Shamaine's Story

My name is Shamaine, and I am 29 years old. I've been through hell and back since 1991. I was diagnosed with Endometriosis and Polycystic Ovarian Disease when I was 14 years old. I was married to my first husband when I was 17, and always thought that his steriod use was the cause for my first 5 miscarriages. Lucky to say, he and I were not meant for each other. I married again to a wonderful Naval Aviator, and we've been married for 6 years now. In the first year of our marriage, I was pregnant again and lost within the first 6 weeks. Cause? Who knows.

We have experienced a long unexplained medical workout with the Naval hospitals at each station. Finally, I was seeking attention with the Jones Institute in Portsmouth, VA only to find out that I have AB- blood type and my husband O+. With this result, the doctors said that I should've been receiving Rhogam shots after each loss. I hadn't received it until after the 8th miscarriage.

I'm still not sure if this has anything to do with the rest of the miscarriages that I've have since then. They told me that my titers are high and that when the babies blood enters that my body soon rejects is, unless the baby has negative blood like mine. Apparently I have the rarest blood know. Since that last visit with Jones I decided not to see any doctors at all, even if I assumed that I was pregnant. I felt like I would lose it again and I'd rather not even know that I was pregnant to begin with. On December 28th, I was admitted into the hospital for asthma problems when they told me I was pregnant again. Still, I didn't want anyone to do another ultrasound until I felt like I was further along. Sure enough I started bleeding around 6 weeks again. They did an ultrasound and blood test. The test showed the HCG levels were too low. They then scheduled an HSG.

Two days after the test my blood levels rose so fast I was 12 weeks pregnant. The doctors didn't know how to explain it to me. Maybe thinking that my tube was blocked by so much scare tissue that after the HSG the tube somehow cleared a path for the pregnancy. Lucky for me! I now have the most beautiful baby girl, Reagan Nicole. I think that she has a little of each of the pregnancies in her. She's absolutely perfect. Born on her due date (15% of those occur).

Anyhow, we unfortunately started the process all over again. When Reagan was 7 months old I found out that I was pregnant again. Two months into the pregnancy, everything looking wonderful, I couldn't walk two steps without crying in pain. I was rushed to the emergency room and went into surgery within 15 minutes of arriving. I was close to hemorrhaging. With my blood being so rare there was no time to waste. I lost my entire left side. I was so tired of going through this. My body felt so worn out. I was tire of crying all the time. No time later, sure enough I was pregnant again. Once again everything was normal. This time they kept a close look at my tube. I have begun developing a sac in the uterus. Still early, no baby. Went for the next visit...blood levels at 2610, still no baby. What was happening to me? Where's the baby?

It's not in the tube, blood levels are wonderful, sac intact, NO BABY. I had to make a decide on what to do. They gave me the Methotrexate shots. I'm so tired of this happening to me. 14+ is all I can count to. I don't even count anymore. This seems to be a bi-monthly thing for me. You know I've been on Depo-lupron, the pill, I have 4 laparoscopies, 2 D&C's, I've even lost my left side. I still don't give up. I've got something that everyone calls a miracle. My baby girl. She's now two years old.  I still try-I try now to think about all my losses, but it still hurts. This week I thought I'd look at my calendar and see when my last period was and I was already 12 days late. I started spotting for 2 days. Then it stopped, my breast are sore, I have a high temperature, and fatigue...

I feel like I know more about when I'm going to lose another one than the doctors will ever know. And every time I had and ultrasound I soon went home bleeding. I think the doctors and the ultrasounds are partly the cause for my miscarriages. Too soon to be tampered with is all. I have no advise for anyone about the loss of miscarriages other than You'll know when the time is right for you. If it was meant to be it will be. Some day. I have Reagan because I never gave up. Wish me luck.