Can Pots Cause Miscarrages?

[Heartwillforever]

Hi everyone! I was just woundering if anyone new if Pots can cause miscarrages.

I just lost my baby at 11w 5d. I never new anything was wrong. The heart had just

stopped beating and I had to have surgery. I never fainted when I was preagnent but a few

days before my ultrasound I came close. I was woundering if maby the fast Hr or blood

pressure might have had anything to do with it. My blood pressure was always low intill I got

preg then it went very high. I asked My gyno about this and he said he wasn't sure. They said something

like this can cause problems or miscarrages later in pregnancy. It got so bad I could barley walk. I couldn't

keep any meals down or fluids for almost two months. I was so weak and dizzy.Has anyone every had prob in pregnancy

because of pots? and if so what did they do for you to make it better. The baby was sent to Pathologly but I wont know for a couple more weeks.

[shelby]

Hi Heather...

Sorry to hear about your bad news. I am not the expert about this subject, but seven years ago I experianced my own miscarriage. I dont know if it had anything to do with my condition (let me just state I have NCS). It is a hard thing to go through and my heart goes out to you. I hope someone offers you a better answer, but I am just not sure that there is an answer of why these things happen. My prayers and thoughts are with you during this time and hopes that all gets better.

Shelby

[MightyMouse]

Hi Heather,

So sorry for your loss. It is possible that your health condition may have made it harder for the baby, although it may not have been the reason. Unfortunately, it's not that uncommon in the general population to have a miscarriage it happens to 15% of pregnancies within the first trimester.

Again, so sorry. Nina

[MelissaCrystal]

On the "Mystery Diagnosis" episode that had orthostatic intolerance, they talked about that sometimes the baby does not get enough oxygen or blood volume to develop properly, and I've read things here and there about POTS causing developmental issues because of the mother's issues with her blood volume and blood pooling. Sometimes POTS patients may starve their baby of the oxygen they need just like when we black out or get dizzy when standing up (we're starving our brains of oxygen). So I think POTS patients have to take natural supplements approved by a doctor to be taken during pregnancy to increase blood volume, make sure the BP is normal, and then the pregnant mother basically has to make sure not to do any activity during the pregnancy to activate a pots episode.

My cardiologist told me having a baby would be difficult for me but not impossible. She said it could be dangerous to MY health though and could make heart attack more likely. Plus I'd get dehydrated easier too and would be very high maintenance. I'd have to go off beta-blockers and a bunch of my other meds since they cause development problems in babies as well. She told me that I should go to a POTS specialist during pregnancy and have routine visits to make sure the baby is developing properly and make sure my health doesn't decline.

I hope that helps, sorry about your loss. I hope that your doctor is able to help you more on the subject.

[Ernie]

Hi,

Sorry that you lost your baby.

I have hormonal problems and cannot get pregnant. They gave me hormones which made me gain 70 lb and I was not able to get pregnant. My POTS causes me many hormonal unbalances. The problem is still unsolved.

There are other family members with the disorder who were able to conceive. I have the worst case and the unique case in my family so I have more problems than the other members of my family.

[MomtoGiuliana]

Heather

I am so sorry for your loss. This is a very painful thing to go through. Allow yourself to grieve.

But also know that you did nothing wrong, and probably your condition was not a factor. As Nina said miscarriage is pretty common. I have many friends without any health conditions who have had miscarriages.

This question came up after the Mystery Diagnosis airing of an episode on autonomic dysfunction. In the episode, the patient?s OI condition was blamed for her miscarriage (subsequently she had several normal term pregnancies). I asked my POTS specialist about this and he was quick to state that there is no evidence that POTS/OI/NCS causes miscarriages, and was disappointed that this was suggested on the show.

Regarding health during pregnancy?each of us is different and our symptoms can change with a pregnancy. Therefore, it is best to be under the care of a specialist during pregnancy; generally it is recommended to be under the care of a high-risk ob/gyn only b/c they are more likely to be aware of POTS as well as the meds used to treat it. Some of us are best off on medications during pregnancy others not. Many POTS patients actually feel better during pregnancy and don?t need any meds. Many of us on this forum have had successful, term pregnancies. I hope that gives hope to everyone who is concerned about how POTS may affect pregnancy outcome. Again, you want to talk to your doctor about concerns specific to your situation (meds, symptoms, etc.)

[MightyMouse]

Dr. Grubb, when I saw him back in 2001, and then again for follow up a few years later, told me there was no reason that I couldn't have a baby safely, so long as I stopped a few of my meds before trying to get pregnant. He actually said that I might feel better while pregnant, but that taking care of the baby (loss of sleep, physical activities of caring like carrying the baby around, etc.) would be far harder on me than on the average parent b/c of my chronic health conditions.

Many here have had pretty uneventful pregnancies. There's no reason to believe that you couldn't have a full term healthy baby in the future, although right now that's probably not what you're thinking about. As Katherine said, give yourself whatever time you need -- and I send my wishes to you that the universe provides you with the supports you need to heal from this terrible time in your life.

Nina

[summer]

Hi Heather,

Just wanted to tell you that I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. I'm sure it's a really difficult time for you. I really don't know of any POTS connection to miscarriage so I can't offer any info. I did want to let you know that my thoughts and prayers are with you also, as others have mentioned. Take care.

Summer

[lorrie]

I'm sorry for your loss. I had a miscarriage and years later, my son died at 6 days old. It was awful to go through and I didn't know at the time I had POTS. Later, after getting a diagnosis, I asked about the possibility that the POTS had played a part in it. I was told that the miscarriage probably would have happened either way, but my son more than likely did have problems due to my condition. He was born with no active brain waves other than the brain stem. They think due to the lack of oxygen.

Be thankful that you know what your condition is so you can seek the appropriate medical help if you become pregnant again. I wish I had of had that knowledge.

Hugs to you!!

[Tammy]

Having also suffered a miscarriage at 12 weeks, I can understand also as many of us here how difficult it is to loose a baby. However, this was before I developed POTS. It is very common sadly. My neice had a stillbirth full-term and she was healthy, so sometimes these things happen without reason. Sending you a big hug and God's love

- Tammy

[masumeh]

I'm so sorry for your loss. It can be difficult to lose a baby, even early in pregnancy. Takes some time to process the event when "all of a sudden, the heart rate is gone", as so often happens. Most people will never know exactly why.

Of course, with POTS, we suspect that something might have been going wrong with our bodies. I had one hemotologist tell me that my first miscarriage might have been due to clotting, because my liver was not producing enough Protien S. But God knows. It's hard to let go after fighting so hard for the child; puking, fatigue, etc. But I trust it was for the best. My second pregnancy was horrible in terms of nausea and fatigue. But the baby was perfectly healthy, born full term. I guess it can go either way.

My POTS specialist told me that many of his women patients have had trouble concieving before treatment, then are able to have healthy pregnancies and babies after being treated for at least 6 months on Midodrine and whatever other meds they require. Not designed for or aimed at the fertility issue, mind you. Just improves along with other POTS issues.

Good luck in your coping, grief, and future parenthood experiences.