Doctors, Tests, & All the Rest!

[groovygrl]

Hiya!

VGibs - yes, B12 is a good one to test for however, folic acid supplementation masks B12 deficiency. I will ask my naturopath about how to work around that

Rach, so sorry your dr. is hesitant to run more tests. My advice is to push. My dr. was the same (and I thought she would be one to be a lot more pro-active 'cus she had fertility challenges and finally had her twins last year through IVF - she is a gp but is also an ob/gyn) She watched me suffer through MMC and D&C at end of Jan. and didn't offer these tests because I also wasn't in the right 'category'.

Anyhoo, I sought out a TCM practitioner who specialised in fertility and pregnancy care and she got me to work also with her colleague who is a naturopath. First thing they did was write out a list of the tests they were interested in (will list below) and asked me to take it to my dr. to write out a lab requisition form. They can order the tests themselves but it is really expensive as they have to go through a private lab. The first step was to see if my dr. would order them (only pay for the dr. visit this way and the blood tests are free) if she was resistant they said we could do them privately. My dr. was really happy to write out the lab req. forms.WTF? I was shocked, I mean why didn't she order these herself (months ago) if it was no big deal She did ask me to get lab to mail the results to my home address so that I don't stalk her or her practice nurse for results - i guess because they weren't really 'their' labs.

Moral of the story - find someone who will get all the testing ordered for you. Perhaps you might find someone helpfull in the alternative health care arena like I did (naturopath.) Look for someone who specialises in fertility. I'm with Megg, I mean why not do everything you can to minimise chance of going through it again? push, push, push for the labs hun

Megg - ya, saliva testing is really the way to go if you can afford it. That's my next step. Will get these labs done this cycle first. As I understand it, blood tests will measure what's floating/circulating around in our blood stream. Saliva tests actually measure what our tissues have absorbed. It draws a much more accurate picture of what/how our bodies are functioning. NASA uses saliva testing for their pilots. It's not used in mainstream health care because it's quite expensive and we don't have to go into that old rant again. It sucks to have to pay out so much but... Like I said earlier, I'd love to stroll up to the Clarins and MAC counter but it's going to be neutrogena and revlon. heh ho

okay heres the tests my naturopath wrote out:

1) FBC - including ESR
Vit. D
iron, ferritin, B12
TSH
FSH, LH, E2 - Day 2-3
lgE, lgA
Antinuclear antibodies
Cardiolipin antibodies
Lupus anticoagulant
Thrombophilia studies
2) Progesterone - Day 21

These were written out like this so I only had to go to the lab twice. Only the FSH, LH and E2 (day 2-3) and Progesterone (day 21) have to be done on those specific days. All the rest can be done anytime. Don't do the majority of these tests in luteal phase 'cus they take a lot of blood. you don't want your body to be working hard to replace blood supply when your needing to build healthy, sticky, extra cushion-y endometrial lining.

I will report my results as I get them. I'm doing the whole lot in #1 in about three days. Waiting for AF, got BFN on my HPT today My DH is gone during fertile phase this coming cycle so It's give me good chance to do all these labs and eat/drink properly. He's a bad influence

 

[Megg33k]

roonsma - My GP actually doesn't entirely mind being told what to do! I think she likes it! IT gives her less work/less to have to think about! LOL

groovygrl - I guess I'll pay out for the saliva testing then! Now that I understand it, it seems more worth it! I'll talk to my OH about putting the $$ out and see if he's okay with it! I'm also going to take that list of stuff to my GP on CD3 and ask all of them to be run! Thank you a million times over for posting it! I'm going to add it to the first post!

 

[Megg33k]

The first post looks a lot different now! I'll try to keep updating so all the info will be easy to find!

 

[heatherv2]

Ok, I really lucked out when I picked my Dr. She did a whole ton of tests after I had just one MC (at 16 wks). They took blood from me 2 different days, for a grand total of 16 vials! That was a little freaky to me. I really don't know what every test was. She told me but there were just so many I forgot some of them. I know they did testing for diabetes, thyroid, cardiolipin antibodies, lupus anticoagulant, MTHFR and a bunch of other stuff. The magic test for me was the MTHFR. I apparently have homozygous MTHFR. There are different types, and I do not yet know which type I have, but my doctor thinks that is most likely the cause of my MC. I have an appointment with a perinatologist on Tuesday afternoon and I will find out more then. The perinatologist will give me a treatment plan for next time I get PG for (hopefully) a better outcome. Anyway, you might add the MTHFR to your list!

