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Hi, I haven't written in awhile but am now trying to conceiveand may be pregnant but too early to know. I made an appt with a perinatologist tomorrow to discuss the risks and treatment for the next pregnancy. I'll write after and share the info. Idecided to start taking baby aspirin about 3 weeks ago even though I wasn't pregnant but didn't think it would hurt. Does anyone know about taking aspirin prior to conception or are on it while trying? Also I heard that if been on blood thinners during pregnancy you cannot get an epidural. is this true? Also it sems to me after reading most everyone;s responses that we all tend to miscarry between 8-10 weeks. It doesnt seem like a coincidence considering we all are positive for ANA? Also it is strange how it seems the ANA goes down after the miscarriage. My rheumatologist said that she believes the prgnancy exacerbates the condition. When I asked her for her advice about treatment she wasnt that clear or sure so i am going to see tthe perinatologist tomorrow.

Something else I wanted to ask: I had an internal ultrasound at 8 weeks and found out at 11 that the baby hadnt grown much since the last ultyrasound. Has anyone else has utrasounds that eary and does anyone think it might not be safe?

Cathy- We had our 18wk ultrasound last month. Everything looks good so far. We do have very close due dates. Mine is 3/14 (just two days off from what it was this year, kind of hard for me emotionally BUT I'm so thankful to be pregnant again!!). My dr said to stay on the baby aspirin through my whole pregnancy. My PCP (who also does OB care) agreed that this was OK. It's interesting to see that some drs give different advice?? Jamie- I had an ultrasound at 7wks to make sure there was a heartbeat and know several others who have done the same. I've never heard that v____al ultrasounds (or any other kind) are unsafe.

Jamie,my rheumi told me that having a mc can cause the ANA to go up.Like in my case where the baby was supposed to be 10wks. but it only was 7 week size. That means that my immune system was battling with it for three weeks.My ANA a few weeks after my mc was 1:320.I am now 5months pregnant and it went down to 1:80,so if pregnancy makes it worse I would think that mine should be higher?!? I hope all goes well with you.GOOD LUCK! RENEE....Did you find out if your little one is a boy or a girl,or are you going to be surprised???What is your ANA now with this pregnancy?

jamie, i had a missed miscarriage and d&c at 8 weeks. mine looked on ultrasound at 5 weeks like nothing and at 6 1/2 weeks like a 5 week pregnancy, etc. - always behind. it may have either miscarried early or have been growing too slowly. it seems like women on these boards do have early miscarriages, but what seems most unusual is that a number happen after heartbeat seen etc, when miscarriage rate often drops (though of course most still take place in 1st trimester). i've always read that ultrasounds are safe, even early. my friends that have done fertility treatments all had monitoring from the beginning and totally healthy babies. when i was going through my miscarriage, my obs a__sured me the same, and i really liked/trusted them. i don't know about the epidural, but i do know that a lot of docs recommend baby aspirin before conception to help people conceive! so no worries there! as for ANA, mine was 1:640 pretty consistently for 4 years before i conceived. i don't know what happened during pregnancy, since mine was pretty short. my condition flared following pregnancy, but after about 4 weeks i felt better. my doc said that was because the hormones in the first month are still in havoc and it's very common, if a condition is autoimmune in nature, for a postpartum flare, which can happen even in miscarriage, or what my doc said was like a "mini-pregnancy." 1 month after my miscarriage my ANA was down to 1:180 - the lowest number i'd had in ten years. like you, i've read that's common but never seen an explanation. my rheumi was puzzled, but i was the only pregnancy he's ever handled. maybe the drop happens when everything stabilizes? my number steadily rose since then. i have a friend with lupus whose ANA, like cathy's, became really low during pregnancy. in her case that happened only after she'd gotten through her first few months. her doc said that was because of the natural cortisone a pregnancy produces in a woman's body (to prevent rejection) - but that takes a bit of time. good luck at the perinatalogist!

Hello everyone! I stumbled accross this web page and read all the stories! Everything seems all too familiar. I also have a positive ANA 1:160. I just recently had my 4th miscarriage. 2 were missed and 2 I pa__sed at home. The 2 that were missed were at about 12 weeks. I was never put on baby asprin, but I wish I knew, then I would have tried about anything. I'm so scared to try again! This last pgregnancy we tried to take every precaution, I was even using progesterone suppositories twice a day. My husband and I really want to have a child, but at this rate is seems really hopeless.

i will write now jamie a as we have a new jamie writing as well.Thanks jenny for all the info.Yesterday i saw the perinatologist and for the first time feel like I actually have talked to someone who knows and sees all that us women with ana and miscarriage are going through. He said that he is almost positive that the ana caused my mc. He explained how the ana recognizes the baby as a foreign object and therefore attacks the baby. He explained to my husband with test results showing positive ana and that it was higher after the d&c and now lower that obviously the pregnancy caused the rise. He wanted to see my blood results during my pregnancy but my OB did not take any at8 weeks and was planning to at 12 week apt whaen he discovered the baby had not grown more then about 10 weeks. The perinatologist said that with anyone with +ana they need to be tested as soon as pregnancy confirmed. Then u should take aspirin (baby) everyday if not already taking it. Then blood should be monitored as well as progesterone levels to determine if the aspirin is sufficient in keeping ana as a safe level. If not then heparin shots will be added as well as staying on the aspirin. If that is not sufficient then they go to a higher level heparin that will affect the actual labor......depeding on the level of heparin determines wether u can get an epidural, have to have a c-section, etc. He did say that it is likely that the delivery will need to be planned. there are also different side effects a__soc with the treatments like with aspirin there is an increased risk of i believe he said abruptia placentia and when i asked about heparin he said lets wait till we get there. He said just focus on getting pregnant, take the aspirin and call for blood tests as soon as i get pregnant. It really felt good to talk to a dr. that actually seemed like he had a plan and was not wishy washy about wether ana affects the pregnancy....i think with reading all of our stories we can see it must. Also i am willing to do and try whatever it takes with whatever side effects to try to bring my next pregnancy to term. Hope this helps!

