First pregnancy & misscarriage

[Syeda]

Hi, I am Syeda(31 years). I lost my baby last tuesday at 2 months: cry: .It was my first pregnancy & me & my husband was trying for this baby for almost 1 year. When I was losing all hope; i got pregnant. I was spotting after 1 1/2 month and went to emergency. After some tests, they told me that my baby is small & I might have a m/c and instruct me for a bed rest which could prevent that. I went to my PCP, she said that they(emergency) sometime say that but it won't happen. She also told me to be in bed rest. I was in little hope and tried everything to save my baby. But could not I am totally devastated now. I feel like I don't have anyone in the world. I could not sleep and always have negative thoughts that I may not be able to conceive in future as one of my friend has a miscarriage(at 2 months) at her 1st pregnancy in 2008 while she was 31 & she still can't conceive. My brother also don't have a baby(married 20 years). Please help me!

 

[DeuceMom]

deleted

 

[Syeda]

Thanks for your reply honey. I think this will be helpful for me. Sorry about your loss and congrats on your good news.

 

[Twag]

I am so sorry for your loss

I just wanted to spread some hope I guess - I lost my 1st pregnancy (although a lot earlier than you) at the age of 32 I then went on to have 2 very successful pregnancies resulting in my son & daughter at the ages of 34 & 35

Don't give up hope

 

[Syeda]

Thanks Twag, I am hoping for better in future.

 

[dairymomma]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I have a history of miscarriages but mine are attributed to a clotting disorder and hormone issues. In your case, the odds are likely that you will have a successful pregnancy after this. I know many women, from my mother in law to my sister to several friends who have had a miscarriage but went on to have healthy normal pregnancies afterwards.

However, if you have family members with infertility issues and/or it's taken you a while to conceive, it certainly doesn't do any harm to tell your doctor. They may decide to run some basic tests right now to see if you have anything that may cause more losses but more than likely, this was just a one time thing for you and you'll have that rainbow baby the next time.

 

[helloeveryone]

Hi honey sorry about your loss..
when I was 20 I lost my second pregnancy when I was 2 months like you,
But it was a bit different because I did already have a 2 year old girl.
Which did ease the pain a bit.

I had the same thought as you, that I would never fall pregnant again, or if i did that I would lose it again.

Fast forward 17 years, I now have 6 lovely children, and I was lucky enough to never another pregnancy again.

My point I am trying to get to is please don't worry about the future too much, I can't say it won't happen again, just saying it might not...
Xxxxx

 

[Jencocoa]

Big hugs, so very sorry for your loss. I know how heartbreaking it must be. This is my first miscarriage as well but I have three children prior. It was so unexpected because I have not had pregnancy complications before. Anyway it happens, it's awful. Big hugs.

 

[Syeda]

Thanks dairymomma, and I am sorry to hear about your issues. i hope you already have someone to call you mom?

 

[Syeda]

@helloeveryone, Thanks for your support hun. Yes, i am trying not have negative thoughts for future. And congrats for your lovely childrens.

 

[Syeda]

Thanks jencocoa, sorry for your loss. and hope you have another baby, but i hope u r lucky enough to have 3 kids already!

 

[Amygdala]

I'm so sorry for your loss! I also lost my first, at 8.5 weeks. But I went on to have two perfectly healthy children. Don't give up hope! This is an awful time for you but things will get better.

 

[dairymomma]

Syeda-yes, I am blessed with three miraculous rainbow children. And I mean miraculous. With my odds (it's like a 25% chance I'll carry successfully to term) and my issues, it's extremely hard for me to get out of the first trimester and each of my successful pregnancies has had more complications than the last. I nearly lost LO at 8 weeks and again at 9 weeks so I was on edge pretty much the entire pg but she hung on in there and she's now a precocious independent 2 year old. So I'm very blessed indeed to have the children I do have. We're currently ntnping for #4 but it's more because my doctors switched my meds up and we want to see if the new treatment plan will help me go to term. At this point, I'm ready to be done but since my fertility issues are inherited and there's a good chance my kids could deal with one or more of the things I have, we want to have as much info for them because this is something they may encounter as well.

