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Multiple Early Miscarriages
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Anonymous
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Hello-
I am looking for some advice. I had two early miscarriages about 6 months ago (both m/c's happened within days of each first positive home pregnancy test). I am new to the area and had chosen Dr. Brendan Burke as my OB, based on advice I had requested on DCUM looking for an empathetic OB. (I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter, whom I had while we were living in another city, where I found my doctor totally unsympathetic, even after my daughter ended up in the NICU.) Anyway, after having 2 early m/c's, Dr. Burke essentially said it was probably a fluke, and that we could do testing on me, but he would not necessarily advise it because so often they can't find a source of the m/c's anyway. So, I got pregnant again, and had another early miscarriage. Now, Dr. Burke suggests going to a specialist, and he's sending me to Dr. Eric Widra at Shady Grove. I am going to see Dr. Widra tomorrow, and I am looking for guidance. Has anyone had similar issues with early m/c's? Did they find a cause, and if so, what was it? Also, I'm a bit confused about what to do as far as my OB is concerned. Based on research I have done since, I'm now wondering whether it was wise of my doctor to let me get pg a third time before recommending testing. It seems that is no longer the norm. Although he seems like a nice man, I'm now wondering whether I should continue to go to him if I am able to get pregnant again, because I am not sure if he is aggressive enough. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance. |
Anonymous
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I had three early miscarriages due to undiagnosed endo. Then I stopped being able to get pregnant on my own. Several surgeries later, as well as IVF, I finally have a healthy baby.
This may not be your situation at all, but I think you should definitely see an RE (or two -it never hurts to have two specialist's opinions). When you see the RE, ask them or their nurses for recommendations for GYNs. |
Anonymous
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Well, it sounds like at least two, if not all, of your m/c's were chemical pregnancies (as opposed to a clinical pregnancy when a gestational sac is seen). I think the overall miscarriage rate is close to 50% when you count these pregnancies, although many women who don't test early never know about. So, to start, I'm not sure the guideline about seeking testing after 2 (or 3) miscarriages applies to chemical pregnancies. I also think that your age and history dictate when you should start seeking other reasons for miscarriage (other than chromosomal abnormalities, which most REs believe account for at least 90% of miscarriages). Given that you have a child, Dr. Burke may have thought that many of the other reasons for miscarriage wouldn't apply to your situation and it may not have been unreasonable for him to wait on sending you to an RE. So if you are otherwise are happy with him, I wouldn't necessarily get rid of him. But certainly talk to a few REs and see what they have to say.
BTW - I don't think most REs in the area, including Widra, believe in immune issues or testing. I wish you luck - I'm trying to give my 2.5 y.o. a sibling, too, and it has been a long road. |
Anonymous
Thank you so much for your guidance-- it's very helpful. And good luck to you in your own situation! It's really hard, isn't it? Do you know of any REs in the area that do believe in immune issues or testing? |
Anonymous
| I had multiple early miscarriages and my RE at Shady Grove tested us/me for a lot of things: low progesterone, karyotypes, APA, etc. I did not get tested for immune issues, because they seem to be more rare. The treatment he gave for my issues fixed my problems and I am now 18 weeks pregant. If the treatment had not worked, I do not know if they would have tested me further. |
Anonymous
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Oh and I meant to add 3 miscarriages seems to be the "magic" number that are required before insurance companies will cover testing. Your doctor could have put off testing you for that reason.
My RE recommended Dr. Scott Forrest in Fairfax, I really like him. He seems to be very open to listening to me, respecting my opinions and knows the lastest research. |
Anonymous
| I think it's a good idea that you're going to see a RE - it will be helpful to see if any of the tests that he recommends might be able to point to a reason why you're experiencing mulitple losses. I've been a patient at Shady Grove for years and they figured out in the first round of testing with the Karotype test that we actually have a chromosome abnormaility called a translocation which causes miscarriages. This is a standard test SGF runs and my OB never suggested it. Even with that issue we've still be able to get pregnant thanks to IVF. Good luck to you! |
Anonymous
| Dr. Abbasi at Columbia Fertility does believe in immunological testing in the event of multiple MC. She's our RE, and I requested immune testing after failed IUIs and a failed IVF. Immunological issues affect only a very small percentage of couples---but it does happen. I did a lot of reading on my own, and she has been very responsive and thoughtful with respect to my questions. |
Anonymous
Dr. Forrest is my doctor as well. I love him 
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Anonymous
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OP here- I just wanted to follow up and say that my meeting with Dr. Widra went really well. He was kind and thoughtful, spelled things out for me multiple times to be sure I understood. And it seems that Dr. Burke did all the right things. The suggestion that he might not be "aggressive" enough came from a friend in NYC, and I think, given all the information I now have, I disagree.
Thank you to everyone who posted. |