 

[Megg33k]

I will! I don't really know much about it... but it always looks like a shortened version of a not very nice word to me... MTHFR --- MTHRFCKR (with all the vowels taken out)! The similarities are too much for my feeble mind! Haha!

 

[heatherv2]

Hahaha And that was exactly what I thought when they told me that test came back abnormal!

 

[groovygrl]

yup in perfect beevis and buthead form I thought exactly the same thing.

heather - I just looked it up now actually and see that it relates directly to homocysteine levels and uptake of folic acid - same thing AMOS is being treated for right? Thanks so much for that hun! I will add that to my list. Aren't you lucky to get a dr. to jump onto it right away! my dr. also appearantly doesn't mind being given instructions. Lot's of love and prayers for that BFP and then off to the perinotologist! -just looked up that one too!

 

[Megg33k]

Our doctors are going to be like... "YOU WON'T HAVE ANY BLOOD LEFT! I CAN'T DO IT!" Haha!

 

[roonsma]

Thanks girls for all your help, i shall wait to see what these first blood turn up and i shall go from there gotta get to the bottom of this

I'm deciding which GP i'm gonna go for this time!! hum need to think about that one!!!

Sorry its a bfn groovy

lucky you Heather, mine are certainly not that pro-active x

I'll let you know when my results are in(please let somthing come up!)

Rach x

 

[shaerichelle]

I have a thought.. Have your adrenals been tested? My doc says that those help balance all the other hormones!!??

 

[Megg33k]

I don't know if my adrenals were tested or not! Hmm... Dr. Google has some stuff about it relating to fertility though...

https://www.associatedcontent.com/article/517445/improve_fertility_by_maximizing_adrenal.html

 

[heatherv2]

Yes, the MTHFR is all about folic acid and homocystene, and from what I have read, the homocystene can cause blood clots, right? I am anxious to actually talk to the perinatologist and get all the info. I am just glad they found something wrong, because I think it will help me not be quite as paranoid about something going wrong next time I get PG.

 

[VGibs]

Too...many...blood...tests....going...to....faint...hahahaha I walked my happy little butt into the doc and asked to be drawn up for all those good things we have in the list. She looked at the list and goes "Vitamin D. Why didn't I think of that?" DUHHHHHHH Then I went and got EIGHT vials sucked out! I have to wait till they come back to see what they say but Im pretty hopeful!

 

[Megg33k]

Ha! Yay for Vitamin D!!! Can't wait for your results to come back! I want CD3 to get here so I can have 2053840 vials of blood sucked out and every test known to man run on my damn blood!

 

[Megg33k]

Oh... Speaking of tests... I have a jug of urine in my refrigerator right now! Fun, fun! LOL

 

[Megg33k]

So, about the jug of urine in my refrigerator. The "normal" range for the amount of urine collected in 24 hours is 800-2000ml. I'm at 750ml in 9 hours. I think I'm going to fail!

 

[goddess25]

Megg33k I was so sorry to see this news but I hope you get it all sorted out this time.

Thanks so much for starting this thread its awesome and well needed for lots of us.

When I was having my last mc well about too I went up to the emerg and I spoke with some horrible little man... i was out of country so it was a bit awkward but I asked him if he wanted to do some blood work and his answer to me was what is the point. I then said well we could check my hcg levels and check it again in a few days and if its rising then everything is ok. I did bleed fairly badly with my son too. At this point i was only spotting, anyway he said no he still did not see the point go home and if you start to bleed more then your having a mc if you dont and it stops go and see someone in 2 yes TWO weeks and see if your still pregnant.
I was livid but there was not much I could do as I was on vacation.... as it was i started bleeding properly a few days later but your right so many medics just dont give a toss about you or the fact that you have lost a baby.

