Mother believes drug helped her after miscarriage

A woman who suffered the heartache of multiple miscarriages is convinced that taking the simple hormone progesterone helped her to finally become a mother.

Rebecca Woodcock, 37, from Stafford, had discovered the ‘controversial’ drug during research after she experienced the loss of four babies over the course five years. 

Heartbroken and ‘desperate to become a mother’, Rebecca sought a second opinion and was told she had a ‘septum’ – an upside-down, triangular shaped piece of tissue which divided her uterine cavity and which can play a part in recurrent miscarriages.

Rebecca had an operation to remove it and continued using the progesterone and fell pregnant with her three-year-old son Henry.

The mother was convinced of the power of the drug when she then stopped using it and had another miscarriage – only when she resumed her doses did she fall pregnant again with her second child Matilda, now three months.

She believes the drug – which is prescribed to women who experience recurrent miscarriage – was the ‘key’ and urges any other women who have suffered similar problem to seek it out a second opinion whatever the cost.

Rebecca Woodcock, 37, from Stafford experienced the heartache of four miscarriages before she became a mother to two children. Above, pictured with her son Henry, three

Progesterone itself, said to be ‘oestrogen’s cousin’ or the ‘relaxing hormone’, is thought to help to maintain pregnancy, helping to keep the uterus muscle relaxed and boosting the body’s immune system. 

On the NHS, progesterone is typically only given to women who’ve had ‘recurrent’ miscarriage – described as three or more losses in a row. 

WHAT IS PROGESTERONE?

Progesterone is prescribed to women who experience recurrent miscarriage.

Said to be ‘oestrogen’s cousin’ or the ‘relaxing hormone’, is thought to help to maintain pregnancy.

It is not typically prescribed on the NHS in the UK unless a woman has three or more miscarriages in a row.  

Shunning the NHS to go private 

Rebecca, who opted to go private, explained: ‘I know there’s some debate about the use of progesterone, and that it’s a controversial subject.

‘Compared to countries like France or Italy, women in the UK have to jump through so many hoops just to get it. 

‘But I was lucky enough to have been prescribed it at a private fertility clinic following my recurrent miscarriages, and I’m convinced that progesterone really helped. 

‘It’s too much of a coincidence for it not to have done. And I’d urge other women in my position to explore that option for themselves.’ 

The project manager says that despite the UK lagging behind the rest of Europe when it comes to prescribing progesterone to women who experience recurrent miscarriage, she suspects it played a key role in her welcoming healthy children into the world. 

Henry, with his three-month-old sister Matilda, were born after Rebecca sought a second opinion on her fertility treatment

Henry, with his three-month-old sister Matilda, were born after Rebecca sought a second opinion on her fertility treatment

Reasons for miscarriage 

Rebecca suffered her first miscarriage in November 2011, when she was nine weeks pregnant, and in February 2012 Rebecca miscarried once more.

FERTILITY TIMELINE

Nov 2011: Rebecca suffered her first miscarriage

Feb 2012: She went through a second painful miscarriage.

Sought NHS advice but unhappy with the plan to hold back a thorough examination, Rebecca went private.

Dec 2012: Operation to remove her septum and fibroids, miscarried a third time.

Began taking progesterone and then fell pregnant in June 2013.

Jan 2014: Gave birth to son Henry, and stopped taking progesterone.

2016: Suffered a fourth miscarriage and was advised to go back on progesterone.

Oct 2016: Conceived baby Matilda, and gave birth to her in June 2017. 

Following ultrasound scans, Rebecca learned she had a bicornuate, or ‘heart-shaped’ uterus and ‘fibroids’ – small growths that develop in or around the womb – with both conditions potentially contributing to the risk of miscarriage. 

At this point Rebecca was told that a more thorough examination of her reproductive system would only be authorised if she miscarried for a third time. 

But, unhappy with that plan, Rebecca decided to leave NHS care and seek advice from leading UK consultant gynaecologist Luciano Nardo, Clinical Director at the Reproductive Health Group in Daresbury, Cheshire. 

‘Desperate to become a mother’ 

It was under Mr Nardo’s care that Rebecca also learned she had a septum in her uterus – an upside-down, triangular shaped piece of tissue which divided her uterine cavity and which can play a part in recurrent miscarriage.

Rebecca explains: ‘There’s no blood supply to the septum, so if the embryo attaches there it won’t survive. It also means there’s less room in the womb for the baby to grow.’ 

She went on to have operations to remove the septum and fibroids. And when Rebecca miscarried for a third time in December 2012, Mr Nardo also took the decision to prescribe progesterone tablets. 

She reveals: ‘By this point in time, the need for me to become a mum was becoming all-consuming. 

‘I was desperate. Once you’ve decided that the time is now, you just will for it to happen.’  

 After Rebecca had an operation to remove her fibroids and septum she was successful in falling pregnant

 After Rebecca had an operation to remove her fibroids and septum she was successful in falling pregnant

PROGESTERONE STUDY IN US

In January this year, new research from the Yale School of Medicine, in collaboration with the University of Illinois at Chicago, USA, examined the role of progesterone in helping mothers to carry a pregnancy successfully to term. 

Lead researcher Dr. Mary D. Stephenson examined 116 women who inexplicably lost two or more pregnancies between 2004-2012, at more than 10 weeks into their pregnancies. 

Some of the women were administered 100-200 milligrams of progesterone every 12 hours. And in the group who received the treatment, the pregnancy success rate jumped from six percent to 69 percent after progesterone administration. 

Dr Stephenson said: ‘We are very pleased to find that these results reinforce the evidence that progesterone could be a very beneficial, inexpensive, and safe treatment for many women with a history of recurrent pregnancy loss.’ 

NHS figures suggest about 20 per cent of pregnancies miscarry in the first three months and many women who lose these babies do go on to have successful subsequent pregnancies. 

To her utter joy, Rebecca fell pregnant with Henry in June 2013 – she celebrated the moment with her partner Mark Bishop before telling her doctor Mr Nardo.

He recommended she keep taking progesterone, high-dose folic acid, and low-dose aspirin, for the first three months of her pregnancy, as well as having blood-thinning injections for the first 12 weeks.

Becoming a mother – twice

After a nervous wait she gave birth to Henry in January 2014 via caesarean section at Stoke University Hospital but was desperate to provide a sibling for her son. 

As if to illustrate the potential power of progesterone, when Rebecca suffered a fourth miscarriage in 2016, it came during a time when she had not been taking the hormone. 

Rebecca fell pregnant with Matilda in October 2016, only after she resumed taking progesterone following a fourth miscarriage

Rebecca fell pregnant with Matilda in October 2016, only after she resumed taking progesterone following a fourth miscarriage

When she did resume, her gorgeous baby girl Matilda – who  Henry dotes on – was conceived in October 2016 and was born in June this year. 

A grateful Rebecca reveals: ‘If I could give any advice, it would be to stay strong and not lose faith. There are people like me who’ve had four miscarriages and who know have two happy, healthy children.

‘There’s always hope. Keep trying.  

‘I’m convinced that, as well as the expertise and care from Mr Nardo, was one of the biggest factors in my success.’ 

Mr Nardo said of Rebecca’s amazing story: ‘It can be difficult within the NHS to get investigations into miscarriage initiated until a patient has experienced this three times or more.

‘It hasn’t yet been conclusively proved that taking progesterone helps but there have certainly been studies that have suggested it can be a factor.’

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