Multiple miscarriages

My daughter is seeing a fertility specialist.  She has had 2 miscarriages, both at 6 1/2 weeks.  She is contemplating going to Mexico where she will have her husband's blood  cells injected into her skin.  My questions are:  How safe is this? What is the success rate? What is this procedure called? Previously it was allowed in the U.S. now the only procedure allowed in the U.S. is to get the blood from a blood pool, but this has not been as successful as getting the blood from your husband.  I would appreciate any information on this.

[lisantony]

what exactly is this for? does she know she needs to have this done to have a baby?? i dont know, never have heard of anything like this, couldnt she see a fertility specalist, it seems now days they can work miracles right here in the states. good luck to you and your daughter!

[nurse12hr]

I would only have to guess that if it were proven safe and effective, we would be doing it in the US.  While not slamming Mexico, probably the most cutting edge medical techniques do not arise there.  

I am not saying it won't help, just be cautious.  Is the fertility specialist here in the US?  Have your daughter get references and the written studies that back up the procedure from her fertility specialist.  If this is a legitimate technique, he will be happy to provide her documentation of the efficacy and safety of this.  

Most medical procedures that are banned in the US, are banned for a reason.  Keep us posted.

[nurse12hr]

"An updated MEDLINE search found two significant studies addressing immunotherapy in the treatment of recurrent fetal loss. The Recurrent Miscarriage (REMIS) Study investigated whether paternal mononuclear cell immunization improves the rate of successful pregnancies. (2) Women who had had three or more spontaneous abortions of unknown cause were enrolled in a double-blind, multicenter, randomized clinical trial. 91 were assigned to immunization with paternal mononuclear cells (treatment) and 92 to immunization with sterile saline (control). The primary outcomes were the inability to achieve pregnancy within 12 months of randomization or a pregnancy which terminated before 28 weeks of gestation (failure), and pregnancy of 28 or more weeks of gestation (success). In the analysis of all randomized women who completed the trial, the success rate was 31/86 (36%) in the treatment group and 41/85 (48%) in the control group. In the analysis of pregnant women only, the corresponding success rates were 31/68 (46%) and 41/63 (65%). The results were unchanged after adjustment for maternal age, number of previous miscarriages, and whether or not the couple had had a previous viable pregnancy. Similar results were obtained in a subgroup analysis of 133 couples with no previous live birth. The authors concluded that immunization with paternal mononuclear cells does not improve pregnancy outcome in women with unexplained recurrent miscarriage, and they stated that this therapy should not be offered as a treatment for pregnancy loss.

A more recent meta-analysis was published in 2000, the objective of which was to assess the effects of leukocyte immunization on the live birth rate in women with previous unexplained recurrent miscarriages. (3) Selected for analysis were randomized trials of immunotherapy in women with three or more prior miscarriages, no more than one live birth, all immunologic causes of miscarriage ruled out and no simultaneous treatment interventions. Eighteen trials of high quality were included in the analysis. The various forms of immunotherapy did not show significant differences between treatment and control groups. The reviewers concluded that paternal cell immunization, third party donor leukocytes, and trophoblast membranes provide no significant beneficial effect over placebo in preventing further miscarriages."


Hope that helps.  I wonder if this is what you are talking about.

[kck]

Wow!  This is all very interesting!  
El5:  Based on the research posted above, you might want to advise your daughter against the procedure.  She has only had 2 miscarriages (if I read correctly) and that is not uncommon. According to most doctors, almost all women experience a miscarriage in their life.  She may not have any problems.  Also, is her fertility specialist helping her understand possible causes?  I was under the impression a fertility specialist was for people who have trouble getting pregnant.  I never realized they helped in pregnancy loss as well.  There can be other medical conditions that cause pregnancy loss.   Maybe she just needs to keep trying for a little while before taking drastic measures.  That procedure sounds more like a last resort kind of thing.  
I know this is just my opinion....but the research posted does not support the procedure.
I hope she figures something safe out!  Tell her we all wish her luck!

[momttc]

What about progesterone treatments???  Many women don't have enough progesterone to sustain a pregnancy and causes early miscarriage!!  It can't hurt to try!!  momttc

[Brianswife]

Hi everyone, I had 8 early miscarriages (All before 13 weeks. And we lost a daughter at 24 weeks due to what we found out was an incompetent cervix (Which had nothing to do with all my early miscarriages). We were devastated. I tried absolutely everything to get PG and stay PG. I went to every known specialist I could find to figure out why I kept losing all our babies. I used herbs, Old wives tales myths you name it I either tried it or wanted to. I was completely consumed with having a baby. I was severely depressed and seriously every waking moment thats all I thought about. Forget Fun sex between my husband and me. Oh no it was all about making a baby. I had the fertility monitor and I did a few conception calendars. Bottom line I was OBSESSED! I finally took a break because I had to, Then we tried again after a few months and once again I got PG. I bled my whole first trimester. We were wrecks. I had 2 trips to the emergency room when I was bleeding and sure I was miscarrying. My husband said That's it IM done I cant do it again, but We were still Pregnant. I had surgery at 14 weeks to have my cervix closed by stitches (A carcelage). And was on complete bedrest from 12 weeks on..At 20 weeks I was put in the hospital to be on Strict bedrest (My feet didn't touch the floor) I could not even prop up with pillows. I stayed there for 3 months went home and stayed in bed for 4 more weeks and was induced and we have a beautiful healthy baby Boy!!!! Its all so worth it now. Many would ask "How did you have the courage to keep trying?" I knew That God had placed the desire on my heart to have a baby and He was going to give me one. I don't know why we had to go through so much pain before But Ohh He is So worth it! I hope this helps someone find courage & Strength to Keep going. Miracles Do happen and the end result is amazing! I pray you all get Your hearts desires! Please email me if you need encouragement!

