24 Jul Recurrent Miscarriages
Recurrent Miscarriages – Nicole Bijlsma’s Story
Published in Living Now Magazine (April, 2008)
I stared at the pregnancy test result and felt deflated. I was pregnant again – not the sort of response you would expect from a woman who has tried to have children for seven years. But this was no ordinary story.
This was my 11th pregnancy and no doubt I was sure I would miscarry again. After seeking the advice of numerous specialists (alternative and conventional), it became evident that nobody in this country could provide an adequate reason for our dilemma. I saw a kinesiologist, naturopath, chiropractor, acupuncturist, osteopath, psychologist, pranic healer, spiritual healer, astrologer and several clairvoyants many of whom were frequented on a regular basis. Whilst they were unable to explain why I was miscarrying I did find that my physical health improved over this time. They also gave me one thing that in hindsight was the most powerful of all – the Hope to keep trying and ultimately the strength to come to terms with our situation. From a conventional perspective, we had seen 4 obstetricians, 5 IVF specialists, a haematologist, and the Recurrent Miscarriage Clinic at the Royal Women’s Hospital, none of whom were able to provide any explanation for our dilemma. Furthermore it became quickly obvious that IVF would not be an option for us as I fell pregnant easily. We were simply told to keep trying. I later discovered that this was the worst advice I could have been given. We certainly had our fair share of advice from others who I’m sure meant well when they insinuated “you work too hard”, “don’t drink this or eat that”; believe me I didn’t need this when, as a naturopath, my own internal critic was doing a great job at it! After seven years of heartache, my husband Mark and I very reluctantly came to the conclusion that we could not have children.
That all changed in 2005, when an article in a newspaper described a woman (Tracey) who had successfully given birth to a healthy child with a history of multiple miscarriages. She attributed this to the pioneering efforts of a US doctor – Dr Alan Beer – who specialised in infertility and miscarriages. Despite my reluctance to try again and after much encouragement from my mother and mother-in-law, I contacted the clinic and followed their instructions. We filled out a comprehensive questionnaire and sent our blood to the US for testing. These tests were not like any other I had previously had. By sending our blood, they were able to tell us how my immune system would react during a pregnancy, whether my husband and I were compatible (based on genetic markers on our red blood cells) and even my susceptibility to various diseases. Fortunately, Tracey was able to provide great assistance in ensuring our blood was packaged appropriately, got through US customs and arrived within 35 hours in Chicago (an amazing feat when you consider how long it takes to fly from Melbourne to Chicago). She later informed me it took her two years and many unsuccessful attempts with various couriers to find one that could deliver the blood on time. It would be 3 weeks before we would get the results. In the mean time, I purchased Dr Beers manual describing the various ways the immune system could affect a pregnancy. I was anxious about the outcome as I knew this would be our last chance as I no longer had the mental or physical strength to pursue any more therapies.
At 5am on a cold day in May, we were to discuss the results with the renowned Doctor. The call never came. After an hour I phoned the clinic in Los Angeles, USA only to be told he had died a few hours earlier suddenly and unexpectedly from a heart attack! I went into shock whilst Mark laughed all day (I guess that was his way of dealing with shock). I can’t believe this is happening to me! Is this a sign? Am I meant to have children? Truly believing that you create your own destiny, I was going to shove destiny and make a commitment to have children – my 2006 new years resolution. It took a few months before the US clinic found a replacement doctor. In the mean time however, I became pregnant and rang the clinic in desperation for a solution. As Dr Beer had trained all his staff on the procedure, the nurse was able to analyse the results and provided me with a treatment strategy. The investigation of our blood instantly revealed the causes of the miscarriages – for a start, my husband had genetic markers on his sperm (DQ201) which meant that half of the pregnancies would be blighted ovums. Indeed 6 of the 10 miscarriages were just empty sacs with no foetus. And secondly, of the pregnancies that may have been viable, my immune system would become so strong that it would destroy the foetuses much like the way it keeps cancer cells in check. The sense of relief of having an explanation was enormous. However I now knew that there was a 50% chance that this pregnancy was not going to be viable. I would have to wait for the 6 week scan to find out. In the interim, I had to act quickly as this was the time when things would start to go wrong. The treatment involved immunising me against my husband’s cells and suppressing my immune system with conventional drugs. As nothing had worked previously, I was willing to try anything. I had to take matters in my own hands. I informed my GP as to what I required during my pregnancy and found two other doctors to help me achieve my goals. Tracey provided me with great support and advice during the pregnancy. At the 6 week scan, the sonographer informed us that there were two heart beats. Mark turned white and for a brief moment I thought it was deformed .Whilst she confirmed that there were two viable foetuses, one of them was at least 7 days behind the other and was unlikely to survive. Don’t keep your hopes up she informed us. Mark and I walked out of the place in shock – it took several days, indeed months to sink in. With each day, I was anxious that I would start bleeding – fortunately the day never came. As the pregnancy progressed, it became obvious that the second twin was hanging on and continued to remain 7 days behind her brother.
During this time, I had a lot of time to ponder over why my immune system was the problem. There were no history of miscarriages or autoimmune diseases in our family. As I began to research what affected the immune system, it became obvious that the environment had a large role to play. Chemicals in our food, air and water, specific electromagnetic fields, and even geopathic stress could potentially play a role. I was particularly interested in the way a building could affect one’s health, as I later discovered that nobody had successfully had children in our home (it was built in the 1960s). This led me to the field of building biology. An investigation of our home revealed that we were sleeping in a high magnetic field (12 mG) as the meter box was on the other side of the our bed head (it also explained our fatigue and insomnia since moving here). There were also two types of geopathic stress immediately under our bed. Furthermore being near council property, our perimeter was regularly sprayed with pesticides. Whilst the cause of my immune condition was never determined, I can’t help but feel that my home somehow contributed. The fact that I sustained a normal pregnancy two years later requiring no treatment for my third child Charlotte living in another home, confirmed my suspicions. Thanks to this experience, I established the Australian College of Environmental Studies to educate people about the health hazards that exist in their homes and workplaces.
My beautiful twins – Flynn and Sidney were born full term and healthy on 24th January 2007.
We are truly blessed!
Nicole Bijlsma.