 

[Syeda]

@Amygdala, Thanks for your support hun.

 

[Syeda]

@dairymomma, congrats on ur miracle babies, & i m really sorry what u went through(mentally) in carrying them. But u r very lucky as well that u could finish ur terms with such complications, hope will do the same for #4. BTW, how u manage ur 1st trimester with hormone & clotting in ur 1st one after m/c. I mean what treatments u went through?

 

[dairymomma]

If you want to read my full story, check out the spoiler on the first page of my pg journal here.

As for treatments, with DS and DD I started progesterone (oral Prometrium 100mg 2x day) at bfp and continued til 12-13 weeks. I also took a daily baby aspirin til delivery for a suspected but unconfirmed clotting disorder. With LO, I was on 200mg of oral progesterone 2x day from 4-13 weeks and weaning off by 14 weeks. I also took a daily baby aspirin til 15 weeks when I started forgetting to take it. (I blame hormones and stress.) With my next pregnancy, I'll be on lovenox injections from bfp to 35 weeks, heparin injections from 35 weeks to delivery, a daily baby aspirin from bfp to delivery, progesterone (200mg 2x day) from bfp to 13 weeks & weaning off by 14-15 weeks, and high dose prescription folate from bfp to delivery. We've added the injections because my particular complications-bleeding in early pregnancy-has been getting worse with each pregnancy and it's starting earlier and it's the feeling of both myself and my doctor (the hematologist agrees as well) that the baby aspirin just isn't quite enough anymore. The folate is because the clotting disorder I have (MTHFR) is triggered by low folate levels and my body can't process folate normally so I have to supplement. It's likely that I don't need the progesterone anymore as my more recent pregnancies have had normal progesterone rises but for my peace of mind, I'd rather be on it.

If this doesn't work, I may push for more meds (I want to try steroids in case I have high NK cells or an unknown autoimmune issue but my doctors won't prescribe it as yet.) or I may decide I'm done for good. I've told DH that I only have 1 or 2 more tries in me at this point but it's dependent on how my next pg(s) go and how I tolerate doing daily injections for 8 months. I HATE needles so this is terrifying for me and I don't know if I can do it mentally but I'm willing to give it a try once. Maybe I'm stronger than I think.

 

[dairymomma]

I had my TSH and rH checked after my 2nd loss-both came back normal. I had the usual battery of RMC testing done after my 3rd loss but they also came back normal. The doctor prescribed progesterone and baby aspirin at this point based on when I was miscarrying, not based on bloods. I've had CBCs done at some point either while pg or shortly after a m/c but they came back normal. I had a basic clotting disorder panel done after my 7th loss but nothing showed up then, the MTHFR test was done after my 10th/last loss, and the hematologist ran more indepth clotting disorder and autoimmune testing about 6 months ago. All of my labs, aside from the MTFHR, have come back normal.

So we know I have a folate deficiency and clotting issue tied to the MTHFR mutation that I have, I have had low progesterone levels and low rising hCG levels in the past but they seem to be resolving themselves after I've done a few hormone cleanses recommended by the naturopath I've been seeing, and I suspect something either structural or blood flow related on the left side of my reproductive system. I have had 4 (probably 5) blighted ovums and we know that at least 3 of them have been from the left side. I have not carried a left ovulation pregnancy to term ever and since they all end in a BO, I suspect there is something wrong with my ovary, tube, or left side of my uterus (scar tissue or endo perhaps?) but none of my doctors will pursue this theory. It could also be something autoimmune related, in which case the steroids would work but again I can't get them prescribed at this time, or maybe that side of my uterus has poor blood flow to it. The only way to know if it's structural or scarred is to do an HSG or a hysteroscopy but again, my doctors don't feel it's needed right now.

Sorry for the novel length posts here but it's hard to condense this all down.

 

[Syeda]

dairymomma, I am so sorry that you have gone through so much pain. But you have your 3 kids now who can ease those pains. enjoy your precious moments with them hun!

