A few weeks ago, we found out what went wrong with our girl. Upon hearing the news, there was a relief that washed over me and a weight that was lifted that I didn’t even know was there. But just like almost everything else that comes along with the journey of grief, I was experiencing so many different emotions. That feeling of relief got mixed together with an almost opposite feeling of anger – anger that I was just now finding out about this condition.

I had a ton of blood work done early on in pregnancy – why couldn’t they have gone ahead and tested for MTHFR? Why isn’t that a normal part of all the testing they do? Women who have it have an 80-90% chance of miscarriage or stillbirth. And most practices don’t test for it until there have been 3 miscarriages! Why must women have to go through losing 3 children before knowing about this treatable thing that’s causing it all? At least my practice tests for it after one, but still, that one was my Opal.

No one should have to experience this “symptom” of MTHFR to find out that they have it. If about half of the population (men, women and children) has some form of MTHFR, and if it brings along with it such devastating symptoms, why isn’t it talked about more? Why isn’t testing more accessible? And why am I just now finding out – after losing a child?

From my understanding, the reason MTHFR isn’t talked about or tested for more is a public health issue at large, not an issue with my particular doctor or my particular insurance. And when it comes down to it, I believe it has a lot to do with money. It would cost a lot to raise awareness and to make testing easier and cheaper for people. So I’m hoping my tiny blog post will have some sort of impact in making people aware.

So what is this MTHFR business anyways? This is where I get to be quite honest about how I’m just a regular person who has done a little bit of research. I’m by no means a doctor or nutritionist, and I don’t understand all of the complexities of this issue. I will share a little about what I think I understand, and will point you to the resources of where I learned most of it.

MTHFR is genetic, and it’s short for Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase. Kind of a mouthful, right? We are supposed to get one copy of a gene from our mom and one from our dad, but when one or both copies is missing, the result is an MTHFR mutation. The two most serious gene mutations are c677t and a1298c. I am missing both copies of the a1298c gene.

When we are missing one or both copies of either of these genes, it complicates the way our body produces the MTHFR enzyme, and as a result our body doesn’t do a good job of turning folic acid (which is totally synthetic, and is in most processed foods and prenatal vitamins) into its correct form, methylated folate (which you will find in real food like raw leafy greens). It also has a hard time breaking down and eliminating toxins like heavy metals.

So because those with the MTHFR mutation aren’t processing these things very well, there can be a build-up and cause our homocysteine levels to go up, which can cause some cardiovascular hardships, among other things. The reason having MTHFR is risky for pregnant women is because it can cause blood clots in the placenta.

The blood work I had done showed extremely high homocysteine levels, and it also showed that I am missing both copies of the a1298c gene, which pointed to a placental blood clot being the reason why Opal’s heart stopped beating in my belly. The autopsy results confirmed this to be true, as well.

And though I wish with everything inside of me that I knew about this a year ago, I am so thankful to know about it at all. (Here I go with the mixed emotions again …) I didn’t know how relieved I would be to just have some understanding about what happened. And here’s the thing. Now that I know, I can make changes accordingly so that it doesn’t have to be so devastating in the future. It is actually very empowering to know that I have this mutation because now I can do something about it.

Taking a blood thinner during pregnancy takes me from an 80-90% chance of miscarriage down to 10%. Boom. Guess who’s gonna be on Lovenox for her next pregnancies? This girl! Never been more excited about taking a blood thinner in my life.

Also, the more I learn about MTHFR, the more I am realizing how important diet is. For example, if my body doesn’t process folic acid very well, then guess what? I’m gonna avoid it. No more processed food for me! And if what I really need is found in leafy greens, then guess what I’m going to be eating every day? Leafy greens. (to read more about the difference between folic acid and folate, check out this article) And that’s just the beginning of the changes I am making right now with my diet. Did I mention that I’ve kissed refined sugar goodbye? If I can do it, anybody can do it. Seriously. Here’s a super informative podcast on sugar.

I’m also getting rid of a lot of chemicals and toxins in my home by making a few of my own cleaning products, beauty products and other things. I know I can’t avoid all chemicals, but I can control what I choose to bring into my home. And I will make that choice if it will enhance the health and quality of life for my children. Don’t mess with my children.

