Mum who gave birth after suffering four miscarriages claims a simple hormone tablet helped start her dream family

AFTER several miscarriages Rebecca Woodcock thought she would never have children.

So when she welcomed her son Henry into the world in January 2014 it was nothing short of a dream come true.

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And the arrival of her daughter, Matilda, in October 2016 only added to her joy.

Rebecca, from Stafford, lost four babies in the space of five years while trying to start a family.

Recalling the experience, she said she felt "desperate" and hopes her friends, who had all begun starting their own families, would understand if she was "distant".

Now a proud mum, 37-year-old Rebecca is convinced taking the hormone progesterone helped her successfully have a baby.

In November of 2011 she suffered her first miscarriage at nine weeks pregnant, reports the

Despite the grief, her and her partner, Mark Bishop, remained positive.

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The heartache struck again when Rebecca miscarried a second time in 2012.

This time their baby died between scans.

Rebecca, a project manager, underwent several ultrasounds which revealed she had a heart-shaped uterus and fibroids.

Both conditions could contribute to the risk of a miscarriage.

Rebecca chose to seek a private consult and met with consultant gynaecologist Luciano Nardo, clinical director at the Reproductive Health Group in Daresbury, Cheshire.

She later learned that she had a septum in her uterus, an upside-down triangular piece of tissue that divided her uterine cavity.

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Rebecca told the Mirror: "There's no blood supply to the septum, so if the embryo attaches there it won't survive. It also means there's less room in the womb for the baby to grow."

She had an operation to remove the septum but miscarried for a third time in December 2012.

It was then her gynaecologist decided to put her on progesterone tablets.

She became pregnant with Henry in June 2013.

"I remember waking up in the morning before going to work and thinking, 'I'll just take a quick pregnancy test before jumping into the shower'," she said.

"And it came back positive…. I woke Mark up and told him and while we were both elated, it was also frightening.

"Mark was as nervous as I was and we just couldn't celebrate."

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Rebecca was told to keep taking the tablets throughout her pregnancy as well as folic acid and low dose aspirin.

She was also given blood-thinning injections for the first 12 weeks to reduce her risk of miscarriage.

Early scans showed their baby was fine and in January 2014 he was born via caesarean section at Stoke University Hospital.

But tragedy struck again in 2016 when Rebecca suffered a fourth miscarriage, something she believes happened because she wasn't taking progesterone.

She began taking the hormone again and in October 2016 she became pregnant with Matilda.

"If I could give any advice, it would be to stay strong and not lose faith," she said.

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"There are people like me who've had four miscarriages and who now have two happy, healthy children."

Rebecca said she believes progesterone should be available to all women trying for a baby.

It has not yet been conclusively proven that taking progesterone helps, but some studies have suggested it could be a factor in successful pregnancies.

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