Deficiencies in blood: Experts reveal how to deal with them
Myleene Klass Reveals She Made Fiancé Simon Motson Sign A Contract And Put Her Money In A Trust To Protect Her Kids As Nadia Sawalha Recalls Putting Her Foetus In A Freezer ...
Myleene Klass has candidly revealed that the arrival of her son gave her the strength to campaign for a change in UK miscarriage laws.
The former Hear'Say star, 45, was a guest panellist on Loose Women on Friday, and revealed that having her son Apollo, four, after four devastating miscarriages, gave her the strength to push for the changes in the law.
Myleene - who is also mum to daughters Ava, 16, and Hero, 12 - spoke candidly about difficult it is to talk about the trauma of baby loss and admitted she doesn't know how women cope if they are unable to go on to have rainbow babies.
In addition, the former Popstars winner discussed her future plans to campaign for better data collection, to help better predict potential miscarriages.
Elsewhere in the episode, Nadia Sawalha, 58, recalled the horrific time she put her foetus in a freezer after a tragic miscarriage.
Real talk: Myleene Klass, 45, appeared on ITV 's Loose Women as a guest panellist, on Friday, where she candidly discussed enduring four miscarriages
Candid: The radio host admitted that if she hadn't had her son, Apollo, four, following four miscarriages, she wouldn't be able to discuss baby loss (pictured with son Apollo in 2019)
Horrific: Elsewhere in the episode, Nadia Sawalha , 58, recalled the horrific time she put her foetus in a freezer after a tragic miscarriage
Myleene discussed her campaigning for miscarriage support, telling viewers: 'Just to give you the idea, the PTSD is the equivalent of a soldier returning from Afganistan 9 months later.
'Nobody wants to talk about this subject it's uncomfortable to talk about. There's no data protection on this. There's no medical recording. I had four miscarriages. If I didn't get my son I wouldn't be able to do this.
'Previously you'd have to wait to have 3 consecutive miscarriages until you have medical intervention.
'My next challenge is data collection. Has it happened to family members. I didn't know it has happened to my aunty 40 years ago. She called me her daughter.'
Spurred on to talk about her own experience of miscarriage and having no help, Nadia - who has previously been open about her baby loss - admitted: 'I never had a thought I could ask for anything.
'My last miscarriage when there was no heartbeat, they said I could stay in hospital but on the labour ward.
'So I went home and miscarried there. I didn't know what to do with the foetus. I ended up putting mine in the freezer because I didn't know what to do.
'It was only this morning that someone should have helped me. It was very painful. It was very difficult. I feel time and time again women's health is put last.'
Sad: Spurred on to talk about her own experience of miscarriage and having no help, Nadia admitted: 'It was very painful. It was very difficult'
Speaking previously about the horrific ordeal, the TV star went on to reveal to viewers that she did have a 'meaningful' burial and planted her tree in the baby's memory.
In the past, Nadia questioned whether her miscarriages were punishment for having an abortion earlier in life on her podcast Dealing With the Heartbreak of Miscarriage.
It comes after Myleene made history in July by changing pregnancy loss laws, with changes meaning women will no longer have to wait until after three miscarriages to receive medical help and pre-conception advice.
She has spent four years campaigning for changes to UK miscarriage laws with Labour MP Olivia Blake.
Myleene recently recalled her experience after suffering four 'torturous' miscarriages as she changed pregnancy loss laws and told of her delight as a string of changes were approved.
The changes were unveiled in the long-awaited Pregnancy Loss Review - an independent report on NHS miscarriage care and how it can be improved, which came after campaigning from baby loss charity Tommy's, who Myleene works with.
If you have been affected by this story, you can seek advice at www.Miscarriageassociation.Org.Uk or by calling 01924 200 799.
What causes a miscarriage?It is highly unlikely that you will ever know the actual cause of a one-off miscarriage, but most are due to the following problems:
• ABNORMAL FETUS
The most common cause of miscarriages in the first couple of months is a one-off abnormal development in the fetus, often due to chromosome anomalies. 'It's not as though the baby is fine one minute and suddenly dies the next,' says Professor James Walker, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Leeds.
