Recurrent Miscarriage Thread

[Michellebelle]

Michelle-Have you had your progesterone levels checked while pregnant and/or have you been on progesterone supplements? My dr said low progesterone levels were my likely initial cause for my recurrent miscarriages because I was m/c before 9 weeks. I started taking a progesterone supplement from bfp to 13-14 weeks and my first rainbow baby was the result. I'd bring that up as well with your doctor.

newly-no help with the FSH levels as I've only ever had that checked once and it was completely normal. My only thought would be if your MTHFR is somehow affecting your hormone levels. I was recently diagnosed with the MTHFR C677T mutation (homozygous) and from what I've been able to find out, it not only interferes with folate methylation but it can trigger clotting issues and hormone imbalances-specifically with estrogen. It's just a thought really.

AFM-I got the raw data results from 23andme today. After getting it interpreted, it looks like I'm homozygous for another gene issue and this one affects B12 absorbtion or usage but the folate/B vitamin supplement I'm on is one that's recommended as treatment so I'm not concerned. It's just really interesting to see what my genes are telling me and I'm glad I did this.

Good question, but yes! I was on progesterone supplements with both and had my levels tested regularly. So I'm almost positive that wasn't the issue. If I hadn't been on them.. I definitely would have wondered about that as well.

 

[Creolequeen81]

Hi guys I'm so glad I found this thread. I just suffered my second miscarriage this year. The first was in April at 7 1/2 weeks and this week at 6 1/2 weeks. I'm very devastated and I feel like a failure because I can't carry a baby full term. No one in my family has/had fertility issues. My three siblings have children and I have none. Everyone keeps asking me when am I going to have a baby. It's very heartbreaking and frustrating. My doctor says that everything is fine with me and my DH was checked out as well. I'm at a loss as of what to do....

 

[laughingduck]

So sorry for your losses creolequeen81. Ive hd two early losses too and so far no tests have shown any reason why. I do have some autoimmuneissues (psoriasis and ulcerative colitis) and have been following a naturopaths recommendations. https://www.whitelotusclinic.ca/blo...eatments-for-autoimmune-infertility-concerns/
I have had almost two cyclea since my last loss and starting her treatments and already my folicular phase, which is usually a long 20-22 days went down to 15 days, which has never happened to me! I am on NAC and coq10 and methylfate and some other stuff. Most of it is used to eitherreduce inflammation or improve egg quality (coq10 is especially great for egg quality). Anyway, next cycle we will resume ttc and I will let you know how it works for me. Improving eggquality usually takes 2-3 months which is why I have waited. Good luck.

 

[Creolequeen81]

Thank you so much Laughingduck. I really appreciate the support and encouragement. Right now I'm just going to focus on the holidays and my upcoming move. I will check into natural alternative options. In spite of my losses I am of strong faith and I believe that it will happen for me in my own time.

 

[laughingduck]

So I just had an apt with a genetic counsellor about mthfr because I have one copy of the c677t gene. He says that is not an issue and has pretty much been debunked. He did say that he thinks my second miscarriage happened because i tried again too soon andmy hormones werent back to normal yet. Im not sure how true this is but I do know my progesterone was sky high on my second pregnancy loss, whxih can happen aftwr miscarriage, so I wonder if there is some truth to it. Anyway I want planning on trc next month which would be the third cycle but wonder if I shpuld wait one more month... He actually suggested waiting 6 months! Anyway we shall see, guess I have some deciding to do! I hate waiting!!

 

[Squig34]

The six month wait has been debunked, Duck - now experts say your fertility gets a boost for the 3-4 months after a loss. Not sure why high progesterone would be a bad sign? Since you need it to be high (many women take supplements). The best time to try again is when you're ready - doctors have so many different opinions! A two month break sounds fine to me, but if you think you might regret not waiting one more month, then best to wait!

Sorry to hear of your losses Creolequeen. Just to give you some encouragement, I follow a few women on here who've had or are into second tri with babies after two or even three (&more) losses. It may just have been 'bad luck' (helpful I know!) & the next time will be fine - I hope so & wish you luck.

 

[laughingduck]

The six month wait has been debunked, Duck - now experts say your fertility gets a boost for the 3-4 months after a loss. Not sure why high progesterone would be a bad sign? Since you need it to be high (many women take supplements). The best time to try again is when you're ready - doctors have so many different opinions! A two month break sounds fine to me, but if you think you might regret not waiting one more month, then best to wait!

Sorry to hear of your losses Creolequeen. Just to give you some encouragement, I follow a few women on here who've had or are into second tri with babies after two or even three (&more) losses. It may just have been 'bad luck' (helpful I know!) & the next time will be fine - I hope so & wish you luck.

