Mom Says Common Pain Relief Drug Can Prevent Miscarriages, Doctor Agrees

After two miscarriages, Leanne Walsh, 41, found an unlikely savior in an everyday painkiller found in most households.

Now a proud mom to two-year-old Daisy, Walsh uses her TikTok platform (@yardgirlmargate) to talk to others about the benefits of aspirin in preventing miscarriages and assisting women in achieving their dream of parenthood.

Walsh, from Kent, England, shared her journey with Newsweek: “I am among many women who have endured the pain of miscarriage. This experience, recurring multiple times, led me to discover the significance of progesterone and aspirin in maintaining a healthy pregnancy.”

Approximately 10 to 15 percent of known pregnancies end in miscarriage, according to the Mayo Clinic. Speaking about her pain, Walsh said: “The longer it took me to get pregnant the more I questioned if I was ‘supposed to be a mom.’

“I’d never been around babies or felt [particularly] maternal but that all changed after having a miscarriage. I had never wanted anything so badly in my life after and I was grieving a life that I’d played out in my mind which was taken away.”

There is a happy ending for some women like Walsh as their dream of becoming a mom has come true, thanks to the everyday pain killer. Newsweek discussed the treatment with infertility specialist Dr. Jenna McCarthy, who confirmed it is a safe and beneficial method.

“Women with recurrent pregnancy loss caused by anti-phospholipid antibody syndrome are often prescribed low-dose aspirin in conjunction with a blood thinner to decrease the risk of another miscarriage,” said McCarthy, who is also a reproductive endocrinologist at IVFMD in Florida. “People at high risk of developing preeclampsia, a condition that raises blood pressure during pregnancy and can be dangerous if untreated, are also treated with low-dose aspirin.”

McCarthy emphasized the safety and benefits of low-dose aspirin is not associated with birth defects or increased bleeding in early pregnancy or up to delivery and has benefits when taken on the recommendation of a woman’s physician or certified nurse midwife.

However, high-dose aspirin is typically avoided in the latter part of a pregnancy. McCarthy told Newsweek: “It can cause the ductus arteriosus—a small shunt in the baby’s heart—to close early, which can strain the baby’s heart. This does not happen with low-dose aspirin.”

Aspirin’s Role in Preventing Miscarriages

It appears that an aspirin a day may be beneficial for women with a history of two or more miscarriages, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Department of Reproductive Science and Medicine, Imperial College School of Medicine in London.

In 2000, they examined 1,055 women with a history of recurrent miscarriages and they were divided into two groups: those taking low-dose aspirin (75 mg daily) and those not taking aspirin. The study found no significant difference in live birth rates for early miscarriages between the two groups. However, for late miscarriages, women taking aspirin had a higher live birth rate (64.6 percent) compared to those not taking aspirin (49.2 percent). The study suggests aspirin may be beneficial for preventing late miscarriages but not early ones.

A smaller study by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Nagoya City University Medical School in Japan examined the link between certain blood clotting factors and early miscarriages in women with recurrent first-trimester losses. The researchers found that a deficiency in coagulation factor XII, a group of proteins that act in a specific order to create a blood clot, could predict these miscarriages and suggested that low-dose aspirin might help by improving blood flow.

The study included 536 women, some of whom took low-dose aspirin. Results showed fewer miscarriages among those with low factor XII levels who took aspirin, but more research is needed to confirm these findings.

‘Low-Dose Aspirin Should Be Provided’

After discovering she was pregnant for a third time, Walsh was prescribed Cyclogest Progesterone suppositories, which are identical in structure to the natural progesterone produced by the body, along with low-dose aspirin.

“It was a regime that resulted in a successful and safe pregnancy,” Walsh stated.
“I firmly believe all women should have access to this preventative treatment. I have started a petition which can be found on my social media as I urge healthcare providers worldwide to make it a standard procedure to offer all pregnant women a blood test to check their progesterone levels. If levels are found to be beneath the healthy range, Cyclogest Progesterone suppositories and low-dose aspirin should be provided.”

Women Sharing Stories on Social Media

Walsh who took aspirin until she was 28 weeks pregnant has shared many TikTok videos on the topic. Often gaining hundreds of thousands of views, she shares information from other women who have benefited from similar treatments.

“I set up the account to share my story in hopes of helping someone else, but I never expected the overwhelming response,” she said. “The comments are filled with women who have carried a baby to full term with the same treatment. I share their stories as testimonials, which often move me to tears.”

On June 18, Walsh shared another woman’s comment stating: “I had over 12 miscarriages,” but with the help of prescribed aspirin, she became pregnant and subsequently had four more healthy pregnancies, taking aspirin for each one.

During the clip, Walsh states it is “heartbreaking” and other people have commented to share their experiences. One user wrote, “Lost my first at 24 weeks three days due to severe growth restriction/poor blood flow through cord, took aspirin in next two pregnancies had two healthy babies.”

“I have had seven [pregnancies] and managed to have two kids with [endometrosis] and [Polycystic ovary syndrome], but never heard aspirin, I was given metformin which was the key to keeping my pregnancy’s full term, but never aspirin. xx it’s so sad,” said another person.

“Yeah I had two then took aspirin to stop the blood clots and got my daughter after that,” said a third commenter.

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