[stanley's mom]

Just joining this post.

The research in this country is not terrific re: paternal leukocyte immunization (PLI).  That said, the research is very compelling coming out of other countries.  Part of it is the way the study is designed -- looking at women who have only had three miscarriages, or looking at women who have had 5+ miscarriages; looking at if they have only miscarried, if they have had a child and also miscarried, etc.

I fall into the 5+ miscarriages (but I have a wonderful and amazing 2 1/2 year old) and am also interested in having PLI.  The only side effect from this procedure is evidently itching at the injection site. The greatest danger is inheriting any bloodborne diseases your husband might carry. I cannot understand why the FDA is currently controlling it, but they are.  From my research, if you combine this therapy with IVIG (immunoglobulin therapy), you have a much greater chance of live birth instead of miscarriage.  I understand some centers are applying for an IND so that they can offer the PLI, but the FDA isn't currently granting any of the INDs.

Your daughter does fall into the less than 3 miscarriage category.  I know how painful and scary it is for her to keep trying, but there is still a 60% chance that she will have a live birth, even if she miscarries once more.  She might want to keep trying on her own prior to trying immunotherapy.  Or, she could get a full immunotherapy work-up to see what the experts think.  If she is interested in this, she should consult a reproductive immunologist. I understand the cost of this testing to be a maximum of $2500.  The IVIG therapy is fairly expensive ($3000-$1200 per pregnancy).  It apparently gives you a 50% better chance of having a take-home baby, if you are prone to recurrent miscarriage, and it is currently legal in this country.  The success rates with IVIG seem to be about the same as with PLI -- it's why I'd like to combine the two and see if I can do even better.

I have been doing some extensive research in this area; I hope this is helpful.  There is a really great study on PLI done in Israel in the late 1990s -- you can search it under "5 miscarriages" in google, and it will come up for you.  Your daughter has good reasons for wanting to try it, and hopefully her fortunes will change and she will have lovely children.  Some of the women in the Israeli systematic review had up to 12 miscarriages, and they were able to have a live birth and healthy child with immunotherapy.  A lot of doctors in this country consider immunotherapy "voodoo medicine."  We just don't know enough about it.  But great strides are being made in this area not only in reproductive medicine, but also chronic disease conditions, etc.  I think it is better to keep an open mind.

I wish you all the best!  I will keep you posted if I have any success with any of my immunotherapy attempts....

[Bailey2004]

I too have had approximately 8 miscarriages.  I had tumors removed and had a partial molar pregnancy.  I have researched possible treatments for multiple miscarriages for the last couple of years.  I came across literature on elevated natural killer cells and actually met someone with elevated natural killer cells who referred me to a reproductive specialist for testing.  They took an enormous amount of blood, they wouldn't tell me how much because they didn't want me to freak; but they sent it to New Jersey for a number of tests--all immune system tests.  Well I had several positives which indicates possible elevated natural killer cells...so of course they ran the test.  Everyone has natural killer cells that attack foreign objects in our body (cancer mainly) to keep us healthy.  A normal person should have a level of 12.  Mine came back 21.6.  The doctors say that the killer cells see the babies as foreign, therefore, attacking and killing them.  It seems to accurate to me.  I would tell my husband while I was pregnant that it felt like my body was rejecting the pregnancy because I would get soooo sick!  Well the doctor wanted to start me on IVIG for the natural killer cells.  The immune system tests were $2000, but luckily my insurance covered that part.  However, my insurance will not cover the IVIG so it is costing me $2000 per infusion.  I have had one infusion so far and am pregnant!  I am 5 weeks 6 days and feel 100 times better than in the past.  They continue to check your natural killer cell levels throughout the pregnancy to see if you need other infusions.  I will get more results next week.  I am also on daily heparin injections (twice a day).  The girl I was talking about that referred me to the reproductive specialist for the testing, just had her miracle baby! He's happy and healthy!  I am so anxious to get throught the next few weeks to see if this is going to work out for me!  I will keep everyone posted with my progress!  Hopefully this will help everyone with unexplained miscarriages!  Good luck to everyone!!!!

[softballer18]

I am an 18 year old female who is very confused. and i was hoping i could get some comments on my problem. Lately i have noticed my bottom stomach is getting bigger and my sister said not to worry about it that i could just be gaining a little weight. but i am still at the same weight. so i talked to my boyfriend and asked him if i looked any chubbier, but he couldn't tell so.... i am worried that if i am what do i do. would i have a miscarriage. and how could i go upon that. but your problem seems very complicated. why would your daughter go to mexico and have blood injected in her there? why don't she come here to the united states, to a sterile enviornment and have the blood injected here. that seems like the smartest thing to do. well i hope i was of some sort of help, and if you have any info on my problem i would appreciate you write to me. any of you. just to let you know we have been dating for 9 months and we are already asking about a kid. good luck with everything you go through.