Speaking of future generations and diet … Has anyone out there heard of the study about Pottenger’s Cats? Basically (very basically), he studied two groups of cats. One group was fed only raw food, and the other was fed a less nutrient-rich diet. The group that was fed only raw food was super energetic and very fertile, etc. The group that was fed the other diet was infertile by the 3^rd generation, and there was no 4^th generation. Now, I understand that cats and humans are very different beings, but still, it’s worth noticing how a nutrient-rich diet can affect so many things.

Have you ever wondered why there’s so much infertility these days? And why there’s been a significant increase in allergies, autism, ADHD, cancer, diabetes, and … I could go on and on. Think about your grandparents and great-grandparents. Most of them were eating non-genetically modified food from their gardens, got more exercise than we do everyday, had less stress in their lives and were taking in less chemicals than we do (I heard somewhere that the amount of chemicals that our grandparents were around in a whole lifetime is the same amount that we’re around in 30 days. 30 days!!!).

And now 3-4 generations later, we are eating our fast food while sitting in busy traffic, and wondering why we are facing so many problems that they didn’t. I’m not saying I have all the answers … I’m just sayin that diet plays a big role in our own health, and the quality of life we are providing for future generations. For too long, we have ignorantly made choices that are causing more and more and more harm. And I don’t want to live under the influence of ignorance anymore. It’s too costly.

With that being said, I have no intention of living under the pressure of eating and living perfectly. I just can’t. And you can’t. It’s just too overwhelming to try and do this thing perfectly. I think there are too many pregnant women who spend most of their pregnancies worrying and blaming themselves for any little thing that could possibly go wrong. Please, if you fit this description, just go ahead and fire yourself from that job (our counselor has told me to fire myself from different jobs like this before … thanks, Justin!). Putting all that pressure on yourself won’t lead you anywhere nice.

Here’s what I can do. With thankfulness, I can steward this gift of life and the gift of children, and pursue health and wholeness for my family – body, soul and spirit. And I can trust the Lord no matter what.

He reminded me the other day of how He provided manna for His people. My assumption is that there were pregnant women among them who lived on manna. And that’s it. They didn’t have all these raw leafy greens and supplements. They lived on what God provided. It really took the pressure off of me to realize how the Lord has provided for His kids in the past.

He hasn’t asked me to be perfect. He’s only asked me to trust Him.

5 “Trust in the Lord completely, and not your own opinions, but with all your heart rely on Him to guide you, and He will lead you in all the decisions you make. 6 Become intimate with Him in whatever you do, and He’ll lead you wherever you go. And don’t think for a moment that you know it all, 7 For wisdom comes when you adore Him with awe and wonder, and avoid everything that’s wrong – 8 For then you’ll find the healing refreshment your body and spirit longs for.”

Proverbs 3:5-8 (The Passion Translation)

 

Here are a few of my favorite resources. Happy researching!!

• Katie, the Wellness Mama (http://wellnessmama.com), has become my favorite resource for homemade cleaning and beauty products, natural remedies, and recipes for healthy living. I could get lost on her blog because I so enjoy everything I get to learn. When I started learning all of this stuff, it was a bit overwhelming, so I have to slow down and take things one at a time.
• Beni Johnson, our senior pastor’s wife, has a wonderful blog that addresses health holistically. (http://grandmaswithmuscles.com). She is wise and has great perspective. I’m so thankful for her!
• Dr. Ben Lynch is one of the leading researchers of MTHFR and founded www.mthfr.net among other things. If you have MTHFR, or are a doctor, I would recommend subscribing to his emails. It includes a wealth of helpful information. And here is a podcast I enjoyed where Katie, the Wellness Mama, interviewed Dr. Lynch about MTHFR.
• And lastly, a friend of mine shared this blog with me and I found it easy to read and easy to relate to. It is written by a woman who has MTHFR, and lost her first son at 9 months gestation. She also includes a link to a 4-part YouTube video of Dr. Neil Rawlins sharing on MTHFR. I found the videos very informative and fascinating.