QuestionHi.I am 30yrs old.Gravida 4 parity 1. I have had 3 pregnancies in row since 2006.All ended in blighted ovums.I am under the care of an RE but they are unable to find a cause or help with a cure.My husbands sperm is normal.I am also a diabetic on metformin.I did progesterone vaginal inserts during my last pregnancy to no avail.Is there anything else my RE should be looking for.He says he has done a complete work up and all seems well.Oh I also have a retoverted uterus, and PCOS although I ovulate normaly.Last pregnancy ended at 8 weeks.we saw a heart beat a 7 weeks but baby measure 6w 1d and and the heart as 91.one week later the heart beat was gone and baby measured 5 weeks .I had yet another D&C.Please help me I am desperate.
AnswerHi Heydy
Sorry you haver waited for an answer. I answered it about 2hrs after it came through, but it appears that the allexperts website decided not to send my answer despite giving me a sent reciept!
Firstly, I'm so sorry that you're experiencing so much trouble. I'm no medical expert but reading through your probelms & treatment, it does actually appear that medically everything is being done to help.
However.....they do say that pregnancy is all to do with timing. I see that you have suffered from a bighted ovum? This is when the embryo doesn't develop due to it not having everything it needs to continue developing. It's the most common form of miscarriage and experts have said they believe that it's caused by the fusion of at least one old component, ie, an old egg fertilised by sperm.
Once an egg leaves your ovary, it has a 'shelf life' of 12 to 2hrs, so you can see why they quite literally call it 'the miracle of life'!
Being diabetic will unfortunately increase the risk of problems, but as you are ovulating normally I see no reason why you won't go on to have a healthy and normal pregnancy. A retroverted uterus is when your uterus tilts back, where a normal one slopes forward. This shouldn't affect your chances of conception or carrying a healthy pregnancy, it may simply cause a little discomfort at that.
So, we must look at maximising your chances of a healthy conception.
Firstly, if your husband or yourself smoke, it's time to give up. Cut back (or cut out altogether) any alcohol, caffiene or non-prescribed drugs. Eat a healthy & balanced diet with lots of fresh food. If you can, take up regular excersize. Being fit can help and will prepare you for the exhausting task of carrying a baby!
Now onto the fun bit....the sex :)
It may be worth investing in an ovulation kit or you could use this online ovulation predictor:
http://parenthoodplace.com/planner/ovulation.html
You input your LMP dates and it gives you the approximate fertile dates. It's very accurate and worked well for me. When you get your fertile dates, I recommend as much sex as possible! At least once a day for the whole of your fertile time, although it may seem too much information....my partner and I managed 2 or 3 times a day!
If you can, go for missionary position or a position where you're lying down. Try putting a pillow under your bottom to raise your hips. After sex, don't wipe yourself or wash but stay lying down with your bottom propped up or turn around & rest your feet on the top of the headboard. Do this for about half an hour. This keeps the sperm as near to your cervix as possible to give it less distance to swim.
I do hope this has helped and wish you every success in your next try. Do leave at least one monthly cycle until you try again or if ou can, ideally 3 natural periods. This helps you build up a good lining in your uterus for the egg to settle.
Just food for thought for you as a last word....one of my aunties suffered recurrent miscarriages, she had about 6 in a row. On her 7th pregnancy she had a healthy baby boy. Then another 3 before having 2nd boy. It turned out that she couldn't carry girls & it's not unheard of for a woman to not be able to physically carry children of one sex.
I hope my answer has helped you & given you hope. Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.
Best Wishes
Sarah
