After 13 Miscarriages, Mom Gives Birth to 'Miracle' Preemie Thanks to New Treatment
After 13 miscarriages in 10 years, Laura Worsley thought her dream of becoming a mom would never be realized.
Thanks to an innovative team of doctors and a new treatment, however, Worsley’s 14th pregnancy resulted in the birth of her baby daughter, Ivy. “It feels like all of my Christmases have come at once,” the Warwickshire, UK, woman told SWNS.
But the road to becoming a mom was filled with heartbreak for Worsley.
Worsley, 35, had lost every baby she ever conceived. Many of the pregnancies lasted only a few weeks.
“It was all I lived for -- I lost years of my life. I just thought, if I can't have a baby I don't see a point in my life,” she said.
Worsley had her first miscarriage in 2008, followed by three miscarriages in the next two years. She and husband Dave, 48, grappled for answers. “[While suffering the miscarriages], we were told a high dose of folic acid might sort it, but it didn’t,” she said.
“We took part in trials, did all the tests and tried different medications, hoping something would work.”
Then a new treatment brought new hope.
The UK couple was referred to an innovative medical research team at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire.
There, under the care of Professor Siobhan Quenby and the Biomedical Research Unit, Worsley took part in “world-leading” miscarriage research. Worsley was found to have antiphospholipid syndrome, also known as sticky blood syndrome, which can be the cause of recurring miscarriages.
But during the treatment, there was a setback.
The couple was devastated when they suffered the loss of twins -- who they named Leo and Graceson -- at 17 weeks and 20 weeks.
Worsley admitted that it nealry broke them. “I don't know how I coped, to be honest. Dave stayed strong for me but when we lost the boys, he really struggled with that."
The miscarriage provided valuable information that would eventually lead to a breakthrough.
Baby Leo’s placenta was tested and revealed that Worsley was also suffering from a second condition, chronic histiocytic intervillositis, which can cause the body to reject pregnancy.
“[The condition] was causing my placenta to die in places,” Worsley said.
The specialist recommended Worsley begin a treatment of steroids and to try for 14th pregnancy.
Although Quenby admitted that the treatment had risks, both she and her patient decided they were up for the challenge. “The steroids do have side effects. But we both decided it was worth one more go,” she said.
Worsley was skeptical. “I wasn't sure I wanted to try again. But Professor Quenby said she had helped women with this successfully. I thought if there's that one bit of hope, I had to try again. I spoke to Dave about it and he felt the same,” she said.
“I told myself, this is the last time I'm doing this."
Worsley began taking steroids to strengthen the lining of her womb, and she eventually conceived naturally in March 2018.
“We didn't really tell anyone [about the 14th pregnancy]. It was the hardest thing to keep in but the hardest thing to share,” Worsley admitted. “I just kept thinking if we tell people, we're going to jinx it."
"Through my story I want to give others the hope and strength to carry on even when things seem impossible,” she said.
"It's so important to be able to make a difference for anyone else going through what I went through," she said.
Quenby believes Worsley’s tenacity can be an inspiration to many. “Laura's case is benefiting people across the world. Many in her situation would have given up, but she just kept going,” she said.
Worsley still is in disbelief at her “miracle.”