'These pregnancies fail from the outset and were never destined to succeed.' Most miscarriages like this happen by eight weeks, although bleeding may not start until three or four weeks later, which is worth remembering in subsequent pregnancies. 'If a scan at eight weeks shows a healthy heart beat, you have a 95 per cent chance of a successful pregnancy,' says Professor Walker.
• HORMONAL FACTORS
A hormonal blip could cause a sporadic miscarriage and never be a problem again. However, a small number of women who have long cycles and irregular periods may suffer recurrent miscarriages because the lining of the uterus is too thin, making implantation difficult.
Unfortunately, hormone treatment is not terribly successful.
'There used to be a trend for progesterone treatment, but trials show this really doesn't work,' warns Professor Walker. 'There is some evidence that injections of HCG (human chorionic gonadotrophin, a hormone released in early pregnancy) can help, but it's not the answer for everyone.' The treatment must be started as soon as the pregnancy is confirmed, at around four or five weeks.
• AGE
For women over 40, one in four women who become pregnant will miscarry. [One in four women of all ages miscarry, but these figures include women who don't know that they are pregnant. Of women who do know that they're pregnant, the figure is one in six. Once you're over 40, and know that you're pregnant, the figure rises to one in four]
• AUTO-IMMUNE BLOOD DISORDERS
Around 20 per cent of recurrent miscarriers suffer from lupus or a similar auto-immune disorder that causes blood clots to form in the developing placenta.
A simple blood test, which may need to be repeated several times, can reveal whether or not this is the problem.'One negative test does not mean that a women is okay,' warns Mr Roy Farquharson, consultant gynaecologist who runs an early pregnancy unit at the Liverpool Women's Hospital.
Often pregnancy can be a trigger for these disorders, so a test should be done as soon as possible,' he adds.But it can easily be treated with low dose aspirin or heparin injections, which help to thin the blood and prevent blood clots forming - a recent trial also showed that women do equally well on either. ''We have a 70 per cent live birth rate in women treated for these disorders,' says Dr Farquharson, 'which is excellent.'
• OTHER CAUSES
While uterine abnormalities, such as fibroids, can cause a miscarriage, many women have no problems carrying a pregnancy to term. An incompetent cervix can also cause miscarriage at around 20 weeks.
While this can be treated by a special stitch in the cervix, trials suggest it is not particularly successful, although it may delay labour by a few weeks.Gene and chromosomal abnormalities, which can be detected by blood tests, may also cause recurrent miscarriages in a small number of couples.
A procedure known as preimplantation genetic diagnosis can help. After in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), a single cell is taken from the developing embryo and tested for the gene defect. Only healthy embryos are then replaced in the womb.
It is an expensive and stressful procedure - and pregnancy rates tend to be quite low - but for some this is preferable to repeated miscarriages or a genetically abnormal baby.
I Held My Wife's Hand As She Went Cold And Slipped Away – Our Horror Story Should Serve As A Warning To All
A WIDOWER has spoken of the pain of feeling his wife's hand go cold, after her migraine-like symptoms turned out something much more sinister.
Natasha Hewitt, 35, began to feel poorly in December and was given antibiotics and painkillers for a suspected ear infection after she attended a walk-in centre.
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Natasha Hewitt, 35, died shortly after being diagnosed with a blood clot on her brain just before ChristmasCredit: SWNS3
Natasha, Nick pictured with their son Harry - after suffering miscarriages, the couple were trying for another babyCredit: SWNS3
Natasha complained of pain that spread from her back to her head and earCredit: SWNSBut she was rushed to hospital just two days later.
There, Natasha was diagnosed with a large blood clot called a cerebral venous sinus thrombosis.
This occurs when a blood clot forms in the brain's venous sinuses, preventing blood from draining out of the brain, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
As a result, blood cells may break and leak blood into the brain tissues, forming a haemorrhage.
