From testimonies about the repercussions of miscalculated due dates to primers on cysts, here at Natural Womanhood, we value giving women the information they need so that they can advocate for themselves. My own story of advocacy in my fertility journey is part of what led me to the Natural Womanhood team. After having three consecutive miscarriages within 18 months that were dismissed as mere flukes, I discovered what fertility awareness methods (FAMs) and restorative reproductive medicine (RRM) have to offer in the midst of loss.
Consecutive losses and no help
I had two healthy sons before I started having miscarriages. Only four months postpartum with my second, I couldn’t believe I had a positive pregnancy test! Just as I was starting to adjust to the reality of having another new baby, I lost him or her. Knowing that 1 out of 5 pregnancies end in miscarriage, I grieved our loss but also didn’t assume that I wouldn’t be able to have more children. Yet, my next pregnancy also ended in a very early loss. Then, I became pregnant again and carried the baby almost until the end of my first trimester. I lost her as well.
After my third consecutive miscarriage, I went in to the doctor for a follow-up appointment. The office was conveniently located within a hospital complex. This was helpful, it turned out, because I passed out in the office and was immediately wheeled to the Emergency Room.
I probably shouldn’t have left the house and exerted so much energy right after a miscarriage. There was nothing seriously wrong with me; I was going to be fine. Except, of course, for the fact that I had lost three babies with no explanation.
When an OBGYN staff member came down to check on me in the ER, I asked a question: “After three consecutive losses, what should I do now?” She paused for a moment and said, “Well, you could wait a few months and try again.”
Looking for answers
“Wait a few months and just try again,” after three consecutive miscarriages? It seemed to me that the most likely outcome if I tried that was another miscarriage—and another lost child.
There was no way I was going that route.
“Wait a few months and just try again,” after three consecutive miscarriages? It seemed to me that the most likely outcome if I tried that was another miscarriage—and another lost child. There was no way I was going that route.
Right there in the hospital bed, I pulled out my laptop and started searching. Now, I know that people say not to Google medical situations, but doing so has helped my family and me more than once. I also had some background information to go on, because I had loosely followed a fertility awareness method for the past year or so and knew my fase lútea had been very short since my cycle returned postpartum with my second baby (think 4 days). Knowing that, I researched causes for miscarriage related to this and, sure enough, there was a hypothetical explanation. It was possible that after ovulation, my progesterona levels were tanking and unable to support a pregnancy.
Then I remembered something important: I had friends who had experienced great success with Tecnología NaPro (una forma de medicina reproductiva reparadora, or RRM), over the years for everything from infertility to PCOS, so a NaPro-trained healthcare professional was who I contacted next.
After multiple miscarriages, a NaPro journey—and hope
When I contacted the NaPro doctor’s office nearest to me (over an hour away from my home!), I was told that first, I would need several months of menstrual cycle charts before beginning treatment. While I wasn’t wild about the time this would take, I needed answers, and I definitely wasn’t getting any from other doctors. So I found a great mentor in the Creighton Method right away–the fertility awareness method NaPro doctors typically work with–and I learned a lot.
As I mentioned earlier, I had previously learned how to chart my cycles via a different FAM method, but charting with Creighton was a whole new level. I saw how things like stress or an exciting or upsetting event could affect my cycle. I could eventually see how healthy my cycles were, and if anything was ‘off.’ And, on a related note, when I received bloodwork results that indicated I had hipotiroidismo, it was my NaPro instructor who suggested I see about further tests to see if I had an autoimmune disease–Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. It turned out that I did.
After my first few months of Creighton menstrual cycle charts were complete, my NaPro doctor then had me complete labs every other day for an entire month. In case you’re wondering, yes, I got to know the nice ladies at LabCorp really well! This labwork was matched up with my cycle charts to see what was happening with my hormone levels over the course of the month.
My gut was correct—my progesterone levels were crashing each month. This not only resulted in miscarriages, but each month I was also suffering emotionally. Without these tests, I may never have recognized that there was a medical reason for my marked change in mood–I had assumed parenting little kids was just stressful.
My daughters are here thanks to NaPro
Thanks to NaPro, I began to supplement with bioidentical progesterone each month during my luteal phase—the time after ovulation through the beginning of my next cycle. I also took thyroid medicine and changed my diet thanks to my Hashimoto’s diagnosis.
After 6 months of treatment, I became pregnant again. My progesterone levels still weren’t optimal, and my NaPro doctor prescribed injections of bioidentical progesterone twice per week until I was 36 weeks pregnant. I joked about the number of needles between those injections and the labs; it totaled about 100. And to think I had had a slight phobia of shots before that!
My first daughter, and third earth-side child, was born healthy at 41 weeks. And I was healthier as well, thanks to the diagnosis and treatment of the autoimmune disorder. Using a similar progesterone protocol, I had a second daughter a couple of years later.
My last daughter was born without any progesterone at all, about 4.5 years after the last. I still don’t have an explanation for that!
What I’ve learned
I think back to that day when I was lying in a hospital bed in a busy ER feeling so sad, and so frustrated—frustrated not only at the answer I had received to my question about what to do after multiple miscarriages, but also frustrated with myself for not taking action sooner.
I realized something then that perhaps I should have always known–that you will always be your best advocate. That led me to gain more knowledge about my cycle, autoimmune diseases, and hormones, and also to seek a supportive care team around me. This lesson has served me well, not only for myself over the years, but also for my children, including those who survived because of all that I learned on this medical journey. It’s a powerful testament to the incredible health tool that our fertility awareness charts can be, especially in the hands of a knowledgeable team of healthcare professionals who can use our charts to dig more deeply into the root causes of miscarriage, infertility, and so much more.