A WOMAN from Worcester who had 10 early miscarriages and one still born-baby in the past 10 years has been given hope that she may still have a family.

Despite going through the trauma of delivering her still-born son Frankie in November 2013 and the disappointment of 10 early miscarriages Lisa Ventura, from Lower Wick, has discovered her string of unsuccessful pregnancies may be down to hyper fertility.

Lisa, a PR and Marketing Consultant aged 41, said after the birth of Frankie her body snapped back into its normal cycle and she had four miscarriages in just over a year.

She went to see her specialist at Worcestershire Royal Hospital Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist Mr John Watts.

Lisa said: “He said he thought I should go to a specialist clinic at the University Hospital, Coventry. I went to see them and the consultants did a full medical history and blood tests.”

Although Lisa had been concerned for sometime about her age and whether the menopause would interfere with her chances of having a baby, the tests established the number and quality of her eggs were similar to those in a woman in her mid 30s.

Professors Siobhan Quenby and Jan Brosens at The Implantation Clinic in the Biomedical Research Unit in Reproductive Health, based at University Hospital concluded the string of early miscarriages was due to hyper fertility, which can be treated.

The problem, said Lisa, lay in the condition of the lining of her womb. “I was so relieved. I thought I would never get an answer. I am so so happy that they can do something.”

Lisa explained that the treatment for hyper fertility is a course of mild steroids and the hormone progesterone to help the lining of the womb get into a good enough condition to help the implantation and development of an embryo.

“There is no guarantee that this is going to work but we’ve been told to try it for a few months and see what happens.

“My husband Russell was so relieved that it is something which can be treated and that my age does not have any bearing on it. It has taken off the pressure on us and that has been good for us. The relief for me is that now I know why I have had these early miscarriages.”

Lisa added that even if this treatment did not work there are other steroids that can try which would help the lining of the womb.

She said she knows another woman who went through 13 miscarriages before being diagnosed with hyper fertility at the same clinic and she went on to have a baby using this treatment.

Lisa said her message to other women experiencing multiple early miscarriages is “Do not give up”. She recommends going to the Implantation Clinic in Coventry and seeing Profs Quenby and Brosens. This can be done through a GP referral or privately. For information about the clinic visit http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/med/research/tsm/bru/clinic

Frankie’s legacy

Following the birth of their still-born son Frankie, Lisa and Russell set up a charity in his memory to raise funds to buy furniture and fittings for the delivery suite at Worcestershire Royal Hospital so that parents can have a more relaxed and positive experience when giving birth.

Frankie was born with a cleft lip and palate, talipes or club foot and he also had chromosome 15 duplication syndrome – and extremely rare genetic condition which means he would have had considerable disabilities if he had survived.

The charity also aims to help and support parents and families that have been affected by early pregnancy loss (pre-24 weeks), stillbirth (post-24 weeks) and neonatal death (post birth). It provides help and support to parents who have received a diagnosis of cleft lip and palate, or of a rare chromosome disorder.