How to decrease risk of miscarriage

[surprisepreg]

Hi everyone,

So a little background history. I had a successful pregnancy back in 2010-few complications, none early on at all. Had my son on Nov 6, 2010 via c-section. In January of this year, I found I was pregnant. This pregnancy ended up being a blighted ovum (I assume, the doctor never actually use that term, but no baby was present) resulting in and incomplete miscarriage and a D&C in March. I had one cycle after the d& c and then unexpectedly conceived again. I was feeling in tuned to my body at that point and knew right away… A decent amount before I got a positive pregnancy test. I used the 10 hCG test daily, and watch the line grow darker, only to then watch the line grow lighter. I ended up miscarrying two days after my period was due. I was devastated.

Recently, I have felt pregnant again, and again, way before I could test. I've been so tired, I've had a cough and cold symptoms on and off (Has happened each pregnancy), and I have just felt like I am pregnant. I am not due for my period for about 4 to 7 days(my cycles are slightly irregular). I just did three days ago and got a clear negative. I texted yesterday and got the faintest positive that you can only see at certain angles (which also happened in my last pregnancy, when I was testing early on). This morning, I got a faint but clearly there positive.

I am so worried that I will miscarry again. What can I do to help decrease that risk. I will be starting prenatals today. I already eat a fairly balanced (although not perfect) diet. I read online that eating a lot of fruit and fresh veggies can help decrease the risk of miscarriage as can eating dairy (except butter! Booooo) so I will be doing all that. but also suggested online that you should eat every two hours to keep your blood sugar and progesterone levels stable. This morning so far I've had two cheese sticks and a bunch of grapes upon waking up. When my 5-year-old wakes up (he's not a morning child lol) I will have eggs and veggies. Normally I would have an English muffin with a little bit of butter… But I read that butter actually increased risk of miscarriage, so I will skip the butter for sure.

Any thoughts of what I can do to avoid losing another baby is so appreciated! I am taking it easy today, but obviously I can't everyday...I work and have kids and a house to care for, so I'm just trying to find a balance.

Thanks in advance!

 

[laila 44]

Unfortunately there isn't anything u can do really. Miscarriage is nature's way of weeding out generic malfunctions in the pregnancy. Unless you are progesterone deficient or in need of some other medical supplement, not much else will help I'm afraid. Just try to stay positive I'm sure this bubs will be fine xx

 

[pinkpassion]

I don't really think there is anything you can do unfortunately. I've had 4 losses, 5 if you include the vanishing twin this pregnancy. With my current and last 3 pregnancies I was on progesterone and this time added in baby aspirin per my dr. You could talk to your dr about it and see if they need to check your progesterone or something else! But I really think if the baby is meant to be it will be!!! good luck and I know that's probably not what you wanted to hear but having done everything I could, being extremely healthy, eating high quality whole non processed foods, bioavailable prenatal and dha and everything else I've done and still losing some I'd say if they are meant to be it will be!!

 

[hotpinklily84]

Baby aspirin once a day is suppose to help with blood flow to the uterus and prevent blood clots from happening which is a cause of miscarriage....don't know if this is what was causing yours to happen...I would do some research on baby aspirin

 

[pinkpassion]

I'd be careful about taking baby aspirin without speaking with your dr. It's usually fine, but in rare cases can cause bleeding that can cause a miscarriage!!

 

[jessiebella86]

Honestly I think your going to make yourself ill by stressing so much. I don't mean that badly. I know how frightening it is during the early weeks and I really feel for you (I had a MC in July).
All you can do is rest, take your vitamins and eat healthy. On the other hand - try not to obsess about everything that crosses your lips - you can have a bit of butter or alternatively "spread" on a bagel - that isn't going to do any harm! I recommend you stop googling and researching everything as this will really stress you out and you will stumble across scary information that will do nothing but make you worry.

If something bad is going to happen there is nothing that you will have done to cause it and there is little you can do to prevent it.
I hope this doesn't sound harsh it's not meant that way.

