I've been looking at my blog stats lately and I'm noticing that one post gets a lot more hits than any other I've ever posted. Its the one where I find out that I have Factor II/Prothrombin. I remember when I wrote that post, I thought my life was going to be drastically changed. I was overwhelmed with this new diagnosis, and was not given much information on it. Pretty much I was told that my blood clots too much, that I should take an aspirin everyday to help with this, and that they would watch me closely during pregnancy.
It turns out that finding this hasn't done much except cause a lot of doctor appointments where I got to see my baby and bills. After my history of pregnancy losses, I am thankful that they watched me more closely and checked on the baby more. But they still will not say that the losses were due to the blood clotting issue, nor will they say that the baby aspirin will prevent another. Its all very confusing. I was told at one point that I would have to have a shot of blood thinner daily while trying to get and being pregnant. Then my new doctors concluded (after new research) that I would not need the Lovenox because I have no 'history'. I struggled with that information, because in my mind, I have had 3 miscarriages due to this, but I trusted them as they monitored me closely, and everything went well. I have a healthy 5 month old to prove it. Honestly, I'm pretty sure that my doctor has had very few, if any, patients before me with this diagnosis. He had done some research prior to our first appointment in preparation for it.
Overall, I think the issue is that there is not enough research on it at all. This is a genetic mutation that was only recently discovered in the scientific world (I believe 1998?). It is one of the leading causes of women who are on birth control experiencing a clot. I have found that nearly any female who has this has experienced multiple miscarriages, and that most doctors won't run any tests until there have been 3 losses.
But that is almost all I know. Even after going through every internet search link I can find. This is it. Most people who have Factor II will go through their entire lives not knowing that they have it. My parents are in their 50s and we still do not know which one is the carrier of the gene. Mine was found due to extensive blood work to find the cause of multiple miscarriages; most are found due to blood clots that sometimes cause strokes while on birth control.
I guess, like most mothers who have experienced the loss, I wish that it was cut and dry. Just tell me that this was the cause, and the aspirin would prevent it from happening again. But they can't and won't. Because really, they don't know. In fact, we do know that at least one loss was due to 3 sets of chromosomes instead of 2, so the Factor II had nothing to do with that.
Anyhow, I just have been thinking a lot about how as women, we are given this diagnosis after a long, emotional road, and then we go searching for answers that the doctors couldn't or wouldn't give. For me, I rest in the peace of knowing that my three babies are in heaven being rocked by my grandmother, playing with Jesus and the angels, and didn't have to know the pain or troubles of this world. All the more reason to look forward to being there someday.
Wonderful post. I found your blog because of your post about Factor II. I have been very frustrated because every doctor I go to except for the OB/GYN, just routine doctor appointments for my thyroid for example, have never even heard of Factor II and are unsure what to do with me. We recently moved and I have to go through this whole thing with each new doctor.
ReplyDeleteThere is very little info out there which is why your blog is hit with that post.
I had 3 miscarriages before I found out that I had Factor II and I also had 3 sons at that point. Since I found out I had Factor II I had 2 more miscarriages. I did heparin during those 2 pregnancies and have done baby aspirin daily since my diagnosis. I did everything "right" according to the doctor for my Factor II and I still had 2 more miscarriages.
My parents are in their late 60s and we have no idea which of them was a carrier. My mom thinks that the idea that one of them is a carrier is crazy because neither of them had health problems that would cause them to think that. My mom never had any miscarriages.
It is all very frustrating. I too take comfort that I have 5 babies in heaven. I want all my children to go to heaven, I just have 5 that went there before I did. I look forward to seeing those 5 babies some day. I am blessed with 3 healthy boys and relatively few complications during pregnancies except for miscarriages. I especially sympathize with the women that are given this diagnosis and have no living children.
This is off topic, but my Factor II diagnosis makes me worried because the government's health plan will make birth control free and easier for women to obtain. I had no idea that I had Factor II and taking birth control could have have caused life threatening blood clots for me. Taking birth control is a much bigger deal than the media would like you to believe.
Its true, Ewe. Free birth control makes it seem like no big deal. Personally, I was all for it, and it made perfect sense to me when we married. I was on it for 2 years before we decided to have children. When I was off of it, I was a different person (according to my husband). I've not been on it since then, mostly because of our decision, and then because of the diagnosis. My thoughts on it have changed immensely since my 22 year old self was on it, and I know now that I would not have taken it then if I knew then what I know now. There are convictions that have taken root.
ReplyDeleteEven needing to pay for it, birth control is readily available to anyone who wants it. And even being raised in the church, it was no question for us at the beginning. I think because we were raised in the church, it should have been, but that is another post for another day.