I am happy to have found this thread. I thought I would add my story for those of you with positive ANA. I am a mother to a 2 1/2 year old boy. I got PG on the first try with him, and had no problems throughout my pregnancy. In November 2004 I became PG again (2nd try) but miscarried at almost 8 weeks. I was devastated. It took us 8 cycles to conceive again. I feel so lucky to be 15 weeks pregnant. Last week, just as I was breathing a sigh of relief, I found out that I was "99%" likely to test positive for ANA. Even without having the bloodwork results, I saw a perinatologist on Tuesday and had a detailed ultrasound. It was such a relief to see my baby growing normally. I even found out that I am having a girl! She is growing one week ahead, so I hope that's a positive sign. Once I found out I might test positive, I immediately started taking the 81 mg of baby aspirin, under my doctor's advice. Right now, I am waiting to get the rest of my results. My perinatologist said I did test + for ANA, and "some other antibodies," but right now they are still waiting for a few more tests and I should just take my baby aspirin and try to relax. So, that's what I'm going to do. I am going to focus on that fact that I made it through my first trimester without baby aspirin as a good sign. I will have an ultrasound every four weeks for the remainder of my pregnancy. Also, my neighbor friend has this condition. She suffered two MCs before learning abou her +ANA, but got on baby aspirin and now has a healthy two year old (who was full term) and is almost 30 weeks PG again. So, there's a success story for you all.... Best of luck.

jamie a - thanks for the great info! my rheumi also encouraged getting the blood tests *during* early pregnancy, to help determine what's happening - i wish i had during mine. i'm wondering if you are in a major city? i'm curious if there's more info/awareness on the part of drs who maybe have seen lots of similar cases.... i've been pretty frustrated with the drs here that way. and nancy, good luck with the pregnancy! i hope the aspirin does the trick. thanks for your story....

jenny- yes, I live in los angeles though i believe that the knowledge of the effects of + ana on pregnancy is fairly new and not commonly known. Even though the dr.s and hospital i go to are suppose to be one of the best here my Ob still did not do an early blood test during my pregnancy which the perinatologist said should have been done. I think unfortunately we have to take a very active role with the dr.s to ensure that someone does not drop the ball or try to unsubstantiate our situation. I was even going to print everyone's stories before going to the perinatologist in fear that he would say ana does not have an effect on the pregnancy. I was very releaved that the dr had experience with this before as it seems that most do not. i would suggest to call some perinatologists and ask them if they have any experience with this. i truly feel that we all should see a perinatologist during our pregnancies as they are there to co treat with the OB and it gives another's input and responsibility to the fetus. After seeing the perinatologist i felt that there was not only a dr. to see me during pregnancy and for the labor but now a dr. to ensure and work to keep the baby alive. It made me feel better even though I know there are risks to come.

thanks jamie a, for the info - it's interesting, because i saw two perinatalogists here after my miscarriage and troubled pregnancy, which i were convinced were linked, but both said they didn't think ana would cause problems and didn't recommend treatment in subsequent pregnancies. i think usually their +ana patients had a defined condition like lupus. but i trust my own intuition, and i definitely agree that something may be up after seeing these boards. anyway, wishing you all the good luck and good drs in the world!

p.s. jamie a - did the perinatalogist recommend taking the baby aspirin before conceiving, or just once you get a + test?

jenny- I started taking the aspirin on my own after all the research and discussions with OB, rheumi...I told the perinatologist and he said that i didnt need to take it while i wasn't pregnant but since i already started it to stay on it since we were trying to conceive. He said that he usually suggests that if you start trying then u can start that month just in case it works or u can start after when preg confirmed. i asked if aspirin has an effect on conception and he said no so i am going to stay on it.

I'm relieved to find this site and read your histories. I am sorry for the many losses, but encouraged by the info you have shared and successful pregnancies. I had a positive ANA about 4 years ago and have experienced mild joint pain. No other indications of disease, but I haven't had the follow-up care that many of you have. I have three older children (5, 7 and 9) and at 40 am expecting my 4th in early May. This pregnancy has been different - spotting and cramping. I had a CVS test which came back normal and ultrasounds at 5 1/2 wks, 6 1/2 wks and 12 wks which looked good. My OB put me on baby aspirin today which led to my search. The info here is a real eye-opener for me. I intend to learn more and be a better informed patient the rest of this pregnancy. I have not seen much about pregnancy as a trigger for subsequent disease - any more info out there? Oh, I am having a boy to join 2 brothers and a sister. Best wishes to you all!

KIM-How are you doing? How is your pregnancy so far?

Cathy- Don't know yet what we are having-- might find out later. I did find out after getting pregnant again (maybe around 8 wks) that my ANA was back to normal. That confuses me, but I read somewhere that maybe that is a result of being on the baby aspirin? I am hoping to get tested sometime again soon as I'm curious to know if it has changed again. From reading others stories, it seems like it does fluctuate for some reason. I am going to my OB on 11/18 and then hopefully to a perientologist by the end of the month for a second opinion/ confirmation of the treatment and tests I'm currently being given. Jenny- my OB told me (after consulting with a perientologist) that I should start taking the aspirin after I got a +preg test. I don't know why they didn't advise to take it before.