I wish you all the best for a successful pregnancy xxx

 

[surprisepreg]

Thanks everyone. I'm trying not to worry...it's just so hard with the issues Ive had this year.

 

[Marumi]

I would actually recommend butter and full fat dairy products for fertility and a healthy pregnancy. It is my #1 health food and I have been loading up on butter with this baby.
Upon searching I only found a site that claimed butter increases the risk by 100%, but when clicking the link wrt butter, it only spoke of the benefits of dairy If you have a better link please share.

I doubt it is true because the same site and most other sources praise the benefits of organic, full fat dairy. "Butter" is not much different from milk or cheese. It is the fat from dairy, contains minimal amounts of casein and lactose, which is why it is even easier on the body.

The only thing I could think of is that the study does not refer to organic, grasfed butter, but instead vegetable oil infused butter spreads. Vegetable oils combined with carbs and natural fats can make for an unhealthy combination.
I only eat good fats from butter, cold pressed coconut oil, cold pressed olive oil, palm oil.

This article pretty much recommends most of what I would advise too:https://www.preconceptionhealth.org/miscarriage_cause.htm

I would say a healthy diet can help by a small percentage to lower the chance of a miscarriage when already pregnant because you can make sure your body is supplied with optimal nutrients and in perfect balance.

For sure I would avoid coffee early on and drink decaf later. I would also take a look at babycenters teas to avoid (a very strict list). Caffeine is a drug, it has no business in a pregnant womans body imo. Certainly many won't suffer a miscarriage from it but studies suggest an increased risk even at minimal consumption and the "safe" limit has been strongly debated by many health experts.

I understand wanting to take action. If you are not the type to be stressed out by researching and putting together a plan I see no reason why to not try to avoid miscarriage with the healthiest lifestyle possible.
For me personally being proactive makes me feel like I am doing something and even if it fails I know I tried my best and won't have to wonder if I wasn't doing things right.

 

[surprisepreg]

I would actually recommend butter and full fat dairy products for fertility and a healthy pregnancy. It is my #1 health food and I have been loading up on butter with this baby.
Upon searching I only found a site that claimed butter increases the risk by 100%, but when clicking the link wrt butter, it only spoke of the benefits of dairy If you have a better link please share. .

This is the article I was reading.

https://glowing.com/blog/post/79972772752/five-things-you-can-eat-to-help-reduce-your-risk

It states that one study found that the consumption of whole milk and cheese decreases your risk of a miscarriage while consumption of butter increased it significantly. (not by 100% though… Whatever link you found is clearly inaccurate or else every woman would have a miscarriage).

I have no idea how accurate this statement is… And in general I feel it but it can be great addition to a healthy diet… However, I figure why risk it right now. I already stick to either olive oil, coconut oil, or butter… Now I'm just cutting out the butter and using coconut oil in its place.

I'm also eating lots of fruits and veggies… In case there's any accuracy to the claims on that website. Can't hurt! Lol

 

[Lues]

As far as the site that says butter is bad:

It also says that downloading their Ap will increase the chances of become pregnant by 40 percent. LOL. So I don't think they are real strict about their numbers.

As far the numbers, what is says is that butter "doubles your chances of miscarriage". the other poster was right, that's 100 percent increase. An increase by 100 percent doesn't actually mean that it's 100 percentage chance, it means the percentage itself increases by 100 PERCENT, which is mathematically doubling the chances. (statistics are WERID! lol) (example, 3 percent becomes 6 percent)

I did a bit of research and found that what they were comparing was the "highest and lowest levels of intake". I'm gonna say it's a fair bet that it had NOTHING to do with eating butter and more to do with the fact that people that fall into the "highest butter consumption" category, most likely aren't very healthy in general.

I just wanted to say all that in case someone was passing by and got concerned that they'd eaten butter. You ABSOLUTELY did not just double your chance of miscarriage.