Ya I thought it had too. I would have mentioned the studies I have read to him about interpregnancy intervals but honestly he seemed like one of those arrogant people who don't listen to anyone else so I didnt bother. I dont think high progesterone is necessarily bad, but it is an indication that my hormones were definitely out of sync. Who knows, maybe progesterone to estrogen ratios need to be right or something. Anyway hopefully a two month wait is enough because my hubby is a teacher and if we conceive next month it will be born while he is on summer vacation which would be great. If I lose that one too I may consider waiting even longer.

 

[Squig34]

Fingers crossed for you then!

 

[Creolequeen81]

Thank you Squig34. It's very frustrating but I did wait a while after the first miscarriage so I didn't think anything would go wrong.

Laughingduck your doctor seems like a jerk. Yes he is the doctor but he should listen to what you have to say even if you read it on the internet. They don't know everything and every patient is different.

 

[dairymomma]

Laughingduck your doctor seems like a jerk. Yes he is the doctor but he should listen to what you have to say even if you read it on the internet. They don't know everything and every patient is different.

Laughingduck ^^This EXACTLY! I am homozygous for the MTHFR C677T gene mutation and my doctor said current thinking is that it has no bearing on miscarriages. (I don't understand why it wouldn't when having the mutation causes an interuption of the methylation process so you don't utilize folate properly. And folate is 100% necessary for proper fetal development but whatever, right? ) BUT he also has told me that what may be the "typical" symptoms of a disorder or condition for most people, may NOT be the "typical" symptom for ME. This is why, even though current thought says having both bad copies of this particular gene doesn't cause RMC, he is treating me as if it does. High dose methylfolate, and progesterone to support the pregnancy, and baby aspirin and lovenox for the possible clotting side effects of being homozygous for this mutation.

If you truly don't like him, can you find another doctor who is more willing to listen to your concerns and the info you have found on your own? Having a supportive medical care team is so much more beneficial to a woman who has RMC issues than not having the encouragement. I switched doctors from my family practice physician to my specialist OB for LOs pg because my former doctor started telling me that my pregnancy bleeds and recurrent losses were MY fault. She was frustrated that I kept m/c so often and I understand that's why she said what she did but it's no excuse for saying it to me-especially when I was freaking out about possibly m/c for the 9th time after unexpectedly getting pregnant after back to back miscarriages.

As for waiting 6 months, unless it's for some medical reason such as needing an HSG or having just had a confirmed molar pregnancy, there's no real need to wait. I've been all over the board with wait times. DS was conceived just 7 weeks after a m/c that was initially diagnosed as ectopic and I was given the methotrexate shot. I had 1 period in there before finding out I was pg again but my dr wasn't concerned at all then. DD's bfp was 6 months after a m/c and LO's was 5 weeks after a m/c. I've had pg happen without a period between a m/c and a new pg and I've gone as long as 8 months without a bfp in sight. For me, there has been no correlation between waiting and not waiting really.

Creole-I've been there. I had someone jokingly tell me that having a few more kids would help with the tax bill and I had just miscarried the day before. Everyone in the room knew except this person so it kind of shocked him a bit when no one laughed at his joke. And I'm on both sides of the fence with experience. I've had numerous miscarriages (10 total now) yet I've been blessed with three amazing children despite it all. It's not easy being in this situation but you are not alone in it. I'm really hoping that your losses were just flukes and you'll go on to have successful full-term pregnancies after this but if now, we're here. Hang in there and hopefully you'll get some answers soon.

 

[Creolequeen81]

Dairymomma thank you so much for the encouragement!! I really needed it. I've been feeling low lately especially since my last mc. I currently have no children and with each passing day week month my heart longs for a little one of my own. I love being the cool aunt but I would rather have my own children and have those experiences my brothers and sister have with their children. I know my time will come. I just pray that it comes soon.

 

[Michellebelle]

Waiting on a new cycle to be able to try again. My doc already gave me a prescription for Clomid for this new cycle so I'm ready. I'm glad I'm not having to wait too long.

Still the only test that has come back for me is the thyroid one and it was fine. Still waiting on more results.

 

[LucyAmy]

I suffered two miscarriages and then read loads about progesterone. It seems people are totally divided on what they think about progesterone in early pregnancy - some people think that low progesterone can cause a miscarriage, others say that low progesterone is simply a symptom of a failing pregnancy and that trying to increase your own progesterone by taking supplements / cyclogest pessaries will not help.

After my second miscarriage I did loads of research and found that the evidence currently suggests that for women who have had recurrent miscarriages, taking progesterone may help, and in some cases can reduce the chance of miscarriage by as much as 50%. I printed out the study that I found and took it to my doctor and pretty much demanded that he prescribe progesterone pessaries for me in case I fell pregnant again. I can't post the research that I read as a link but you can get to it by Googling

"Does supplemental progesterone prevent early miscarriage My Informed Life"

and you should get to it! The research was a systematic review by the Cochrane Collaboration in England. My doctor didn't believe in prescribing progesterone but when I told him about the research he eventually backed down and agreed to prescribe it for me. I'm so glad he did because I am currently 26 weeks pregnant with things going well and I truly believe it's because I took progesterone until 14 weeks.

