Recurrent miscarriage and Lupus anticoagulant

[olibecham]

hi ladies,

just wanting to hear from anyone out there who may have had recurrent miscarriages and tested positive for lupus anticoagulant.

i have had one positive test but my specialist wont call it a definite positive until they test again 6 weeks apart and 6 weeks out of pregnancy. i really think this has got to be the reason for my 4 consecutive early losses.

ive decided to ttc again immediately this month so unsure if i will qualify for the repeat test in 5 weeks as id like to think i could be pregnant.

im currently taking baby aspirin, as well as my large concoction of vitamins and having acupuncture and chinese medicine.

everyone around me is getting pregnant and having babies and im feeling really down. i hope the aspirin does the trick but if i wanted to begin heparin injections when would they commence these?

any success stories would be gratefully received!

bec

[Theresa68]

Olbiecham, I just had that blood test done for the first time today. I didnt realise that it is a test that needs to be redone in another 6 weeks. I gather it is to do with clotting? I wish you all the best and hope someone can help you with your question. :)

[GrowingMyFamily]

Hi Olibecham,

I'm sorry for your losses. :hugs:

I have tested positive once for lupus anticoagulant and am also positive for ANA at very high levels (they never suggested that I had to test positive a second time). My lupus test was done during pregnancy (my first) and they didn't bother testing again just whacked me on heparin at 6 weeks and I kept having it to 14 weeks. I carried my son to term without any problems.

I have just miscarried, but we did everything the same as last time so my drs believe this was "just one of those things" this time around. I have taken it hard though cause after so many dire predictions with DS's pregnancy and me getting through it I just never thought this would happen. That said both my ob, my gp, and my immunologist (who manages the other consequences I get being ANA positive) are confident I will be able to carry to term again with the support of the heparin injections.

Hope that helps. It's a horrible thing to have hanging over your head but I hope I can give you hope having manged to carry a baby to term.

Also thought I should mention - they would have put me on baby aspirin the first time around instead but I'm allergic to it so it wasn't an option.

[CrazyJ]

Hi Bec - I am so very sorry to hear of your losses. I had 5 before this pregnancy so I know what it's like.

I was found to have low levels of lupus anticoagulent by my old OB in Canberra. He said next pregnancy I should consider aspirin but probably did not need heparin. Well, next pregnancy just after we moved to Melbourne I started aspirin but no heparin. My new OB said I had very low levels of lupus anticoagulant but that the aspirin should be enough. After seeing a healthy heartbeat at 7.5 weeks, I found out at our 11.5 week scan that bubs had passed at about 8.5 weeks. I was devastated. Testing did not show any problems with the baby.

I then self referred to the recurrent miscarriage clinic where they did a stack of tests, and was found to also have Prothrombin Gene Mutation, another blood clotting disorder. I commenced aspirin again while ttc, and when I got pregnant again, my doc at the clinic started me on daily clexane injections (in addition to aspirin) at 6 weeks. I am now 30 weeks pregnant and all is well! I will be on clexane and aspirin until a few days before we schedule an induction, then after birth I will be on clexane for 6 more weeks.

There is hope for you!! Maybe see if your doc will agree to clexane just in case. Have you had any other testing done? Feel free to PM me if you would like to discuss more.

- Jules