It is a true story. Sandy has gone through 3 consecutive miscarriages. Those were heart-breaking experiences. It was not easy but the couple have remained positive. On arrival of their first beloved daughter, Sandy was invited to share her mental journey, to which she promptly agreed. It is hoped that her true story can bring in some inspiration among readers. ~ TNL
Having a baby after 3 consecutive miscarriages
I was 33 when my husband and I decided to try for a baby. Little did we know that it would take us 2.5 years and 3 consecutive missed miscarriages to finally hold our baby girl in our arms. About 15% of pregnancies result in a miscarriage, the chance of having two losses in a row is 2% and three losses in a row 1%. It was a very difficult period for us and we are very lucky to have overcome it. We hope our story can inform and help women and couples who are going through the same struggle.
First missed miscarriage: Dilation and curettage (D&C)
The doctor explained us that I had 3 options, I could wait for the miscarriage to happen naturally, to take pills or have a surgical procedure (Dilation & Curettage) to evacuate the uterus. I chose the first option and started to lose a little bit of blood, three weeks after being diagnosed. When I started to have heavy cramps and more bleeding, I went for a check-up, however the pregnancy tissue was not yet expelled. The whole process of waiting for the miscarriage to happen naturally was emotionally draining and my doctor recommended I had a dilation & curettage (D&C). Initially I was afraid to have the surgical procedure, however the D&C was quick and not as painful as expected. The D&C happened under general anaesthesia and took about 30 minutes, I also did not have to stay overnight at the hospital. When the procedure was over, I felt empty but also relieved I could close this chapter and hoped to fall pregnant quickly again.
Second missed miscarriage: Inducing via pills (Misoprostol)
A few months after the first miscarriage we tried again to conceive, and I fell pregnant quickly after. Nervous but with high hopes we went for a scan at 8 weeks to confirm the pregnancy. Sadly, the scan showed the fetus was only at gestation age of 5 weeks, we only saw a small flickering light and a heartbeat could not be measured. The doctor said to wait another week and mentioned it did not look good. Saddened by the bad news we anxiously waited a week, unfortunately the scan showed no heartbeat or further growth. As I did not want to have a surgical procedure again, I opted to take the pills (misoprostol) and miscarry at home. A few hours after I took the pills I started to bleed heavily, fortunately I did not experience the same heavy cramps like I did with my first miscarriage. The heavy bleeding took a few hours and the tissue passed. At the follow up scan it showed that a small amount of tissue remained in the uterus, luckily it was expelled with my next period.
After the second miscarriage we took some time to process everything before trying again. We had so many questions, such as: can we do some tests to see if something was wrong with me or my husband or was there anything we could do to prevent a miscarriage? Our then O&G doctor told us that it was bad luck and nothing can or could be done. Perplexed by the second failure, we consulted another doctor for a second opinion. At the intake consultation it was explained to us that we still had a good chance of having a healthy pregnancy and could keep trying naturally. He also recommended to take progesterone for the potential benefit once the pregnancy was confirmed.
Third missed miscarriage: D&C with karyotyping
Eight months after the second miscarriage we conceived again. Because of my history I had a scan at 5 and 7 weeks and the latter scan showed a heartbeat. Unfortunately, at my 9 weeks scan the growth and heartbeat of the fetus had stopped, confirming a third missed miscarriage. The doctor proposed to do a D&C with genetic karyotyping of the fetus, the karyotyping could show if there were any chromosomal disorders causing the recurrent missed miscarriage(s). The results came back indicating the fetus had a chromosomal trisomy 9 disorder. It was a little consolation that the baby was not viable and a miscarriage could not be prevented. We also did some additional tests including a blood clotting test and chromosomal karyotyping of my husband and I. Everything came back normal and our losses were considered a streak of bad luck. The doctor informed us we could try again naturally as there is still a good chance for a successful pregnancy after 3 miscarriages or we could consider In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) with Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT) to rule out chromosomal disorders.
Finally: A healthy pregnancy
We were so sad and took some time to progress our grief. We decided to have fate run its course and if I was not pregnant before my 36th birthday we would consider starting IVF with PGT. Luckily five months after our third miscarriage I was pregnant again and gave birth to a healthy baby girl. As a couple it was certainly a very difficult period to go through, however it made our relationship so much stronger. Looking back, it felt like time stood still and everyone else was starting a family except us. We consider ourselves so blessed with our baby girl and our hearts go out for the many other couples whose struggle is still going on. Statistically there is still ~70% chance of success in the subsequent pregnancy following 3 miscarriages and we hope our story has helped you in any way. It is understandable if you may be worried and/or frustrated after having suffered multiple losses, but you should still see hope and try to find support for further attempts to conceive.