On the other hand, I TOTALLY agree that being and eating as healthy as possible, cutting smoking, caffeine (and alcohol, although actually a drink or two is much safer than smoking) can help your chances (and your mental state of mind!!!!)

Early pregnancy is tough. Good luck and healthy nine months!

 

[Carlinator]

Everyone is right sweety, there's nothing you can do but try to take it easy and try to enjoy the moment for what it's worth. I've also had a few early losses and am terrified of losing another, but I realize all I can do is do my best to be healthy and wait. Prenatals are definitely a great place to start!

Saturated fats in animal products such as butter are NOT recommended (nothing wrong with a small-moderate amount of full-fat dairy if you need to gain; lower fat is fine if you're watching it...nondairy is a great alternative with no cholesterol) .

There is absolutely nothing wrong with combining vegetable oils with "carbs," especially if those are whole grains. Vegetable oils enhance the absorption of minerals preset in other foods - why full fat oil dressing is recommended on salad.

How do I know? I've spent years studying nutrition in college and am current on research - and know how to sift trough credible scientific sources - which I am currently doing for an extensive research paper. Just wanted to clear that up.

 

[Marumi]

PP - there are various schools of thought. If you read on on sites like Chris Kresser you will find he is a successful Naturopath who endorses exactly what I said and has a high success rate of healing people.
I am looking back at 10 years of study and have used what I learned to heal myself from various illnesses. If this way of eating was horrible someone with such conditions would not have healed. If the other approach you endorse was healthy, why did I fall ill eating this way in the first place?

Studying lots and writing papers is great, but putting that knowledge to use and documenting success by Medical Testing is what counts in the end. There are millions of theories about health yet little real cures for chronic diseases.

Also, we are on a pregnancy forum and while I could post my credentials with every bit of advice I give, I don't...it eould seem cocky. Studied or not, we can all make mistakes so I prefer to share experiences and give advice that can be taken or not. I don't demand it to be taken. I share my often different view of things because I believe only if we have looked at all sorts of advice we can freely decide.

As far as the site that says butter is bad:

It also says that downloading their Ap will increase the chances of become pregnant by 40 percent. LOL. So I don't think they are real strict about their numbers.

As far the numbers, what is says is that butter "doubles your chances of miscarriage". the other poster was right, that's 100 percent increase. An increase by 100 percent doesn't actually mean that it's 100 percentage chance, it means the percentage itself increases by 100 PERCENT, which is mathematically doubling the chances. (statistics are WERID! lol) (example, 3 percent becomes 6 percent)

I did a bit of research and found that what they were comparing was the "highest and lowest levels of intake". I'm gonna say it's a fair bet that it had NOTHING to do with eating butter and more to do with the fact that people that fall into the "highest butter consumption" category, most likely aren't very healthy in general.

I just wanted to say all that in case someone was passing by and got concerned that they'd eaten butter. You ABSOLUTELY did not just double your chance of miscarriage.

On the other hand, I TOTALLY agree that being and eating as healthy as possible, cutting smoking, caffeine (and alcohol, although actually a drink or two is much safer than smoking) can help your chances (and your mental state of mind!!!!)

Early pregnancy is tough. Good luck and healthy nine months!

This is the article I was reading.

https://glowing.com/blog/post/79972772752/five-things-you-can-eat-to-help-reduce-your-risk

It states that one study found that the consumption of whole milk and cheese decreases your risk of a miscarriage while consumption of butter increased it significantly. (not by 100% though… Whatever link you found is clearly inaccurate or else every woman would have a miscarriage).

I have no idea how accurate this statement is… And in general I feel it but it can be great addition to a healthy diet… However, I figure why risk it right now. I already stick to either olive oil, coconut oil, or butter… Now I'm just cutting out the butter and using coconut oil in its place.

