Screaming into the void...recurrent pregnancy loss

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:when this happened to a friend, it was related to an undetected uterine infection.

This!!!!

https://www.fertilysis.com/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have they checked you for a septum?

I can tell you from personal experience that REs are incompetent sonographers. You need to go to a clinic that specializes in uterine abnormalities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes keep advocating for more testing. You might want to pursue immunological testing. Have them check your levels of natural killer cells. Some people have an over abundance of them and others have a normal amount but happen to have overly active natural killer cells who mistake a pregnancy for a foreign invader and sadly, attack the pregnancy. There are various ways to treat this. Many women with recurrent miscarriage and elevated natural killer cells have found that being on a low dose of prednisone helps to keep their pregnancy being attacked by natural killer cells. I am so sorry for each of your losses. I hope you will find a path forward to an eventual successful pregnancy. What a challenging journey this is. If you aren't already working with a therapist, you may want to consider working with a therapist who provides infertility counseling. Please be kind to yourself as you persevere on your uncertain journey. My thoughts are with you, and I truly hope that brighter days are ahead for you.

Yep.
1. Auto-immine
2. Clotting
3. Uterine infection
4. Structural uterine abnormality

REs are lazy. Most of them do not keep on top of the literature. You want one who specializes in recurrent loss. REs are happy to waste embryo after embryo. After all, if you get pregnant they won't be seeing you again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes keep advocating for more testing. You might want to pursue immunological testing. Have them check your levels of natural killer cells. Some people have an over abundance of them and others have a normal amount but happen to have overly active natural killer cells who mistake a pregnancy for a foreign invader and sadly, attack the pregnancy. There are various ways to treat this. Many women with recurrent miscarriage and elevated natural killer cells have found that being on a low dose of prednisone helps to keep their pregnancy being attacked by natural killer cells. I am so sorry for each of your losses. I hope you will find a path forward to an eventual successful pregnancy. What a challenging journey this is. If you aren't already working with a therapist, you may want to consider working with a therapist who provides infertility counseling. Please be kind to yourself as you persevere on your uncertain journey. My thoughts are with you, and I truly hope that brighter days are ahead for you.

This is what I am doing. I'm starting the testing process with a RI. He suspects I have an undiagnosed clotting disorder based on the timing of my losses, but isn't ruling out other immunological causes. Literally I've been tested for everything. A huge panel of autoimmune diseases, A1C is fine so my OB refuses to put me on metformin. Haven't been tested for NK levels so that's on there, but I've had lots of genetic tests and absolutely nothing shows up. Thyroid was under 2 when I lost the last baby, heart stopped suddenly.

Really appreciate your kind words. It's been a total demoralizing journey. My worst nightmare growing up was the fear of suddenly finding myself totally infertile.

Recommend getting the Dr. Beers panel, which will include immune issues and obscure blood clotting disorders. I've had 3 losses in the last four years. Lost my only good tube with the first loss. I've miscarried one PGT-tested embryo, failed transfer of another top quality PGT-tested, and miscarried a day 3 that was genetically normal. During the time, we found I have a blood clotting disorder, which isn't a surprise because of the severe preeclampsia with my son very early. But I was on blood clotting meds during my two miscarriages. After the last one, I was forced out of my clinic (it closed) and went to CFA because I was out of answers. She chased down EVERYTHING. We found an additional blood clotting disorder no one tested for (MTHFR) and obscure immunological factors (HLA and KIR matching, Th1/Th2 ratios), which can also explain what happened with my son, and another uterine issue. I don't know if it will work yet, but we're moving onto IVIG and other immune suppressant drugs.

I agree with how utterly demoralizing it is. On top of that, I don't make many eggs so every embryo is precious and it sucks to finally get pregnant and then lose it, and the problem is all me.

early ASA lowers pre-eclampsia risk

[Anonymous]

OP, I agree with others on checking for an abnormal uterus.

I had both of my kids at Shady Grove - including several recurrent pregnancy losses, and a stillborn at 30 weeks.

Several years later (10+ after my first child), after having another set of issues, it was discovered that I had a septate uterus. The diagnosing doctor (not SGF) told me that this was there since birth!

No one at SGF had even suggested a uterine problem at all during all those visits, tests, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I agree with others on checking for an abnormal uterus.

I had both of my kids at Shady Grove - including several recurrent pregnancy losses, and a stillborn at 30 weeks.

Several years later (10+ after my first child), after having another set of issues, it was discovered that I had a septate uterus. The diagnosing doctor (not SGF) told me that this was there since birth!

No one at SGF had even suggested a uterine problem at all during all those visits, tests, etc.

I had the medical director of the largest private ultrasound chain in my city interpret a saline sono as essentially normal with a "tiny" C section isthmocele when in reality it was 100% dehisced (separated) and spanned by (thin) adhesions with large cysts in the uterine wall full of crap that he didn't even comment on. I called out his interpretation and he refused to correct it. I know the above was the case because that was what was found during the correction surgery.

[Anonymous]

Go to an immunologist for future testing. Sometimes the pregnant body attacks the fetus because it doesn’t recognize the father’s dna and views it as foreign matter. It’s rare but happens.

[Anonymous]

Please rule out insulin resistance. I was set to pursue IVIG or GC and instead took a break to really balance my blood sugar (I was slightly overweight but not obese) with CGMs and eight bearing exercise.

I’ll never be sure but I had two healthy natural pregnancies after years on the PGS IVF/ RPL roller coaster. It’s an easy thing to assess if you see someone functionally minded. Another similar factor is inflammation and C reactive protein is a cheap easy test.

[Anonymous]

I’m so sorry. I had two early losses and a stillbirth before having a healthy living baby. During the second MC, an ultrasound tech at a random ER in AZ, said something like has anyone told you your uterus looks a little weird? My OB here initially dismissed it, but I insisted. Eventually, a uterine MRI found a septum and bicornuate uterus…I had surgery to remove the septum. Unfortunately, my next pregnancy ended in stillbirth after a complete, concealed, placental abruption at 28 weeks. I changed medical teams, did a bunch more tests (including a hysteroscopy that confirmed the septum was gone), and then had my son.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m so sorry. I had two early losses and a stillbirth before having a healthy living baby. During the second MC, an ultrasound tech at a random ER in AZ, said something like has anyone told you your uterus looks a little weird? My OB here initially dismissed it, but I insisted. Eventually, a uterine MRI found a septum and bicornuate uterus…I had surgery to remove the septum. Unfortunately, my next pregnancy ended in stillbirth after a complete, concealed, placental abruption at 28 weeks. I changed medical teams, did a bunch more tests (including a hysteroscopy that confirmed the septum was gone), and then had my son.

Amazing how many people have this story. Yes my uterus is weirdly shaped. I've had many ultrasounds and a MRI they described it as heart-shaped and not septate, but the current reproductive immunologist is going to look that over plus he's found the blood clotting disorder and immune dysfunction the other doctors weren't willing to test for.