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renee - several of my friends have had premature babies, and i think that if the baby is born after about 32 weeks, its chances are great these days. i have read in some places that doctors like to take patients off aspirin sometime before delivery , but i can't remember exactly when. i think it was because you don't want blood too thin at that point, but i'm not sure. and kim - i'm not sure about the tests you took, but i know they should at least test for antiphosphilid antibodies (apa) after two miscarriages - they are a known clotting factor and sometimes overlap with ana. other things my drs test for are lupus coagulants, anti-ro antibodies and complements. good luck to both of you, and congratulations, renee on making it so far!

kim - i should have said lupus *anti*coagulant above. i checked my notes and the rheumi said other antibodies of concern in pregnancy (in addition to the antiphosphilids and anti-Ro) are anticardiolipin antibodies and anti-SSB and SSA antibodies. Good luck!!!

Lenore- My ANA has no indication of diease and my dr. does not think that it is contributing to my MC's. I have lost the baby since my last post. I was placed on an asprin a day. It was twins again and I knew that I had lost one by the 5th week and lost the other at 9 1/2 weeks. I had to carry the baby for a week before the doctor performed a D&C. It was a nightmare that I couldn't wake up from. I still had morning sickness and everything else that came with a healthly pregnancy. Dr. thought it might be a molar pregnancy and has to wake abnother week to find out it wasn't. I am getting back on my feet but am extremely enemic and very weak becuase I lost more than 2 pints of blood during the D&C. Believe or not I still hold out hope that one day I might be blessed with a healthy baby. I need time to heal mentally and physically. Not sure what I am going to do in the end. I am still not sure if it the the ANA or not. But I have had more than one dr. tell me it is not since I have had previous children. Hope this helps. Shannon

shannon - i'm so sorry for your loss. i feel terribly for you. it seems most of us have had miscarriages, and it's the hardest thing. the only thing that helped me was to literally count my blessings every day until i felt stronger. as for the ANA, i wonder if maybe it developed after your pregnancy that came to term. anyway, i hope you feel better soon and that your test results for the molar pregnancy come back okay. i'll be thinking of you....

hi katherine, i just read your post above. i totally have the same problem with birth control! my doctors said some people are sensitive to estrogen and i wondered if that was what made me so achy when i was pregnant. do you suppose there's a link to ANA?

Jenny: Thanks for your reply--I am just getting used to how to use this site. I actually have ANA 1:640 (3 weeks ago) and 1:80 (2 weeks ago) reading and MAY be pregnant...won't know for another week. (have had 2 mc's) R/e said no to aspirin but when pushed she suggested talking to perinatologist and to get a more robust workup with Rheumi. I am negative for Lupus anticoag and any other Lupus related disorders. I hope to get an appt soon. Until I saw this website never knew ANA could have a relation to my m/c's. So much for my Harvard doc's (both r/e and o/b) THANKS!!

hi kim - re: a link between ANA and miscarriage, who knows if it exists? there seems to be a lot of anecdotal evidence, but the studies seem split. most say it's not statistically significant, which is why the drs say no treatment. but i've noticed that most of those studies are of women with *low* ANAs (1:80 or less), not higher. higher ANAs tend to be associated with autoimmune issues in general. i know that with IVF, for example, having an ANA makes it less likely that the procedure will work in the first run. why? who knows. i think its a relatively new area of research. it could be that because ANAs are such a wide net, meaning they represent autoimmunity to a wide number of antigens, some of which are still not understood, that they will eventually identify more autoantibodies associated with ANA that cause miscarriage (not just APAs) - but maybe not everyone with ANA has those? i'm not a dr, just speculating....

Hi, I was looking up online, ANA Postive with early pregnancy effects and found this, I found out I was pregnant on Friday Oct 21, and then miscarring on the 25th (my birthday of all days) In march of this year I became very ill .... my ANA was positive. I have vasulitis too my rheumatologist isn't sure it's lupus.
I am reading here alot about taking baby asprin does that really help or should I talk to my ob when I go in to see her? My husband and I werent' really trying for a baby, but we were excited to get the news of a baby on the way just to turn around and miscarry.

