I was unaware of the term “Antiphospholipid” until a very good friend of mine suffered three heart wrenching miscarriages and was finally diagnosed Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome (APS).  She and I had started a fertility support group for women about the time she received this diagnosis, which gave everyone in the group a chance to learn along with her.

Her antiphospholipid levels were elevated which showed that she was at an increased risk for blood clots.  What essentially was happening to her was that, because of the increased levels, her body was treating the baby as a blood clot and was causing her to miscarriage.  The doctors used the term “spontaneous abortion” which just added to the heart break as it somehow alluded to the fact that she caused the baby to die even though we know it is a medical term.

Unfortuneately with no known history of APS, a doctor will not even test the antiphospholipid levels until a woman experiences at least three miscarriages.  In the medical world, testing antiphospholipid levels is still somewhat controversial.  Some in the medical field feel that there is no association between antiphospholipid levels and pregnancy loss.  However, 2 out of 20 women in my support group were diagnosed with APS after multiple miscarriages and after taking heparin throughout their pregnancy they both had beautiful, healthy boys.  In fact my friend just did the heparin treatment during a subsequent pregnancy and now has two healthy boys.  So, it is hard for me to believe that there is no association between those levels and pregnancy.

If you are someone who is experience reoccurring miscarriages, I must first tell you how deeply sorry I am that you are experiencing this pain.  I also want you to know that you are not alone, although you may feel so at this time.  There are other women who know exactly what you are feeling, who know about your pain. Your fertility clinic might be able to put you in contact with someone else who is going through this now.  Hopefully there is a fertility support group in your area.  If not, you can find support at an online forum for women or couples experiencing fertility issues.

You need to know that not all doctors will test your antiphospholipid levels even after multiple miscarriages unless you ask.  The second girl in our group began to ask her doctor about testing after her second miscarriage.  He did not feel that he needed to test until after her fourth miscarriage and it wasn’t until then that she was finally given a reason behind the miscarriages.  If she had not advocated for the testing and pushed her doctor, she wouldn’t have her son today.

You can find more information about antiphospholipid levels at various sites online.  Be aware that, as I said before, some sites will say there is no connection between those levels and pregnancy.  Although it is important for you to learn all you need to know about antiphospholipids to make an informed decision about testing, it is important to realize that the testing is a simple blood test that might give you the answers and help that you need.  I know three beautiful boys and two happy moms that can attest to this.  They continue to educate other women about the subject through our support group and I feel certain that it will help other women in the future, hopefully beginning with you.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 6th, 2006 at 1:43 am and is filed under Fertility. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.