h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hey Ag, I wanted to tell you about my friend's sister who is now pregnant and close to her due date. This is probably something that the doctors have talked to you about but they didn't with her so thought it was worth mentioning just in case.

She has had a series of miscarriages, always at around the 8 week mark. The wheels of the NHS, as I know you have experienced, ground exceedingly slow in working out what was wrong. In pregnancy #4 she paid for an early private scan and the sonographer told her that a common cause of early miscarriage is low progesterone, nobody had said this to her before so she paid to see an obstetrician privately who prescribed her progesterone. I don't know if this is why she kept this baby after losing the others, but I thought I would mention it to you in case you thought it was something to bring up with the doctors.

I am so sorry if this is unwelcome advice - I know you have had a lot of that and I was reluctant to add to the pile of things people say that you wish they wouldn't, I care about you, you know.

Thank you for thinking of me. I do appreciate it. At the moment, the NHS doesn't think progesterone is my problem, because I lost two pregnancies too early for it to be an issue, and in the one I kept longest it was normal (the fourth, they didn't test it. Too obsessed with scans and HCG levels).

The NHS lot treating me seems to think that low progesterone is a symptom, rather than a cause, and that giving extra is 'shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted' (in my consultant's words). I don't know. I think it DEPENDS, and I am so glad for your friend that it worked out in the end. If it can't hurt, why not offer it just in case? Blasted NHS.

I agree with you - I think it does depend and I don't think it is that expensive to give anyhow so why don't they give it just in case? At least they mentionned it to you, my friend's sister was pretty much told that if she had 'a few more' miscarriages then they might be able to investigate a bit to help her which is frankly barbaric. That is why she sought help privately and hey presto, good outcome.

So are they actually *doing* anything to help you, or just looking on? I think of you a lot you know, especially when I'm ready to throw one of mine through a window - reminds me how lucky we have been.