I'm also eating lots of fruits and veggies… In case there's any accuracy to the claims on that website. Can't hurt! Lol

I found the study on another site
https://www.ejog.org/article/S0301-...cle/S0301-2115(00)00363-8/fulltext?mobileUi=1
It says OILS and butter increase the risk. Pretty much generalizing that any type of fat or oil can be a culprit, while there are important differences.
I wonder how they studied and determined that butter by itself is harmful or saturated fats. Did they tell individuals NOT to smoke, drink, eat other fats or fast food at the time? Sadly it doesn't state this.
And that is a mighty increase! A doubled risk! You would think many women in the low carb/ Primal oder Paleo/ Ray Peat/ Weston Price communities who eat lots of butter and saturated fats would miscarry or experience other problems. But the opposite is the case.

My personal experience now: I went back to eating more strictly Paleo and butter specifically after my Chemical to avoid it happening again. During and before my Chemical pregnancy I had fallen off the Paleo bandwagon due to travel and weddings, needing to buy quick lunch at work, then did not feel like cooking when pregnant.

With this baby I went strict while ttc. Got pregnant a week after my miscarriage which resulted in a blood clot (too soon) but energy wise, nausea wise and all...I felt great. Which was totally different from the pregnancy with my son, where I stuck to all above named standard recommendations (ate organic, home made, little meat, many veggies, sour dough bread, low fat at first...and laughed at my husband telling me to look into a Paleo diet) and I felt SO sick. Infection after infection, I slept the first trimester away not being able to keep food down, losing weight, hair and having horrible acne, constant yeast infections...I was high risk and had to be on medication.
This time I had no nausea, great appetite, lots of energy, wasn't sick once despite my Kindergartener getting sick 5 times. Great skin, hair healthy not falling out etc. All great really. The hematoma also healed without problems and actually I did increase fish oil intake to help it heal as well.
If I would cheat on my diet once I felt a bit queasy. A whole day of eating a standard diet would leave me with fatigue and feeling unwell, even spells of nausea. I eat about 4 tablespoons of butter with protein every day and it helps keep my blood sugar stable (used to have hypoglycemia).

You may avoid it if you feel safer...or all fats, but be aware that there are studies stating the opposite, studies stating that not ingesting enough good fats can be a problem, studies to pretty much question every food available on the planet for pregnant women....which is why we avoid the most significant risk factors, where there are lots of studies to support this, or testimonials. If we avoid every food that has been labeled as problematic by a single study we can literally eat nothing
One study for example stated that toxoplasmosis is a risk with eating fruits and vegetables as well. It is not just raw meat. Will we cook apples next? Disinfect them? Not eat fruits and veggies?

I think in the end most things are fine in moderation unless there are several credible studies and officials sites like babycenter, mothering etc. warning against them. And even then things can change, like with the ban of sushi that was lifted.

 

[Carlinator]

"Studying lots and writing papers is great, but putting that knowledge to use and documenting success by Medical Testing is what counts in the end. There are millions of theories about health yet little real cures for chronic diseases.

Also, we are on a pregnancy forum and while I could post my credentials with every bit of advice I give, I don't...it eould seem cocky. Studied or not, we can all make mistakes so I prefer to share experiences and give advice that can be taken or not. I don't demand it to be taken. I share my often different view of things because I believe only if we have looked at all sorts of advice we can freely decide."

~Marumi ~ I never said anything about curing chronic diseases; the diets I spoke of only greatly reduce the risk of many of them - and there is very real science behind it, through decades of scientific studies and "Medical Testing." Not just my opinion. I am not seeming to be "cocky," only well-read - I certainly wouldn't take some stranger's opinion seriously if they didn't give any hint as to how they might know the information they claim. I do not give my "credentials" on every little bit of advice I give, only advise such as this that requires it.

I do realize this is a pregnancy forum, which is why I am only doing the exact same thing as you are - sharing experiences and giving advice that can be taken or not, in an attempt to help in any way possible. In my experience, yes - my vegan diet "cured" (reduced the symptoms of to nearly nonexistent) my chronic kidney disease. It relieved my father of 71 of taking all 3 diabetes medications and is now medication-free and in better shape than most 30-somethings. If my opinion of my experiences seems cocky to you because I chose to give some background about myself, I think that's on you. It wasn't my intention. In my experience, it seems many people get offended when plant-based diets are brought up for some reason. I was raised eating meat and other such as well, but it's possible to change.

