Samantha Allen is overjoyed after taking part in the clinical trial enabled her to become a mother to 14-month-old Noah (pictured together) following a heartbreaking miscarriage
A woman is overjoyed after taking part in the clinical trial enabled her to become a mother following a heartbreaking miscarriage.
Samantha Allen, 31, was recruited onto the trial in July last year while nine weeks pregnant.
Mrs Allen suffered a miscarriage in December 2015 and became concerned when she started bleeding early on in her second pregnancy.
When approached by medics to take part in the trial, known as PRISM, Mrs Allen jumped at the chance, with her spot bleeding stopping in just a week.
Mrs Allen and her husband Stephen, 36, of Bradford, West Yorkshire, welcomed their son Noah, who weighed a very healthy 9lb 6oz, in February last year.
Speaking of her first pregnancy, Mrs Allen said: ‘It was on my birthday in November 2015 when I found out – it was the best birthday gift I could have hoped for.
‘However, my joy soon started to turn to concern when I began having some bleeding when I was around seven weeks pregnant and I ended up in A&E.
‘I had a scan and was told to come back on Christmas Eve for another scan.’
Things took a dramatic turn for the worse when Mrs Allen started bleeding heavily on December 23, which prompted her to call an ambulance.
‘I was taken to A&E where I was told the baby had died when I was eight weeks pregnant and I was miscarrying,’ she said.
‘The following day, on Christmas Eve, I had to also go through the trauma of miscarriage surgery.
‘Words can’t describe our devastation. I think people can often be dismissive of miscarriage when it happens in early pregnancy, you are treated as a statistic and told it’s common.’
‘But I am not a statistic, we lost our child and it is a loss we will always grieve.’
Noah arrived in February last year weighing a very healthy 9lb 6oz. He is pictured left as a newborn and right as a ‘lively and incredibly bright’ toddler
Around 15 months after the ordeal, Mrs Allen discovered she was pregnant again.
‘I was delighted,’ she said. ‘However, when I was around seven weeks pregnant I started having spotting and, given my previous loss, I decided to go to the early pregnancy unit.
‘I had a scan and they said they thought they could detect a heartbeat but weren’t certain so booked me in for another scan two weeks later.
‘The spotting continued during those two weeks so I was relieved when the second scan showed I was pregnant.’
Mrs Allen was then told about the trial and agreed to take part.
‘I was prescribed progesterone pessaries which I self-administered until I was 16 weeks pregnant,’ she said
‘The bleeding stopped within a week of starting the trial.’
Mrs Allen went on to have a healthy pregnancy, with Noah being delivered via a water birth.
‘He’s now 14 months old, and he’s such a lively and incredibly bright little boy who brings us so much joy,’ she said. ‘I can’t imagine life without him.’
Mrs Allen feels ‘fortunate and happy’ that she was given the opportunity to take part in the trial.
‘Of course, we’ll never know whether or not I would have miscarried if I had not taken part in the trial or if I had been part of the group that received the placebo,’ she said.
‘Either way, I feel fortunate and happy that I did participate.
‘I hope the results of the trial will make a difference to the way women receive treatment moving forwards and that I had a small part to play in that.’