Pregnant women affected by this syndrome may miscarry before 20 week of gestation. Pregnancy increases the risk of thrombosis, which has likely evolved to protect women against bleeding challenges related with miscarriage and childbirth. Therefore, pregnant women with antiphospholipid syndrome have higher chances to develop blood clots or microthrombi which may disrupt oxygen and nutrients flow from mother to child during gestation, causing growth retardation or even fetal demise. Since I miscarried at 18 week of gestation for my first pregnancy, the doctors and researchers at Osaka University Hospital ran some tests to detect if I have antiphospholipid antibodies disorder. However the usual tests of Protein S and Protein C deficiency and SLE returned negative and it indicated that I may not have antiphospholipid syndrome. However after the second miscarriage again at the 18 week of gestation, they repeated a detailed test for antiphospholipid syndrome. This time they included a coagulation Factor XII also known as Hagemen factor. Again the test result returned negative for SLE and Protein S and C deficiency. However the level of Factor XII in my blood was very low. Factor XII deficiency is a very rare disorder. Research studies by Ogasawara et.al (2001) revealed that Factor XII deficiency is a predictor of recurrent miscarriages and treatment with low-dose aspirin is effective for treatment of recurrent miscarriages. Since anticoagulation treatments such as aspirin and heparin are believed to improve the outcome of pregnancy, the obstetricians at Osaka University Hospital are encouraging me to conceive again and to pursue these treatment as a prospect to have a successful pregnancy. As happy I am to have a diagnosis for the reasons of my unfortunate miscarriages, a major part of me still wonder if only I was tested earlier for these rare condition and maybe, just maybe with the correct treatment, I may have my babies in my arms now.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
The X Factor
My recurrent miscarriages have anguished us as well as my
nephrologist and obstetrician. In fact, they were the ones that insisted us to
get pregnant based on my medical records. However when I miscarried twice
during the second trimester of my pregnancies, they became extra concerned. One
of the reasons of recurrent miscarriages at the second trimester is due to
antiphospholipid syndrome. It is an autoimmune disorder of antiphospholipid
antibodies which causes blood hypercoagulability. Majority of population with
this disorder have higher tendency to develop deep vein thrombosis and stroke.
Pregnant women affected by this syndrome may miscarry before 20 week of gestation. Pregnancy increases the risk of thrombosis, which has likely evolved to protect women against bleeding challenges related with miscarriage and childbirth. Therefore, pregnant women with antiphospholipid syndrome have higher chances to develop blood clots or microthrombi which may disrupt oxygen and nutrients flow from mother to child during gestation, causing growth retardation or even fetal demise. Since I miscarried at 18 week of gestation for my first pregnancy, the doctors and researchers at Osaka University Hospital ran some tests to detect if I have antiphospholipid antibodies disorder. However the usual tests of Protein S and Protein C deficiency and SLE returned negative and it indicated that I may not have antiphospholipid syndrome. However after the second miscarriage again at the 18 week of gestation, they repeated a detailed test for antiphospholipid syndrome. This time they included a coagulation Factor XII also known as Hagemen factor. Again the test result returned negative for SLE and Protein S and C deficiency. However the level of Factor XII in my blood was very low. Factor XII deficiency is a very rare disorder. Research studies by Ogasawara et.al (2001) revealed that Factor XII deficiency is a predictor of recurrent miscarriages and treatment with low-dose aspirin is effective for treatment of recurrent miscarriages. Since anticoagulation treatments such as aspirin and heparin are believed to improve the outcome of pregnancy, the obstetricians at Osaka University Hospital are encouraging me to conceive again and to pursue these treatment as a prospect to have a successful pregnancy. As happy I am to have a diagnosis for the reasons of my unfortunate miscarriages, a major part of me still wonder if only I was tested earlier for these rare condition and maybe, just maybe with the correct treatment, I may have my babies in my arms now.
Pregnant women affected by this syndrome may miscarry before 20 week of gestation. Pregnancy increases the risk of thrombosis, which has likely evolved to protect women against bleeding challenges related with miscarriage and childbirth. Therefore, pregnant women with antiphospholipid syndrome have higher chances to develop blood clots or microthrombi which may disrupt oxygen and nutrients flow from mother to child during gestation, causing growth retardation or even fetal demise. Since I miscarried at 18 week of gestation for my first pregnancy, the doctors and researchers at Osaka University Hospital ran some tests to detect if I have antiphospholipid antibodies disorder. However the usual tests of Protein S and Protein C deficiency and SLE returned negative and it indicated that I may not have antiphospholipid syndrome. However after the second miscarriage again at the 18 week of gestation, they repeated a detailed test for antiphospholipid syndrome. This time they included a coagulation Factor XII also known as Hagemen factor. Again the test result returned negative for SLE and Protein S and C deficiency. However the level of Factor XII in my blood was very low. Factor XII deficiency is a very rare disorder. Research studies by Ogasawara et.al (2001) revealed that Factor XII deficiency is a predictor of recurrent miscarriages and treatment with low-dose aspirin is effective for treatment of recurrent miscarriages. Since anticoagulation treatments such as aspirin and heparin are believed to improve the outcome of pregnancy, the obstetricians at Osaka University Hospital are encouraging me to conceive again and to pursue these treatment as a prospect to have a successful pregnancy. As happy I am to have a diagnosis for the reasons of my unfortunate miscarriages, a major part of me still wonder if only I was tested earlier for these rare condition and maybe, just maybe with the correct treatment, I may have my babies in my arms now.
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