Pamela's story

My diagnosis of antiphospholipid syndrome came after suffering the heartbreak of recurrent pregnancy loss. I lost our first baby in November 2021, and this took a huge toll on my health and resulted in having to leave my job at the time to cope with the PTSD. I was assured this ‘one-off’ was ‘bad luck’ by the obstetrician, midwives, and GP and to ‘try again’ when we were ready. This was still the advice given after suffering a further two miscarriages, and I had to continually pursue my GP for a referral for investigation.

In my desperation waiting for a referral, I sought private blood testing for fertility health and consultations with gynaecologists, all of which came back clear and, again, put our losses down to bad luck.

I was then referred to an amazing obstetrician who finally listened to me. I tested positive for lupus anticoagulant in her screening, and a treatment plan was put in place for any future pregnancies. I was to start on aspirin and then LMWH after an early scan. Devastatingly, I went on to have another three early miscarriages before advocating to incorporate other treatments (HCQ) and tweak the timing of my anticoagulants to start them well before a positive test. 

Our seventh pregnancy was full of dread and fear, but thanks to the treatment and support of the incredible medical team, I was very closely monitored with scans every 1 or 2 weeks throughout. Despite all the anxiety and developing COVID and Tietze syndrome in the third trimester, my pregnancy progressed well, but it was difficult to enjoy even the positive moments. I pretty much avoided sharing or discussing my pregnancy up until the final weeks. We finally welcomed our rainbow baby Lara at 37 weeks via caesarean just before Christmas 2023. My husband and I couldn’t be more grateful for our precious girl. With thanks to my wonderful and compassionate consultant, as well as the support from an APS group on Facebook and countless others, we were somehow able to navigate the hopelessness and darkness over the past few years. There is light at the end of the tunnel.