After a miscarriage and blighted ovum, I went through an investigation process in a fertility clinic. Both my husband and I went through a series of tests, most of them you might have heard, some that I have not heard are karyotyping, thrombophilia…
All our tests were normal except my Homocysteine was quite high it was 20 where the average range is 3-13. I was treated with high dosage of folic acid and checked my value after a month and its came down.
Homocysteine is a compound in the body that in excess does not allow the body to absorb folic acid and B vitamins. It’s also called MTFTHR mutation.
From wikipedia:
A high level of homocysteine makes a person more prone to endothelial injury, which leads to vascular inflammation, which in turn may lead to atherogenesis, which can result in ischemic injury.[2] Hyperhomocysteinemia is therefore a risk factor for coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease is when an atherosclerosis leads to occlusion of the lumina of the coronary arteries. These arteries supply the heart with oxygenated blood.
Hyperhomocysteinemia is linked to an increased risk of blood clots, heart attacks and strokes. It can cause miscarriage and/or pre-eclampsia in pregnant women, and can lead to birth defects.
The treatment for this is high dosage of folic acid (not the regular one), I was prescribed Vitalin 800. Please ask your doctor before you take the pills. In 6 weeks my readings were down, the value dropped to 8 which I think is ok. I was put on heparin injections daily. More on heparin here.
Throughout pregnancy these values went up and down hence I was closely monitored.
I went on to have a succesful pregnancy so dont worry.
