6 m/c in 18mths. Any advice, why is this happening??

Thank you for taking the time to read this, this is not about me but my gorgeous friend who may possibly just be starting her 6th m/c in 18mths.

She had her first pregnancy (coming up 5yrs ago) trouble free, got pregnant first try, no issues through the pregnancy but did end up w an emergency c/section.

Fast forward almost 3 yrs and she starts TTC. She falls pregnant every time she tries, however m/c around 6 - 7 weeks. Twice she has had an u/s and seen the baby with a heartbeat but still gone on to m/c a couple of days later.

She is currently 6wks pregnant but has been told her levels are falling and so given her history believes this will shortly end in another m/c.. I am hoping against hope that this is just a hiccup and in April she will have a happy, healthy baby :pray:

So she is seeing a fertility specialist and has to my knowledge had every test (twice) but they are unable to tell her why she keeps m/c. She also sees an acupuncturist & natropath. Her hubby has been tested (same partner) & the last m/c she had to have a D&C and they tested some tissues but it all came back normal/no reason.

She takes low dose aspirin & progesterone suppositories (twice a day I think) as soon as she finds out she is pregnant. Her cycle is 6wks which it was for her first pregnancy too, this is her normal cycle length.

Can anyone suggest any other tests she should consider or medication to take to support the pregnancy? Is there anything that in your opinion / experience she should maybe look at?

This is just heartbreaking for her and I am so devastated for her and I guess the frustrating thing is that there doesn't seem to be any reason for it especially which is just a little more frustrating given she had one normal pregnancy.

Thanking you in advance :)

I am very sorry it is happening to your friend. You say she had every test already, so it is hard to suggest another test, particularly if we do not know what actually she had tested. It sounds like they already tested both parents for any chromosomal abnormalities. Sometimes a woman can develop immune problem, where her antibodies turn on the growing featus and kill the baby. I think they test for the NK (natural killer) cells to check that. This is my only guess, as this test is not that common, so perhaps this may be the only one your friend have not had yet.

I do not think it is smart to suggest medication without actually knowing what is wrong. For instance, some women take baby aspirin, and it helps if you have clotting disorder. But if your blood is already thin, taking aspirin may be dangerous. So it is best if the doctor suggests medications I think.

I am so sorry to read about the heartbreak your friend would be going through. Has she had a uterine biopsy to check for natural killer cells? If she is under the care of a FS I guess they have done all the typical things like Sperm analysis, progesterone etc. Maybe she has really low levels of folate which causes recurrent m/c. 6 m/c can't be just bad luck. Maybe even a lap and dye might shed some light. A small fibroid or polyp which can not be seen on scan can act as an IUD and prevent either implantation or bub been able to grow properly in that environment. When I had my 3rd loss which was ectopic I had a lap to remove my tube and pregnancy and it was found that the tube was sick which caused me to m/c twice before. They said it was toxic which is what cause the prior m/c's. Once the tube was rmoved my next pregnancy resulted in my baby girl. So many possibilities. Sometimes the FS wont suggest certain investigations unless your friend pushes for them herself.

Thanks for your reply.

Sorry I don't mean that she will take medication without her doctor's consent, I was just wondering what had worked for other's so maybe she can speak with her doctor about it. I will let her know about the NK, as you have said it's not a common test so might be worth her having that check..

Thanks Mildez, much appreciated. I will wait and see what happens with this pregnancy and then if it does result in another loss I will speak with her about these suggestions.

I too don't believe it's can just be "bad luck".

I am so sorry your friend is going through this, its my biggest fear is that i had one healthy child and then can't have anymore. I m/c at almost 8 weeks after seeing my baby twice and everything was fine there was no explanation as to why it happened either.

I do suggest that she seeks further help from her FS and that more testing be done, or if what another poster has said wasnt done then it should be.

I know the heartbreak of one loss i couldnt imagine going through 6. BIG :hug: to your friend.

This is such a terrible thing to be happening to your friend. To be honest it scares me to death. Ive had 3 in a row in just 10 months and all my tests came back normal after my second m/c. They are doing even more testing this time but so far haven't found a reason. Sometimes they just dont know why. I guess a FS will have to manage her and perform yet more tests to try and find out why.

My heart breaks for your friend. I cant even begin imagine what it would be like to lose six precious babies and to wonder if you can ever carry another to term. Im facing a similar reality but I at least still have hope left since I have only had 3. Consecutive repeated losses is really, really hard. I hope your friend gets some answers soon.

Alas, there was a heartbeat last Tues measured 6.5wks, good strong heartbeat but she should have been 7wks, anyhoo, today no heartbeat. So that's another angel baby for her. I will pass on the tests to get checked & such in time when she is ready to try again.

Tup, I thought I'd already replied to this but it appears not!
So very sorry to hear about your friend - can't imagine the despair of losing so many precious bubs & not knowing why.
I've had 4 m/c's & recently had recurrent m/c testing. Turns out my DH has sperm issues that are the cause. Her & her DP need
to be tested (he needs something callled an scsa test - not just a regular semen analysis).
Hope something turns up for your friend that is fixable & that she gets the bub she sooo deserves. Big hugs xxxx