To the OP, sorry if you or anyone thought the same of me, I'm only trying to help others through my experience....just as everyone else on the boards is.




ETA: "If you read on on sites like Chris Kresser you will find he is a successful Naturopath who endorses exactly what I said and has a high success rate of healing people.
I am looking back at 10 years of study and have used what I learned to heal myself from various illnesses. If this way of eating was horrible someone with such conditions would not have healed. If the other approach you endorse was healthy, why did I fall ill eating this way in the first place? "

Sorry to come back with more "cockiness" but I just noticed this and had to post so that anyone seeing this in the future will know...
If you fell ill while eating a vegan diet, I believe that would be because it wasn't being followed correctly. Chris Kresser is a quack who wants to sell books. He has no medical credentials whatsoever. He throws around a lot of buzzwords, and his "research/studies" are biased. "Paleo" has been debunked time and time again. If Paleo is a perfect diet that shouldn't require supplementation - why is he selling expensive supplements on his website? Real scientific, PEER-REVIEWED studies are available for free. That should say something. And it's been proven that our ancestors would have definitely eaten many starches and tubers. I mean, I could get so far into it but if you're already of the mindset that you're right and everyone else is wrong, then I can't help you. I am honestly trying to help everyone see what you should question before jumping on a popular bandwagon full of buzzwords - do actual research. Question credentials. Question double-blind clinical trials. Otherwise, any dude looking to make a buck that throws out intelligent-sounding words is going to pull one over on you. Your argument that there are various schools of thought on an issue doesn't mean that some of those schools of thought are factual, healthy, or based in science: i.e., vaccinations and "Anti-Vaxxers"

https://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Debunking-the-Paleo-Diet-Christ

https://www.theveganrd.com/2014/03/dont-think-twice-about-going-vegan.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3662288/


You can lead a horse to water... but then the horse may just call you cocky for trying to help him and die of dehydration.

 

[Eleonora]

I'm a butter fan over here and I also was confounded by this report that butter could increase the chance of miscarriage. Thanks to LUES for sorting out that a 100% increase in risk is the same as doubling the risk (and of course it could still be quite small). And thanks to MARUMI for pointing out that original article also finds an increase from Oils, not just butter. These are also quite small sample sizes and apparently retroactively asking women who have miscarried what they had been eating (not really sure about the method - all I could find was the abstract.) Over here in Italy (where it looks like the authors of the study are based) I have also found a general bias against butter in favor of olive oil - - no wonder, right? For the OP: of course eating healthy is great and especially important in pregnancy but aren't almost all early miscarriages the result of the chromosomal material just not being intact or present? Like trying to follow a recipe when the instructions are missing. Most of the time, our bodies are so carefully tuned with feedback mechanisms that they quickly realize this, often before the missed period. The only thing I have heard of as a solution for women who have had multiple early miscarriages is baby aspirin, but it is relates to treating a specific blood clotting condition and is something that a doctor would be able to determine, as others mentioned. In any case, you are not alone in this voyage! I hope you can relax, enjoy some butter, and start enjoying your pregnancy!

 

[Marumi]

Carlinator
We can link studies back and forth. There is a study to demonize everything and there is a study to support every claim.
There are enough studies not supporting a plant based diet. The government does not recommend for people to only eat plants.

Vegans argue with Vegetarians, Vegetarians with Paleos and Meateaters. Health Experts argue with Health Experts.
The debates are endless. Which is why I usually don't get into these debates. If someone Vegan gives advice here, I won't jump on it and correct it.