 

[Syeda]

Hi everyone, I have a question about the progesterone level; when i miscarried(spotting and bleeding afterwards)my baby i had a progesterone level of 3.8 and i was almost 10 weeks preg . I was asking the OB'S and even my PCP that if my hormone levels are good, they said its all good when i was pregnant. but I found that my progesterone level is only 3.8 after my m/c. So I asked my OB that if it is a low level or do i need to get a check for it. But she was like, 'your insurance won't pay those tests until u hav 3 m/c, i can send u for a test but they will charge u 450'. I was just asking to know if the level is ok. The way she speak seems she wants me to have 3 m/c. Then I told her that i don't want to go through this again. and she replied' 'we can't do anything about it'. Earlier in my 1st visit, I was asking that i have kept some remaining of the embryo and if i could get it checked to know the reason of my m/c. She said that they won't like to do it but can send it to a lab who will charge me a lot. BTW, I Empire BCBS medicaid. At that visit, when she saw my reports from hospitals she said that i should not go to emergency coz i have a poor men insurance and they will bankrupt and they gonna charge me for that and it(emergency) is not also good for me. She didn't even listen my questions attentively and hurrying to go somewhere else. It seems like the only thing she care is money. I was likely to say her that i don't care about the money, I only care about my baby that i lost but i couldn't. Do you guys thinks that a OB could talk with her patient like this? I only went there twice, i am never going their back. Could you guys please give me any suggestions about my progesterone level and what i can do about it? sorry about long post and i am really grateful to DeuceMom for her suggestions.

 

[dairymomma]

To have your progesterone drop to 3.8 after the loss can be normal as your hormones drop when the miscarriage starts. And it can be totally normal thing to have happen. Many doctors don't feel progesterone is an issue because to them, low progesterone levels in pregnancy mean there's something wrong and the body is doing what nature intends to correct the problem. It's very possible this particular pregnancy had genetic issues or poor implantation or just wonky cell division and your body did what it had to do. And unfortunately, most doctors will approach one miscarriage as 'just bad luck' and won't send you for further testing (unless there's reason for it-eg. family history of recurrent loss or health issues that can contribute to miscarriage) unless/until you've had 3 or more losses. I had to go through 3 before I got any sort of RMC testing done aside from checking my TSH number and doing a CBC. As heartbreaking as it is to go through a loss, there are very valid reasons for waiting to do testing-the biggest being that most women will actually lose a pregnancy at least once in their child bearing years but they are completely healthy in every way and go on to have normal pregnancies after. My sister is one of those women, my mother-in-law had a loss, my sister in law had 2, one of my dearest friends has had 2 as well. Yet all of them have gone on to have normal pregnancies after without complications. So to have testing done now may only be a waste of money because you very possibly could have no physical reason for the loss-it just happened. It sucks, I know, especially when you want something SO bad and then you lose it in such a heartrending way.

I guess what I'm saying here is I understand both sides of the story here and I get what you are saying. I totally agree that what the doctor said was completely uncalled for and utterly disrespectful but I also see why she's saying it doesn't pay to do testing right now. Does that make sense? It doesn't minimize your loss or make you want to get tested for everything to find an answer and a miracle pill so it doesn't happen again any less. But it is sound advice even if it was delivered in a very mean way.

As for the insurance part, don't listen to her. She doesn't know much about health care if she's saying stuff like that.

As for your progesterone level, I'd ask your doctor to test you 7 days past ovulation to see what your numbers are. That will show if you have a naturally low level post-ov when it should be elevated, indicating that you've ovulated. This means tracking your cycle with opks and other ovulation indicators so you can hvae the test done at the right time and waiting for your first normal AF after the loss so the miscarriage isn't causing hormone fluctuations any longer. It's also a good idea to get it tested in early pregnancy so the doctor can see if it's rising normally during the pregnancy. For me, my progesterone is normal at the start of pregnancy but it doesn't rise like it should as the weeks go by and I need to supplement or I'll miscarry. That is why I take progesterone pills.

Sorry if this is such a long reply but I want to make sure you have plenty of information so you can decide where you want to go from here. I would recommend you find another OB though since that one seems like a piece of work.