Multiple Miscarriages

Hi K.,
I had a DVT while on B/C for Endometrosis. They took me off. A few years later I met my hubby and before we "did the deed" we talked about not using B/C and all the variables we could think of.
Then, 5 months after we married I found out I was Pregnant. Again I got a DVT. My Husband talked with our Dr. (Our GP, not OB/GYN) and said he felt there HAD to be some underlying cause. Several blood tests later I have a clotting disorder (C.D>) and they put me on low molecular wt. heparin.
Our little girl will be 3 in about a month-she's healthy (actually healthier than a lot of kids of friends), smart and just beautiful.
My thoughts:
I'd get tested and see which one you have (I have Factor V (5) Leiden-but there are several out there). Then see someone like an OB/Gyn who sees (specalizes) in this condition-might also send you to a hematologist (they did for me) or Maternal-Fetal Specalist (I did that too but-b/c of my age).
They May want to put you on the shots of heparin Before you get Pregnant to ensure you have a smoother time?? I don't know exactly how they'd do it.
But, I DO know I'd find someone who knows how to determine the best way to get your baby here safely :-).
There are also support groups online for C.D.s. (I read Courtney Cox has a C.D. and that's why she had multiple miscarriages...she now has a healthy child too! :-)
I'd try and get tested to find out what you have then talk to someone (Hematologist?? Fertility Specalist) to figure out the best path to successful birth.
Also, when your daughter is older have her tested as well most C.D.'s are inherited. One of my 3 neices has the same disorder and the other 2 haven't been tested yet... Also, my OB/Gyn pointed out that if I have it (I got the gene from Both parents) if our daughter needed surgery we would probably need to test her for the C.D.
I think education helps out a Great Deal in situations like this!
Good Luck and you are in my prayers.
It's scary and tense when you HAVE a clotting disorder, but it helps a LOT to know what it is and how to fight it to get your baby here :-).
Hugs,
C.

So very sorry to hear of your losses. I had 2 in between my first and last child.
You might check into some over the counter DHEA. A lady I met said that her friend had problems and she did too and was preg w/ in a month.
Just something to check into...
Best of luck.

I have had multiple miscarriages as well, after my 2nd one we went ahead and ran all the blood tests. We found out that I have something called Prothrombin factor 2 gene mutation. It is a clotting condition I was put on Lovenox injections during pregnancies. I now have 2 beautiful healthy toddlers. This condition is hereditary I was the first one to find out about it then my cousin who has had difficulties with pregnancies and a couple of other people. I wish you lots of luck finding out what is wrong and hope that it is something very simple, I know exactly what you are going through. Ask your Doctor to look up this condition it may be what you have. Good Luck!!

K.,
I am so sorry for all you have gone through...please get your THYROID tested. It is often overlooked by many, many doctors. Most doctors will only test your TSH levels, but the range of "normal" is vague and broad. Ask for these specific tests:
1) a TSH level
2) Free T4 and Free T3 levels
3) Thyroid Antibodies (anti-TPO AND TgAb levels)
4) Ferritin level
5) Adrenals - Cortisol levels (ask for the saliva test if it is available)
6) B-12 levels, progesterone levels, estrogen levels, DHEA levels & testosterone levels
7) Reverse T3 level

Write it down and hand it to your doctor, tell him/her you want these labs run. #6 will measure the hormone levels many other posts brought up. They can do 1 blood draw and run all the tests. Thyroid disorders can be fixed with medication. It is worth the tests to know. Hang in there! *Hugs*

K.,

so sorry for your loss. I too have miscarried, as have my sisters and mother (multiple times).

We did find a solution and are now having a baby BOOM in our family.

If you'd like some details feel free to email me @
____@____.com

Praying for you now...
Many blessings,
A.

K., I am so sorry for everything you are going through. I have only had one miscarriage so of course they didn't do any testing or anything, just chalked it up to "a lot of women miscarry their first pregnancy". Nice, huh? So I don't have any advice for you but I just wanted to let you know about a wonderful support group I found after my miscarriage. These ladies have all been through the same things we have and have great advice and support. If you are interested, go to http://stickybabies.lefora.com/user/gateway/ to sign up. It really has been so great for me. Take care.

There are some great responses to consider that have been given already. I wanted to let you know about a couple of little-known causes of miscarriage that haven't been mentioned:
*high doses of Vitamin C - greater that 6000 mg. in a day - can cause miscarriage
*NSAID drugs, expecially if taken around the time of conception can cause an early miscarriage. This includes ibuprofen.
T. - mom of 4

I had the same problem. My doctor put me on progesterone. I felt horrible but it did help me conceive and carry my daughter.

Hi K.,

I'm sorry for your difficulties-- I have been there, too. Of course, you will gets lots of people telling you what they had, but it my case it was likely a low hormone level mid-cycle and using progesterone supplements from ovulation forward while trying to conceive made our 4th pregnancy successful. (We also had a bunch of other tests/workups that didn't reveal any problem.) If you have not already, you should go to a fertility specialist, so they can try to pinpoint your difficulty. I don't know where you live, but we had a good experience at the Center for Reproductive Health in OKC. Good luck!

K.

Did they tell you the name of your clotting disorder? If you haven't been tested yet, I would request testing. I also had multiple miscarriages and after testing found out I had a clotting disorder (MTHFR). I started taking aspirin and extra folic acid while I was trying to conceive. As soon as I got a positive pregnancy test, I started heparin injections twice a day. Some doctors won’t have you start heparin until after you hear a heartbeat, which is too late in some circumstances. Luckily my doctor let me start them right away to prevent any early clotting and it worked because I had a beautiful baby girl. I’m sorry for your losses and wish you the best of luck.

There are specialists who are for blood disorders only. If you haven't already seen on, do so. My husband needed one for a short period after having a blood clot. I don't remember the drs. name but she's at St. Vincent's Hospital in Birmingham. They have a drs. finders # you can call. Her name sounded something like pinata (the candy filled things) but slightly off from that.

K.,
I had 3 miscarriages before my doctor ran a simple blood test that showed i didn't have enough MALE hormone to keep the pregnancy going, he prescribed a candy type hormone that i put under my tongue and let it disolve. i have a beautiful 17 year old daughter because of that, you may want to see what new kind of meds are out there since this was 17 years ago. but please get the blood work done to see if you have any problems with hormones.

It very well could be lack of progesterone a hormone that attaches baby to uterine wall. Arbonne has a great natural progesterone cream called Prolief that has helped alot of women get pregnant and hold baby to full term. Ck out web at www.successfromtheheart.myarbonne.com. Also, go to Dr John Lee's website and read about his research.

Is your OB person a high risk/ infertility specialist? If not, that is where your need to start. There are tests to confirm if the problem is in the clotting factors of your blood. All in all, if you have had several miscarriages you need a complete work up.