Wanting to avoid a 5th miscarriage...
5th pregnancy after 4 miscarriages (epiiiic post)
I'm 33. I had 3 first-trimester miscarriages over several years, and 1 second-trimester miscarriage last February. No living child until now.
I'm 6 weeks into my 5th pregnancy now. I'm really disappointed by my previous doctors, and because I am so scared and confused, I'm trying to find a new reliable specialist and identify all the things I should or can do to monitor my pregnancy in a better way, other than the regular ultrasounds and usual trimestrial blood works.
1/ Since I am a high-risk pregnancy, I understand my HCG levels should be tested every 48 hours. That seems like a lot, how long with I have to do this along the pregnancy?
2/ Regarding my hormones, hypothyroid runs in my family, I have some weight problems, as well as body temperature irregularities, chin hairiness and hair-loss problems which may all be linked (?), and so I understand I should test TSH/T4 and Progesterone levels quite often too. (How often?)
And perhaps see with an endocrinologist for Levothyroxin treatment. Regarding this treatment, during my last pregnancy, an endocrinologist had prescribed it to me at the beginning of the pregnancy. But than my ob-gyn had told me to stop taking it since my TSH/T4 levels were ok later on. So I'm wondering if I shouldn't take it throughout the whole pregnancy anyway, in a preventive manner? Would there be any risks in doing this?
I'm already taking 400mg of vaginal progesterone every 12 hours.
3/Because strokes and blood problems also run in my family, I should see a hematologist and screen for blood clogging or thrombophilia conditions. I'm already taking preventive 75mg aspirin daily.
4/In my last pregnancy which ended tragically, my ob-gyn had omitted to test me through PAP smears, vaginal secretion cultures, as well as urine and blood samples (except for alphafetoprotein which she had tested me for).
I'm not sure what all these tests are for exactly, but I understand all of those things should have been done regularly too and could have identified a possible/suspected infection for example. I was told that the rupture of membranes can be caused by a vaginal infection, and this is exactly how I miscarried. I had been leaking fluids for 3 days and had mistaken the leakage for normal pregnancy discharges. I had some light contractions one night (I didn't know they were contractions either) and my water suddenly broke at 5 months, and I lost my baby at the hospital.
5/I'm currently taking prenatal supplements containing magnesium, vitamines B1, B2, B6, B12, C, E, Acid Folic and Biotina.
Should I take Omega3 too? Someone spoke to me about Omega3 with DHA and EPA.
6/Apart from that, I don't know if I should see a genetics specialist or any other specialist. I had a full karyotype and necropsy performed on my last baby and everything came out normal. No blood-clogging factors, no foetus defects, no infections, no chromosomal imperfections, he was a perfect baby and no cause was identified.
7/Some doctors also asked me what blood type my husband and I have, and some others say it's not relevant. How important and relevant are our blood types?
8/I'm confused with all the things I should avoid (or not) during a pregnancy. Some docs have different opinions regarding having intercourse for example. Considering my history, at this stage, I feel I should "avoid life itself" and stay 9-months in bed... Some things are obvious, but basically: no sex, no sports/fitness, no pools/baths, no spas/massages/steam rooms/sauna, no hot showers/baths, no work/stress, no traveling, no driving, no staircase/bending over, no chemicals/cleaning products/cosmetics, no manucure/pedicure, no hair color, no cheeses/raw foods, no sun baths, no public restrooms, no high-heals, no tight clothes, no alcohol, no caffeine/tannin, no caring any weight… Anything else?
Lastly, I'm trying to find a new doctor this week. I just don't feel confident about the health professionals surrounding me so far. They seem to have too many patients, and too little time for each consultation. They hardly remember the details of my case from one consultation to another, and I don't feel they are paying enough attention to my high-risk pregnancy. I feel like my last ob-gyn did a sloppy job. My miscarriage happened while she was on vacation and I couldn't even contact her and wasn't even given a replacement contact... Should I now seek for an ob-gyn? A fertility specialist? A midwife in parallel? A reproductive immunologist? A maternal-fetal specialist? A reproductive endocrinologist? A reproductive hematologist?
Am I being obsessive, paranoid, controlling and trying to auto-diagnose or auto-medicate myself? I don't think so. After all my traumatic experiences, I'm exhausted, and tired of going through miscarriages. I'm just a young lost woman trying to gather courage and hope, hold on to some kind of medical protocol and do my best and more for this new pregnancy. Trying to think of all the ways I can hopefully better my chances at carrying a living child full-term although nothing in this world seems to be able to guarantee this with certainty anyway.
So if anyone of you ladies out there have more experience or awareness than me; or feel the same regarding some of these issues, please let me know your thoughts and/or recommendations as it will help me when dealing with my new specialist.
Comment
Add Comment
Let’s Glow
Glow is here for you on your path to pregnancy
Glow helps you navigate your fertility journey with smart tools, personalized insights, and guidance from medical experts who understand what matters most.
25+ million
Users
4.8 stars
200k+ app ratings
20+
Medical advisors
