Would like to hear from anyone who had to have termination of one twin, but kept healthy remaining twin, then had bleeding for months afterwards - like me.

[EmmaPP]

hi there
Im in i think quite a unusual situation, and it would be useful to talk to others if anyone else has experienced similar. After a miscarriage at 11 weeks in May, i then was pregnant with twins. Unfortunately the dr's said we had no option but to terminate one of the twins at 13 weeks, as it wasnt growing (had triploidy) and was going to die and would then jeapordise the whole pregnancy - ie the other twin. I am now 26 weeks pregnant, but have had brown spotting and small red bleeds every two weeks or so with a bit of pain, ever since the procedure at 13 weeks. All scan's show baby is absolutely fine, but it's really difficult as dr's cant explain why i am still bleeding. I just have to stay positive as all is fine in scans. It would be very useful to hear from anyone who has had the same experience - ie bleeding after this procedure. I understand that usually the body reabsorbs the demissed foetus - rather than the woman experiencing bleeding like i have, but this didnt happen in my case - so perhaps i wont find anyone else with the same experience?
Thanks
Emma

Emma, sorry to hear of your experience. I've not been through the same thing but many women bleed throughout pregnancy and have healthy babies.

Best thing is to ask your consultant for some reassurance (or your midwife.)

ive seen a consultant and midwife every 2 weeks throughout the pregnancy, but they dont try to reassure! they cant explain the bleeding so dont offer any reassurance. Unfortunately thats just the way they are there.

What a difficult experience for you. No personal help to offer I'm afraid but the fact that the scans are good is reassurance of a sort isn't it? I don't think you'll be able to relax till the baby is here in your arms - hope everything continues smoothly.

Oh dear.

Well you have got past the really dangerous stage which would have been the ten days past the first miscarriage and treatment. So hopefully the little one will stay put now.

Do you have a plan for the birth - are you expected to go to full term or be delivered earlier due to the initial twinning?

If you get a plan in place for getting your baby out you might feel more focused on that than worrying about the intervening period.

You are high risk but that doesn't mean something will automatically go wrong. My last pregnancy was considered very high risk and I was at the hospital most days with DS then in for the last month or so. But he's fine. Six months in two weeks in fact. Things have a habit of working out, even when initially they go wrong.

Have they assessed placental position so you know that's not what is causing the bleeding btw?

yes placenta is fine so thats not causing the bleeding. no, too early really to think through a birth plan at this stage i think - so the hospital tell me. but thanks for the advise.

It might be too early for them to book it but it's not too early for you to plan IYSWIM? You need to know for example what to do if you go into labour at 34 weeks (I believe this is the average for twin pregnancies, but I don't know whether that's because they run out of room or that's just what twins do.) Similarly, will they monitor the last trimester and recommend induction and/or caesarian if things suddenly deteriorate (ie the bleeding increases or the baby appears to be in distress)? You need to understand what to look out for an what is likely and them fobbing you off won't help you cope with the situation.

Hi Emma I haven't experienced the same, however have had a twin pregnancy where I ended up with a missed miscarriage of one of the twins. This twin was thought to have reabsorbed, although I did bleed (quite heavily at times) on and off until around 30 weeks, I passed small bits of membrane but nothing else. They surviving twin was born after going into spontaneous labour at 40+7 and was well with no residual problems, she is now 3.5, this was an extreamly traumatic pregnancy and I needed a lot of tlc, not least to deal with the fact that I found it very hard to get my head round the fact that I should "really" have been having two babies, when I ended up with just one. Hugs and best wishes to you

Sorry forgot to put the missed miscf was at 12 weeks, so a similar gestation to your loss.

Dear curlywurlycremegg - so sorry to hear you experienced something similar, but i cannot tell you what a relief to hear you too had bleeding/bits of membrane (exactly same as me), as in effect, dr's say i miscarried the twin they had to terminate - so in effect my body's experienced something similiar to yours. Did you worry heaps that the bleeding went on for soooo long? Initially the dr's said the bleeding/spotting was the demissed twin, but now it's 4 months later im finding it hard to accept that it's still the demissed twin remains coming out. Mostly i just have brown spotting (ie not bleeding), made worse if i go for a walk, but i can go for weeks without any, then it comes back again. Then about every 2 weeks i get a small red bleed (altho once it was heavier, like a period, for about 20 mins then stopped). I have been signed off work for 3 months and wont go back yet because I never know when im going to get a red bleed, and when that happens i do panic, so not good to be at work. I guess it is just my body getting rid of the remaining twin, bit by bit and hearing your story reassures me that this is the case. When i get the bleeds, it does feel a little sore inside. Did you experience that too?

curlywurlycremeegg - would be good to chat online about your experience if your still around? were you signed off work - i have been for 3 months, due to the spotting/bleeding. did you ever get a bit of soreness when you had the red bleeds? i do. were you told you were at higher risk of premature labour? i have been told this. How did your hospital deal with it? mine havent given me any reassurance at all, until this week, a locum consultant said the spotting was totally normal given what i've been through - if only someone had told me that 3 months ago, could've saved a lot of anxiety!