Every time I share that I’ve had two miscarriages, I get asked some form of this question. “So what’s next?” or “What do they think is wrong with you?” The second one feels like a punch to the gut every time.
The next “step” I took was to sit down with my doctor (Dr. C.) to discuss our pregnancies and losses. Tony and I had an appointment two and a half weeks following the drastic drop in my hcg level. I don’t think many practices have “miscarriage follow up appointments,” but I am blessed to a patient in a practice that sees value in such a thing. Tony and I sat with my doctor for AN HOUR to discuss how we were doing- physcially and emotionally. I can’t even begin to express how that made us feel. It was like I was his only patient for the day. Dr. C. listened more than he talked. He collected information about our lifestyle, routine and medical history. He also discussed stress management and reiterated how important it was to not let the stress of work, marriage or infertility run our lives. He expressed to us that he believes in a joint partnership with his patients. He told me that he would make recommendations but ultimately it was up to me what I was willing to do. If I had any concerns or questions or wanted to change the plan at any time, all I had to do was call- and we would have a conversation about it. I don’t know many doctors like this one. He is truly one of a kind. He suggested that he perform a pelvic exam to try to pin point if I had endometriosis, and also get my lab work mid cycle (post ovulation, pre-period) to examine what my hormones were doing around that time.
I expressed to Dr. C that with both of my pregnancies, I had constant sensations of cramping and stretching. I experienced implantation cramping and implantation bleeding- and then it seemed to continue. I told him that it felt almost as though the babies were struggling to implant multiple times. I asked him what his opinion about baby aspirin was. I had read that baby aspirin can be helpful to thin the lining of your uterus enough that implantation and embryo growth can happen. He told me that the latest research involving baby aspirin involves a triad of baby aspirin, progesterone supplements and heparin injections for the first 12 weeks. He mentioned that the heparin injections could be very unpleasant. I told him that I didn’t care what I had to do next time- I was willing to give it a try.
I had my pelvic exam a couple of weeks ago, and though it was the most uncomfortable pelvic exam I’ve had in my life, (there was a lot more palpation and pressing than usual) Dr. C. did not believe that we had to be concerned about severe endometriosis. Had I started crying or screaming during the exam, the next step might have been to have surgery. If there is too much scar tissue in your uterus from endometriosis, implantation and healthy ovulation can be very difficult. But I left there feeling like we narrowed down “what’s wrong with me” a little bit. That morning I finally had a negative pregnancy test as well, so I would not need to have a D&C. I was thankful for that.
After my first miscarriage, my cycle returned within 34 days. I wasn’t sure when it would start up again with this miscarriage, due to the prolonged positive pregnancy tests. But I knew my body could do it this time. I knew that one day I would return back to my baseline and then one day I would be able to try again. My cycle started again in the middle of August. It was much more intense than normal probably because my body still needed to get rid of some aspects of the pregnancy. I called my doctor’s office and was told to get all of my wellness labs drawn on cycle day 24 of this cycle. September 10th is lab day- the “next step” to finding out more information. I’m praying that there is an obvious hormone imbalance or something that pops up that would pin point as to why I have had two losses. Realistically, I know that the labs might not show anything. But for now, the next step is lab work.