 

[Creolequeen81]

It's been a few weeks since my last miscarriage. I went to the doctor on yesterday and I've been diagnosed with postpartum depression. My doctor told me that two miscarriages in a 5 month period is not good and my hormonal levels are off the charts add that to the fact that my partner of 3 years decided to leave. So my depression is real and I'm in a dark place. It's too much loss in a short period of time.

 

[dairymomma]

Creole- MASSIVE hon. I'm so sorry that you are going through so much right now but PPD is actually pretty common after a loss, at least to some degree. I wasn't diagnosed until a few years ago but I've likely been dealing with PPD since my very first loss. Just take time to heal physically, mentally and emotionally and keep your doctor in the loop. Are you getting any sort of treatment or therapy to help with your PPD? I didn't need medication but talking to a therapist regularly and searching for answers to my fertility struggle helped me the most. Journaling was also a good thing when I was really having a tough day. But be gentle with yourself and don't beat yourself up right now. You are a strong wonderful person and I know you'll get through this tough time.

 

[Squig34]

Creole, so sorry I hope your doctor is putting a good support package in place for you. I believe (with hindsight) that I suffered from depression after my first loss but I eventually recovered. Know that this is something you can recover from, but be kind to yourself in the meantime, it will take time.

 

[tag74]

Hi Guys I hope some of you recognize me!! It's been a while since I've been on this thread. But I do stalk from time to time! Hope everyone is doing well!!!

I had my rainbow baby a year ago thanks to this thread!! I Was d/x with MTHFR homo A type- had a successful pregnancy thanks to clomid, high dose folic acid, and oral progesterone.

Which leads to now, I am still nursing but my period has not yet returned- which can be normal (avg is 14 months). However, I am REALLY thin- I've always been naturally thin and I think nursing just kind of sucks the life out of me. I am 105lbs (normal around 118) at 5'4 so my BMI is less than 19%. My doctor did not like this and wanted to run some routine blood work.

Everything is okay except one indicator of a poor diet and malnutrition (which I'm going to work on) but she also tested some hormone levels... and I am really upset.

My FSH was 8.6 mIU. My estrogen was very low at 28.1 (typical with breastfeeding) so this number should be accurate. From what I read it is technically still considered a "good" FSH but for my age (I am 29) very bad and is an indicator of poor ovarian reserve and even low quality eggs.

To think I was hoping I could have another rainbow baby without the help of fertility doctors - I was finally not feeling any pressure to TTC and wanted to just let nature takes it course this time. Well this little number has made all optimism go out the window-and am right back to doubting if I'll be able to concieve. When I was going through fertility treatments for the M/C's two years ago - my ovarian reserve was never brought up and I'm sure they tested it. How can things change so much in two years? From what I've read nursing has no effect on the FSH number, but I'm hoping because I'm underweight at the moment and still in lactational amenorrhea that it could have something to do with it

Anyway- I was just wondering if any of you gals had any input. I am really not ready to wean - was hoping to go another year- but now I am terrified that I am racing against the clock for baby #2 which I very much want. To think I was feeling so zen about the whole thing- the pressure was off, and I'm honestly not ready for #2 yet. I wish I didn't know about this number.

I am coming off of two back to back miscarriages both around 8-9 weeks. So not fun!

I wanted to respond to this post. Your number may be less than ideal for your age...but it's actually a great number. You want it to be under 10. And it can change fast. At 38 I got pregnant with my second, first time. All was great. Just 2 years later, I struggle to conceive with no previous history of it. My FSH was 13.1 - what they consider high normal or borderline "not great". My AMH was also borderline normal...so it's in line with my age that my ovarian reserves are the strongest any longer.

I don't know if having another baby is in my future...but I think you're in a good position. Don't lose your optimism...I had a doctor tell me I'd need a donor egg and while I miscarried, I proceeded to get pregnant twice on my own.

Stay strong!

 

[blueblue]

Creole, I also got very down after my fourth loss, I felt almost broken - it is very hard to cope with. I had acupuncture which really helped, it felt like it released the grief.

Spoiler

I believe it may also helped me have my little girl on my fifth pregnancy

Newlywedtzh - I hope everything works out, I remember Mrs R being worried about her AMH or FSH and she went on to have a baby.

 

[Creolequeen81]

Dairymomma squig34 and blueblue thank you! I have been prescribed Prozac which is helping and my doctor is putting a care plan in place so that I can have the support I need. These last few weeks have been extremely hard. I told my friends but I haven't told my mother or sister. My mother doesn't handle things well but my sister will be supportive. I'm just not ready to tell them yet. I have started to write my feelings my goal is to be able to talk about everything without crying.

 

[Squig34]

Journalling is good & glad your doctor is helping you too. Don't beat yourself up for crying for now. It's cathartic & everything is still so raw. But it's a good way to help you judge how you're doing, yes. Things will get better