Three weeks after my miscarriage, I went in for recurrent loss testing. Some women's OBs have them wait for three miscarriages before doing testing, but my OB was adamant that we go ahead. They drew eleven vials of blood which left me lightheaded with a sore arm. They said it'd take 10-14 days to hear the results.
I got a call this morning from my OB's nurse. I have one copy of the gene that causes Factor V Leiden, a disorder that causes blood clots.
This is what I know so far:
FVL may have caused my two miscarriages. It's a strong possibilities; however, we didn't test baby #2 and #3, so we have no clear idea of what causes their deaths. I only have one copy of the gene versus getting it from both parents, but the risk is still high for complications in pregnancy if not treated properly.
FVL may have caused my pre-eclampsia. While I did carry G to full term without problems, I developed pre-eclampsia at 38 weeks and had to be quickly induced.
Since I only have one copy of the gene, only one of my parents is a carrier. We're guessing my mom at this point, since it's less common in Hispanics. However, we won't know until they get tested themselves.
FVL is treatable with blood thinners such as baby aspirin and daily Lovenox shots while you're pregnant. It's scary because blood clots can happen at any time during the pregnancy, so the baby isn't safe until you finally deliver. This is what scares me the most, even more so than the fact that this has life-long consequences for me.
FVL can cause blood clots which break off and travel to the heart or lungs. I'll have to learn how to handle this long-term, and I'm sure it involves lots of water and exercise throughout my life.
I'm glad that we went through all of this testing so we could get some answers. And I'm so so happy that there's treatment for FVL. However, I'm sad when thinking about the babies we lost. If I'd known earlier, I could have saved them.
I find it appropriate that my appointment with the specialist will be on August 15th. We'll learn how to save our future babies on the due date of baby #2, which I lost at 14 weeks.
It's always good to know what you are dealing with, and ways to treat it.
ReplyDeleteI wish they would treat our ectopic as a miscarriage so they would agree to test us, but they won't.
An ectopic isn't considered a miscarriage? Weird. But I guess they don't considered it caused by any underlying condition that testing would find? I think I was lucky that my OB wanted to do testing after only two miscarriages instead of waiting for the typical three in a row.
ReplyDeleteNope, they basically said it's a fluke. My Ob said she does testing after a 2nd one too, she said there is no real reason to wait for a 3rd and that's it's not fair to make someone suffer through three before testing.
ReplyDeleteWell, that's good at least. I think more and more OBs are requesting testing after 2 miscarriages instead of waiting for the usual 3.
DeleteI'm so pleased that you have some answers and that it's something that can be dealt with. I hope that knowing gives you some peace and that the appointment in August goes well too. X
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lucy!
DeleteGlad to hear you're getting some answers!
ReplyDelete