dysmennorhea, mc x 2, and hopes (ticker)

biohaz444 · April 2010

hey, I don't usually post here, but wanted to share my story, as it's somewhat strange. I'm hoping it helps someone else.

Growing up, I had pretty severe dysmennorhea, missed school a few days just about every month, and was brought to the hospital 3 times when it was particularly bad for IV fluids and muscle relaxants. Was told by my dr to take aleve for a week before my period every month, and it would be fine. It wasn't. Nothing worked. I was put on BCP when I was 15 to control the dysmennorhea, and, while I still had worse cramps than anyone I knew, I could deal with them.

After years on various pills, and almost 2 years after our wedding, we decided it was time to stop the pills and start TTC. Well, we got pg right away, after only 2 cycles, I think. No charting, just off the pill sex. I felt some cramping, but dismissed it as "normal", but at about 10 weeks, I had my first mc. The drs dismissed it, told me how normal it is to mc, probably just a genetic abnormality, etc...

We were pg again after waiting one cycle. Same cramping, and, again, around 9 weeks, another mc. Again, the drs dismissed it, told me it could've been a blighted ovum, could just be bad luck.

Being a scientific person (Master's of Health Sciences, background in Microbiology), I started my own research. The mc were both around the same time, and with my history, I thought there could be more going on. I found nothing linking dysmennorhea to mc. But I did find out that the cause of primary dysmennorhea is an excessive level of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are also used to speed up slowly progressing labor. Prostaglandins, to me, seem like they could cause an early mc, so I kept digging. I also found many "trials" for women after recurrent mc without known cause to take baby aspirin. And, for unknown reasons, some women, after recurrent mc, would carry babies to term while taking baby aspirin every day. Aspirin is a prostaglandin inhibitor.

All of this had little light bulbs going off in my head, so I went back to my dr. Luckily, he knows me, and trusts my researching. We talked about all of it, and he agreed that it's a possible link. He said that since baby aspirin can't harm a fetus or me, that it wouldn't be a bad idea to try it.

For the past 6+ months (before getting pg), I've been taking baby aspirin every day, with PNVs. We got pg again in October of last year. In the first few weeks, if I ever felt those early cramps again, I'd even take an extra baby aspirin (not every day, but maybe one extra a week). I was so scared to see blood again, every time I had to pee. But somehow we made it to 10 weeks (when I had mc both of the previous by). Then 12, and kept going. He's growing, and by all measurements, everything is going perfectly. I'm still worried, but only because I feel less naive. I know things can, and do go wrong.

I am writing all of this, not to frustrate you, bc I know it REALLY can be. But to give you something, some hope. I'm hoping that I'm not the only one that this helps.

If anyone else feels this might help, PLEASE PM me, or email me (biohaz444@hotmail.com - put "bump TTCAL" in the subject or something), or find me on FB. whatever. I'd really like to know if it helps someone else.

good luck to everyone, hoping for sticky babies all around, can't wait to see you on PAL...

Texas77again · April 2010

thanks for the info. i'm sure there are a lot of different things that people can try for every possible internet study that is out there. glad you were one of the lucky ones.

JuJuBe3 · April 2010

Thank you for sharing. This certainly is valuable information, and if nothing else, teaches us to be proactive in our medical treatment. Wishing you and your LO the best.