I think its great that we can find out about all these tests and that way we can force medics to pay attention to us and give us the care we deserve that quite frankly they should be doing anyway.

 

[fluffyblue]

My friend has piped in with a comment about something to do with wheat intolerances can cause miscarriage do you know anything about this - im now concerned !

I googled this:

Women who experience recurrent miscarriages or those whose fetuses show intrauterine growth ******ation may have undiagnosed celiac disease.

Celiac disease is a genetic condition that causes those afflicted to experience difficulty absorbing gluten, as found in wheat, oats, barley, and several other grains. Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal distention, and fatigue. And research suggests that more people may have a symptomless, milder form that may often go undetected. Recent studies have indicated that many people are found to have mild forms of the disease when their blood is tested for the condition, even though they were unaware that there was a problem.

Women who experience repeat miscarriages, also known as recurrent spontaneous abortions (RSA) or intrauterine growth ******ation (IUGR) -- a condition in which a baby is born significantly smaller than normal -- may have celiac disease that has gone undetected.

Researchers, led by Dr. Antonio Gasbarrini, explain that they decided to look at celiac disease since it is a common cause of malabsorption of food in western countries. And for some time, miscarriages have been correlated with celiac disease.

Gasbarrini and colleagues conducted blood tests for the condition in 44 patients with RSA, 39 with IUGR, and 50 healthy women. None of the healthy women were found to have celiac disease, but the condition was detected in 8% of the women with RSA and 15% of those with IUGR.

Biopsy samples from the intestine confirmed diagnosis in eight of nine patients whose blood tested positive for the disease.

Women having recurrent miscarriages or intrauterine growth ******ation could have subclinical celiac disease, which will usually go undetected.

Celiac disease has been correlated with infertility, and with other conditions, including birth defects in children whose mothers could not absorb folic acid while pregnant because they had undiagnosed celiac disease, she said. It makes sense that the condition could lead to other problems related to too little nutritional intake, she pointed out. Spontaneous abortions could feasibly result if the mother was failing to absorb vitamins and minerals required by the baby, researchers explained. If celiac disease is responsible for some of these problems, it is easily treatable by avoiding products containing gluten.

 

[Megg33k]

I don't know anything about Celiac Disease relating to infertility, but the science seems to make sense! I wish I had info for you! I'll add it to the front page!

I couldn't have said it better myself, goddess! Your experience sounds bloody awful! I'm SO sorry you were treated that way!!!

Update on my current urine test... I still have over 9 hours left, and I'm now up to 1850ml. That's 62.5 fl oz. I think I've peed about 15 times today.... so far!

To put that into some sort of perspective... The cup this girl (I don't know who she is, Google found it for me!) is holding holds 64.25 fl oz. So, the next time I pee, I'll have probably over-filled that cup!

https://i43.tinypic.com/239e9.jpg

Poor girl has no idea that I just made it sound like she might be ingesting a cup full of urine! I'm sure its probably not urine... rather Mountain Dew, or Dr. Pepper, or Coke! Sorry random internet girl!

 

[xshell79]

been to the doctors and have a copy of my blood test results taken on 8dpo last cycle

LH 3.1 IU/L
FSH 1.3 IU/L
PROGESTERONE 18.7 nmol/L
TESTOSTERONE 1.2 nmol/L
OESTRADIOL 452 pmol/L
TSH 2.57 mU/L

so i have to wait to see the gyno specialist on 24th june to diagnos me with PCOS!!

so im going to try hard to lose some weight before the gyno appointment and to continue this to hopefully see if this helps with my pcos....

my results show i ov'd which is good as was my first proper cycle since my mc in jan..

megg- does my FSH level of 1.3 IU/L mean that i have a good ovarian reserve or does that not matter because of LH being higher......???? because my LH is higher than FSH does it also mean that i will keep getting highs on my cbfm even after ov because the levels high??? do LH and FSH differ throughout a cycle as i hear women having bloods done on cd3 for pcos testing??
any info or help would be great megg...sorry if my questions dont make sense! x

im trying to get my head round what pcos impact would be having on my fertility