You did so and left your credentials which was rude. You could have written your own post, put it differntly, but you said "this is completely false and you can believe me cause I studied in college and wrote papers." (Unlike this person which I know nothing about, but I will just assume she knows nothing)

But the fact is you can not prove it is false. Neither can I prove Veganism is wrong or any other diet for that matter.
Especially because I see people improving on many diets I would never go so far as to say "my diet is the only right way to eat."
Some people don't do well with meat because they have low stomach acid and lack beneficial bacteria and enzymes. Does that make the meat bad? Or is it a bad reaction because the person has pre existing problems?
Others don't digest vegetables well and get very bloated because they have small intestine bacterial gut overgrowth. Does this make vegetables bad now?
Most of these experts fighting, don't look far enough imo.

I will refrain from calling any Vegan health experts "quacks" because they try to make a living with their knowledge. He is selling supplements for those who have a malabsorption issue for example, or another underlying condition which interferes with their nutriwnts, are too busy to eat perfect Paleo, eat foods from depleted soils. But as someone studied you should know why supplements are sometimes necessary?

I for one am supppement free, even now in pregnancy and my bloodwork looks fantastic. This is also my first medication free pregnancy...because I don't need meds anymore.

You know I think it is unfair to ignore the many voices that say Paleo helped them. You are regurgitating the same old arguments any Vegan repeats. I explained above why I don't think these will get us anywhere.

I made sure to document everything from improving bloodwork, to my hair regrowing after hairloss etc. I got rid of Cervical Cancer, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, cured acne and hair loss and shrank a Pituitary Tumor to name a FEW. So while I totally accept other diets can be beneficial too, I will not agree to someone saying Paleo has been "debunked" and eating this way is harmful. It logically can not be.

To find relief from Kidney problems is common with Vegans but also with some Paleos. It is often related to an underlying cause that is now not being aggravated anymore. If you have low stomach acid, it makes sense you do better digesting plants, thus your kidneys don't suffer. Undigested foods are hard on the kidneys, liver anything that filters and detoxes. Mystery explained.
Was your father on a organic, home cooked diet before? If not it is likely switching to better foods helped, that he had an underlying digestive issue and now avoids the culprit, or not mixing high fat with high carb helped, which is why I mentioned high carb with high fat doesn't mix well.

Again I would not demonize just any diet.

Re Ancestors: Many plants are newly bred, and the mass farming of grains and plant based foods is depleting the planet's soil and kills millions of wild animals, turning the planet into a desert. While the feces of wild animals fertilize the soil. Makes me think that this is not something that can be argued with ancestors. Our ancestors were largely hunter gatherers. What is the perfect choice is up for debate...but I tend to think that nature isn't so stupid to put us in a flawed hunter gatherer world if it wanted us to be Vegan Farmers.

And I don't think I am dying of dehydration or ignoring any helpful info after explaining to you how I rose from the dead practically.
I also did not label a plant based diet as unhealthy.
You say people get offended about plant based diets being brought up but it might be HOW you bring them up, by basically labeling all other health diets as false.

"People worship about 5000 different gods in this world...but don't worry, only YOURS is right..."

 

[Marumi]

I'm a butter fan over here and I also was confounded by this report that butter could increase the chance of miscarriage. Thanks to LUES for sorting out that a 100% increase in risk is the same as doubling the risk (and of course it could still be quite small). And thanks to MARUMI for pointing out that original article also finds an increase from Oils, not just butter. These are also quite small sample sizes and apparently retroactively asking women who have miscarried what they had been eating (not really sure about the method - all I could find was the abstract.) Over here in Italy (where it looks like the authors of the study are based) I have also found a general bias against butter in favor of olive oil - - no wonder, right?

Interesting the study was based in Italy! But I agree the sample sizes where small and we know no details of the health or diet of these women.
My thought was also that the women studied were eating butter with transfats, artifical sugars (HFCS, Aspartame) or generally high sugar intake, fast foods...there could have been so many choices that led to a higher risk and I find it hard to solely blame butter. In my experience everything always connects to everything else when it comes to health and diet.