Symptoms of it include headache, blurred vision, fainting and even loss of control over movement in parts of the body and seizures.
She was transferred to specialist brain unit for surgery, but tragically died two days later.
Speaking for the first time since Natasha's death, her husband Nick, 42, said: "Everything seemed perfect. We were actually trying for another baby.
"However, that all changed when Natasha started complaining of feeling poorly last December.
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BRAIN TRAIN
Eight ways to sharpen your brain from simple card tricks to clever app"The last time I saw Natasha open her eyes was when she was transferred. We hoped and prayed that she would pull through but sadly she didn't.
"We got to spend our last final moments together. It was absolutely awful feeling her hand go cold and the colour in her face change, I wouldn't wish it upon anyone.
"Natasha was a beautiful soul, there was no bad in her; just a kind and caring person."
Natasha, of Sheffield, South Yorks., first complained of pain which had moved from her back and into her head and left ear on Sunday, December 11 last year.
She took strong painkillers and managed to go Christmas shopping with Nick and their baby son, Harry.
During their last shopping trip together, the couple bought Harry his first pair of shoes.
But her pain continued and she had migraine-like symptoms and struggled to stand up without feeling dizzy.
The following Wednesday, she attended a walk-in medical appointment at which she was prescribed antibiotics and painkillers for a suspected ear infection.
Two days after first being prescribed antibiotics, Natasha - who had a history of blood clots - was admitted to hospital.
Natasha, who was studying for a business management with accounting degree through the Open University, was transferred for specialist surgery later that day.
Surgeons operated on Natasha to relieve pressure on her brain on Saturday, December 17. She died at around 1am the next morning.
Heartbroken Nick added: "Natasha sought medical advice but she didn't seem to be improving; in fact she looked to be getting worse.
"Natasha was unable to look after Harry and I felt powerless to help her.
"It got to the point where I thought enough was enough and she needed to go to hospital.
"She couldn't stand up, she was vomiting, her speech was confused. She couldn't even keep water down."
Nick described the moment when the true severity of Natasha's condition hit him.
"After arriving at hospital I was taken into a small room and offered a hot drink. That's when I knew how serious it was," he recalled.
"I sat at her bedside was speaking to her as she was unresponsive. I held her hand and cried whilst saying 'I'm so sorry'."
Natasha and Nick had suffered 11 miscarriages and two failed rounds of IVF before they found out they were expecting Harry.
She was diagnosed with a blood clot in her placenta at 25 weeks pregnant and doctors took the decision to deliver Harry 14 weeks premature in July 2021.
The following month, Natasha, also received hospital treatment for a blood clot on her lung.
Harry spent 18 weeks in neonatal intensive care before he was allowed home to his parents.
Nick, who has now instructed medical negligence lawyers to investigate Natasha's death, added: "We thought it wasn't meant to be but then suddenly found out Natasha was expecting. We were overjoyed.
"When Harry was born there were some really tough and emotional times, but he showed amazing fight.
"We were so excited to bring him home to start our life as a family together.
"Harry was making amazing progress and developing. We'd have a family day every week where we'd go swimming, go to the park or go for a long walk."
An inquest into Natasha's death is due to take place this week, expected to last three days.
Rosie Charlton, the specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Nick, said: "While nothing can bring Natasha back, the inquest is a major milestone in being able to provide them with the answers they deserve.
"Blood clots can be incredibly serious and need to be treated quickly.
"If during the course of the inquest any issues in the care Natasha received are identified, it's vital that lessons are learned to improve patient safety."
Recent research has revealed that women with four common health conditions are eight times more likely to suffer blood clots.
Symptoms of a blood clot
Blood clots happen when blood clumps together and coagulates.
There are two types of the condition.
A blood clot in one of the large veins in someone's leg or arm is called deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
If not treated, DVT can move or break off and travel into the lungs.
Meanwhile, a blood clot in the lung is called a pulmonary embolism (PE) - this can be deadly and requires immediate medical attention.