Jenny- Thanks for the response regarding premies. I am going to get induced early but I haven't asked how early yet. I'm just trying to live day to day at this point (21 weeks). I saw Marni's response on 9/1 saying that she was 37 weeks along and clotting due to the ANA was obviously no longer an issue. I hadn't heard that patients with +ANA ever get to a point where they are safe from clotting/ misscarriage/ stillbirth? Shannon-- I have had one successful pregnancy too (daughter is almost 3 now) but found out early this year about my +ANA. All of my other Lupus tests etc came back negative. I have been told by a couple doctors that Lupus most often developes in women during their reproductive years. Based on this, I'm wondering if maybe my +ANA (and yours) developed in the last couple years since giving birth to our daughter. It seems possible.

hi renee, yeah, i read that too. i assume she meant that she was past the worst part where clotting could cause the baby not to grow properly. by that time, the baby would be pretty much formed and could be delivered if any problems developed. i think drs worry about women having blood that won't clot (if they're on meds) during delivery. all pregnant women develop a stronger clotting mechanism so if they're subject to injury/trauma they'll do better, and it reduces the risk of bleeding too much in delivery. but our perfect biology is not so perfect for those of us with extra clotting tendencies! anyway, i have a great feeling for you. you've gone so far already! i hope you're feeling well. let me know how it goes.

Jenny,
I know we have written back and forth. I actually found out yesterday I am pregnant enough to get + on preg test.(3.5 weeks --very early)
Now am waiting patiently to hear from my doc, but desperately want to start baby aspirin just in case. My ana was 1:40 10 yr. ago, 1:640 a mo. ago, and 1:80 2 weeks ago... R/E said no to aspirin, Rhumi also, but havn't seen OB
What do you guys think....I have already lost 2 this year! Should I just buy it tonight...am I too late.?
THANKS for any input ladies...and I will be in touch.

Congrats Kim!!! I hope everything goes better for you this time around.I had an ANA of 1:320 and a missed mc about a year ago.My ob sent me to a rheumi for testing,and thankfully they didn't find anything else other than the positive ANA.
My rheumi told me that I don't need to take baby aspirin next time I was pregnant,but my ob told me that she definately reccomends it.My ob says that it is so mild that it definately won't hurt anything,and why not be safe rather than sorry.The baby aspirin isn't only to prevent clotting,it is also used to prevent any inflammation in the body,and to prevent calcification of the placenta , which could all be caused by a positive ANA.
I am now 5 months pregnant,and I started taking the baby aspirin as soon as I found out.My ob also had me taking 1000 micrograms of folic acid before I started trying again.So far,my pregnancy has been great.I saw my little one on an ultrasound at 7wks.,and it's tiny heart beating.Now I already feel him/her squirming around in there.It's so amazing! I was a nervous wreck throughout the first trimester though,now it's so much more reassuring when you actually can feel them moving. I am not a doctor,but if I was in your situation I would definately take the baby aspirin.I was even allergic to it in the beginning,and I went to an allergist to desensitize me.It can't hurt the baby,so why not take it just in case we really do need it.Call your ob and ask her,before your first visit.Are you taking folic acid?That is also very important in the first trimester,(prevents neural tube defects in the baby)GOOD LUCK!!!!!!Keep me posted on your progress.

hi kim - i'm so glad for you about the pregnancy! sorry i didn't see this post until today. what did you decide to do? i don't know what i'd do. my obs/rheumi/perinatologist all said no. but i wondered at the time if maybe aspirin would at least give me peace of mind? the perinatologist did say aspirin was okay, just not what they'd do/recommend with an ANA. they recommended fish oil capsules - i guess they do to all their patients, because research shows the omega-3s have benefits in pregnancy - and in my case, it'd also be anti-inflammatory. anyway, i know how you feel. let me know what you decide and how it goes!

Cathy- It looks like we must have similar due dates. I am also feeling baby's movements which is so wonderful and I say little "thank you prayers" everytime they happen. Are you staying on baby aspirin all the way through your pregnancy? That is my plan, as instructed by my OB and also my primary care physician. I'm hoping to get into a high-risk OB later this month to see if they agree with my doctor's treatment. Are you planning to get induced early?

Renee,
Conratulations! I am due April 2,how about you???I just found out yesterday that it's a girl!!!!! Did you go for your second trimester ultrasound yet? About the baby aspirin......I don't know how long I'm supposed to take it. I never asked when I should stop. What did you dr. say???

Hi, I haven't written in awhile but am now trying to conceiveand may be pregnant but too early to know. I made an appt with a perinatologist tomorrow to discuss the risks and treatment for the next pregnancy. I'll write after and share the info. Idecided to start taking baby aspirin about 3 weeks ago even though I wasn't pregnant but didn't think it would hurt. Does anyone know about taking aspirin prior to conception or are on it while trying? Also I heard that if been on blood thinners during pregnancy you cannot get an epidural. is this true? Also it sems to me after reading most everyone;s responses that we all tend to miscarry between 8-10 weeks. It doesnt seem like a coincidence considering we all are positive for ANA? Also it is strange how it seems the ANA goes down after the miscarriage. My rheumatologist said that she believes the prgnancy exacerbates the condition. When I asked her for her advice about treatment she wasnt that clear or sure so i am going to see tthe perinatologist tomorrow.