is out of your control. This is my first ever pregnancy, wasn't TTC and I am a wreck. Constantly scared/worried. It doesn't stop.

RE the blood type - I don't think it will cause any issues depending on how far along you were in both pregnancies.

Are you going for a private scan or an NHS one? Due to your previous losses, you should be monitored more closely and be offered more scans than the usual.

Wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy!

I can relate to this so much and can only emphasise as I know stressful it is. My previous pregnancies ended in losses too and I cannot break out of that anxiety that it'll happen again.

The only thing I can say is that many people do go on to have healthy pregnancies so the odds are in your favour.

Wish I could be more help, but just wanted to say you're not alone.

Hi, I am in a very similar situation to you but a bit further along (15 weeks), and also have struggled with health anxiety the whole way through after an ectopic loss.

I also am hypothyroid and upped my dose myself while I waited for blood results, which was exactly the right thing to do as my TSH levels were raised, so I think you're onto the right track there being aware of potential problems. It takes a while for anything to be a problem with your thyroid and your baby, as the Dr explained to me, your baby will take all the thyroid hormone it needs from you, which will cause your levels to be disrupted, but the main thing is that your baby is getting what it needs.

I just keep thinking, unless you have a reason to worry, you don't need to worry. There is a much higher chance of you ending up with a baby in your arms than anything else happening.

My placenta is low lying which has caused a few bleeds and every time I freak out about it, book in for a scan to see my little one happily wriggling away on the screen. It sucks because it means that you can't relax and enjoy pregnancy, but remember that your baby wants to survive and surprisingly tough.

@YourCoralPoster Sending a hug. I'm 25+4 and finally went to GP on Friday about my health anxiety - started creeping in after my miscarriage in July and with this pregnancy it's pretty much just gone off a cliff. I'd mentioned it to midwife at 16 weeks and she was sympathetic but basically didn't do anything about it. I haven't enjoyed a lot of this pregnancy and it makes me sad.

Regardless of how this pregnancy works out, see your GP. Hormones make everything feel a million times worse and having it somewhere on your record will do you favours further down the line. Good luck!

@YourCoralPoster pregnancy after loss just can’t be explained with how anxiety inducing it is. I’m 8 weeks pregnant following 2 losses. First was unexplained, and the second was a partial molar.

I’m constantly worried about either scenario happening again. In my first pregnancy I was aware of miscarriage & worried about it, but nothing could truly prepare me for how it felt until it happened to me.

I’m hoping that the anxiety will lessen the further along I (hopefully) get, but who knows.
Wishing you all the best for this pregnancy

@Lulu89x I really don’t mean to be rude, but it’s impossible to just relax when you’ve had previous losses. It’s a pain that can’t be described, and so going through pregnancy again after going through that is extremely difficult. The anxiety of pregnancy after loss is on another level

I didn’t say to just relax.. I said “try”. I’m sorry you experienced losses but it does not take away the fact that pregnancy for everybody is an extremely anxious and scary time.

I witnessed my best friend go through two miscarriages and an ectopic pregnancy In 2023 and it is the most gut wrenching thing to watch someone you love and care about go through this, so I can’t imagine how much worse it is to go through it. She is the one that told me no amount of worrying or stressing is going to change the outcome.

Because two of mr close friends experiences with MC, it has made me a nervous wreck especially as I’ve experienced unexplained bleeding on and off throughout my pregnancy so far. I have been back and forth at the hospital more times than I can even count.

Both friends have healthy babies now. One just turned one in February and the other is almost five months now.

I’m wishing everyone a very happy and healthy pregnancy 🫶🏻