Symptoms of a DVT include:
Symptoms of PE include:
Source: NHS, CDC
What To Know About A Blood Clot In The Finger
Although uncommon, blood clots can form in the finger. They may appear as a small, discolored lump under the skin. A collection of blood can also form under the fingernail, commonly due to injury such as hitting the fingernail.
Blood clots in the fingers are relatively rare but may occur due to trauma or injury of the fingers.
This article looks at the symptoms and causes of a blood clot in the finger. It also examines the treatment options and when a person should contact a doctor.
Blood clots are semi-solid clumps of blood that can form in the arteries or veins.
Two types of blood clots can form in the fingers — palmar digital thrombosis and subungual hematoma.
Palmer digital vein thrombosis refers to a blood clot in the finger that develops on the palm side of the hand. Subungual hematoma refers to a collection of blood underneath the fingernail, usually due to an injury.
A subungual hematoma usually forms due to impact on the fingernail.
Palmar digital vein thrombosis can develop due to:
The palmar veins, which run through the fingers, are small, and connective tissue and fat surround them. Their size and surroundings may make the veins more likely to collapse, resulting in a blood clot.
Certain medications may also increase the risk of blood clots, including some hormonal birth control.
A blood clot in the finger may appear as a small lump under the skin and may cause:
Palmar digital vein thrombosis usually occurs in the fourth finger, in either the left or right hand. The clot is usually near a joint and on the palm side of the hand.
Blood under the fingernail may appear as a red or purple mark, which may later turn dark brown or black due to the blood clotting. The nail may also feel tender or sore.
A blood clot in the finger may resolve without treatment. However, it could indicate a blood clotting disorder. Consulting a doctor can ensure people do not miss a condition that may require treatment.
People will need to consult a doctor as soon as possible if they have any warmth, swelling, discoloration, or pain in an arm or leg. This may be a sign of deep vein thrombosis.
People will need to speak with a doctor for a blood clot under the fingernail if they have:
A blood clot in the finger may be dangerous if it breaks free and travels through the body.
A pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blood clot in the lung that can be life threatening. Symptoms of PE include:
If people have any of the above symptoms, they need to seek medical help straight away by going to the emergency room or calling 911.
To diagnose a blood clot in the finger, a doctor will assess symptoms and medical history.
They may use imaging tests, such as ultrasounds or MRIs, to rule out other conditions.
Treating a blood clot in the finger usually consists of massaging the lump and applying a compression bandage to the finger. In some cases, people may need surgery to remove the clot.
For a blood clot under the fingernail, treatment may help reduce swelling and pain. People may be able to treat the blood clot at home by:
In some cases, a doctor may need to pierce the nail to drain excess blood, which relieves excess pressure.
How long does a blood clot in your finger last?The duration of a blood clot in the finger may vary depending on when people seek treatment and the treatment type.
For a blood clot under the fingernail, the body will reabsorb the blood over time, and the discolored nail will grow out. The nail may take 6–9 months to grow out fully.
A blood clot in the finger is not usually dangerous and may resolve with treatments such as massage and compression.
If a blood clot relates to a blood clotting disorder, people may require treatment to prevent complications. In some cases, surgery may be necessary to remove the clot.
A subungual hematoma is a temporary condition, and people will usually be able to treat it with ice and compression while waiting for the nail to grow out.
Trauma, compression, and injury to the hand are common causes of palmar digital vein thrombosis. Taking protective measures with manual labor and repetitive tasks may help reduce the risk of developing a blood clot in the finger.
Addressing any blood clotting disorders may help prevent a blood clot from forming. These measures include taking blood thinning medication.
A blood clot may form in the finger or under the fingernail and may form due to trauma or a blood clotting disorder.
Massage, compression, and blood thinning medications can treat a blood clot in the finger. In some cases, people may need surgery to remove a clot.
Individuals need to consult a doctor for any concerning symptoms or seek emergency help for signs of PE.
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