Treatment of Antinuclear Antibodies
Women with ANA are treated with prednisone, a corticosteroid, which suppresses the inflammatory process and stabilizes the cell.

Prednisone does not pass through the placenta easily and is also broken down by enzymes in the placenta so that the fetus is exposed to only trace amounts.

Additionally, the body produces the equivalent of 8 mg per day of this corticosteroid. When indicated, Prednisone should be started prior to conception.

Treatment for Antiphospholipid Antibodies
Antiphospholipid antibodies are treated with low dose (baby) aspirin and a blood thinner called Heparin. Heparin is a very large molecule and is unable to cross the placenta. Aspirin is able to cross the placenta but the dose used is so small that the fetus is unaffected.

The effectiveness of treatment is much greater when the medication, if indicated, is started prior to conception and continued throughout the pregnancy. All medication, if indicated should be discussed with one's physician.

Treatment for Antithyroid AntibodiesIn IVF patients, antithyroid antibodies (ATAs) are treated with intravenous immune globulin (IVIg) before the IVF transfer. There is no specific treatment for ATA in patients with recurrent miscarriage unless it is associated with other abnormalities.

Treatment for Immunophenotypes
Women who have an elevation of NK cells are candidates for immunologlobulin G infusion (IVIg). The dosage of IVIg is 400 mg/kg/day for three consecutive days, monthly, until the NK cells become normal or until the 28th week of pregnancy.

In some studies, autoantibodies to phospholipid and nuclear epitopes were demonstrably lower after IVIg. Some researchers have used Enbrel, a TNF alpha inhibitor, instead of, or in addition to IVIg. Presently, there is not enough data to assess the true efficacy of Enbrel therapy.

Full article: Rialab.com

Photo Credit: RiaLab.com
All Rights Reserved

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
Marriages and Miscarriages: One Woman's Personal Experience
by Kathleen Smith

-- Kathleen Smith shares her experience regarding the three pregnancy losses she experienced.

The trials and emotional changes, the feelings experienced when being around other pregnant woman after having had a pregnancy loss, how turning to God got her through them, and more.

Kathleen, a mother of three and entering her sixteenth year of marriage, relates her personal feelings and emotions.

As you read the book you will experience a conversation with Kathleen about this topic, and learn how one woman dealt and struggled with this topic.

Paperback: 80 pages
Click to order/for more info: Marriages and Pregnancy Losses

Start reading Marriages and Pregnancy Losses on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

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Photo credit: baby aspirin, by looseid

Habitual abortions - don't you just love that term??? As if women just have a bad habit of aborting their babies!? But it's an interesting study, and just might help those who are experiencing recurrent loss.

Note: these women received 20mg/day of prednisone for up to 12 weeks, plus 100mg/day of aspirin until the end of their seventh month.

Habitual abortions in 678 healthy patients: investigation and prevention
The objective of this study of patients with habitual abortion (HA), was to determine their autoimmune profile and to try to prevent new abortions using low-dose aspirin for 7 months with prednisone in the first trimester only, or with low-dose aspirin alone.

Habitual abortion (HA) may be associated with anatomic, genetic, or hormonal abnormalities, or autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus or antiphospholipid syndrome.

Prednisone and aspirin treatment have the same success rate in both autoantibody-negative and autoantibody-positive women. The results presented here confirm those of a recent study (Geva et al., 1998).

In autoantibody-negative women, the rate of live births in the group of women treated with prednisone in the first trimester and aspirin until the end of the seventh month was significantly increased compared with women treated with aspirin alone: 90.7% of women (146 out of 161) treated with prednisone and aspirin had live births compared with 74.5% of women (47 out of 63) treated with aspirin alone.

In autoantibody-positive women (45 out of 53) the rate of live births was 84.9%; there was no significant difference in the rate of live births between autoantibody-negative and autoantibody-positive women.

As observed in women with aCL greater than 30 uGPL, prednisone plus aspirin appeared to be less successful than in a group of aCL 30 uGPL, it is suggested that in the former group, after prednisone is stopped, heparin should be considered if the aCL titre rises. With lupus anticoagulant, heparin should be the treatment of choice as heparin is superior to low-dose aspirin (Kutteh et al., 1996; Di Simone et al., 1997).

Read the full article

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I Never Held You: Miscarriage, Grief, Healing and Recovery
by Ellen M. DuBois

-- Speaks to the heart of women, their families and friends who have either lived through the pain and grief after pregnancy loss, or who want to better support someone who has.

Author Ellen M. DuBois shares her own painful journey after loss taking you from her darkest moments of grief, despair, isolation, anxiety, fear and depression to the steps she took towards healing and recovery.

Her suggestions prove to be helpful in balancing the emotional peaks and valleys after suffering such a heartbreaking loss.

I Never Held You validates your grief after losing a baby to loss, and assures you that you're not alone in your struggle.

With the help of contributing author Dr. Linda Backman, Ed.D., licensed grief counselor, psychologist and author, you'll come to better understand grief - and why it's so important to allow yourself the time necessary to heal.

Paperback: 150 pages
Click to order/for more info: I Never Held You

Start reading I Never Held You on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

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