Is the MTHFR test worth it?

tiffanymyers · April 2014

Hi Ladies! I have had 2 consecutive early term losses (between 6-7 weeks), so my doctor ran a gamut of blood tests to look for a clotting disorder. Turns out one of the tests came back really abnormal so I have already started baby aspirin and I will be talking to a high risk OB next week to discuss whether the addition of Lovenox injections would be heeded. My regular OB did not have me tested for the MTHFR gene mutation however, because she said it was a really expensive test that doesn't give you a ton of particularly useful information above and beyond what we already know. She told me that when I get pregnant again, she can simply provide a prescription for folate (which is how MTHFR is treated), and whatever my body doesn't need, it will eliminate...meaning that it won't do any harm and could potentially do some good. Does this sound right to all of you? Did any of you get this test done and have a treatment plan that was more than aspirin, Lovenox, and folate?

SA1112 · April 2014

It is expensive and my insurance didn't cover it. I have a homozygous mutation and I'm just on baby aspirin. If you're already on aspirin I wouldn't bother with it personally.

porterlove525 · April 2014

I suppose that's a personal decision and one that I would discuss with your RE/OB. There is a lot of different opinions on the disorder and treatment. For me, I hemmoraghed in both of my prior pregnancies and losses so my testing was covered by insurance for all blood clotting disorders so I had it done and I'm hetero MTHFR. I didn't need injections because everything looked fine this entire pregnancy, but I was on hormones and extra folate. Good luck!

kateitho · April 2014

It's a personal preference choice. If you choose to have it done, you may ask your doctor about ordering it through Reprosource. https://reprosource.com/reprosource_test/methylenetetrahydrofolate-reductase-mthfr/ I did all of my testing though their lab, and only had to pay my insurance's $5 lab fee at the hospital, and I think all of my testing (MTHFR, OAR w/ AMH, Anti-phospolipid antibody, maternal karyotyping, and something else I can't remember) cost about $700-$800 out of pocket, because my insurance doesn't cover infertility testing or treatment. It would have been between $3000 and $5000 OOP at my hosptial's lab...

doglover31 · April 2014

I think thats a personal decision. I know that all of my testing was covered and I just had to pay 20% which with all the testing they did came out to $400 for what I had to pay. That was all clotting disorders they tested for and a whole bunch of other stuff my RE tested for. The only thing positive was the MTHFR test. If its not going to change your treatment plan then really there might not be a point to have the test done. However some doctors do treat differently depending on what mutation you have of the MTHFR gene, while others don't treat it at all.

I have one copy of the mutation and my RE treated me with L-Methylfolate (broken down folic acid available OTC), Heparin injections, and Baby Aspirin. At 12 weeks I stopped the Heparin. When I switched to my OB he put me on a prenatal that has the right Folic Acid in it so all I am on now is the baby aspirin and that prenatal. And I'm only on the baby aspirin because I was too scared to stop it and my OB decided it was a low enough dose that I could continue taking it if it would make me feel better.

jenks999 · April 2014

I have hetero MTHFR and also Factor V Leiden. When I found out I had the MTHFR I was just put on baby aspirin and the Folic supplement. I had another loss after that and that's when I found out about the Factor V. Now I'm on lovenox injections and not taking the aspirin anymore. My hematologist told me that there is some dispute among doctors as to whether MTHFR even causes miscarriages. If you have another clotting disorder that is going to be treated it's probaby not that big of a deal to get tested for MTHFR. I would discuss with the dr though to see what they say

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