clomid and HELLP?

[expert@preeclampsia.org]

My name is Karina I'm 31 and I live in the Dominican Republic. I'm a mother of two boys one 7 and the other 5. I had two normal pregnancies without any risk. On September of 2005 I decided I wanted another baby, so I started my search for baby #3. On my first pregnancy I had trouble conceiving and when I had one year looking my doctor put me on clomid, I got pregnant on the first month. My second baby came by with no need of treatment, I got pregnant on the fourth month. Baby number three was kind of like my first pregnancy, I started on september 2005 with regular periods (26-28 days), by May of 2007 I was desperate and my doctor put on clomid again, I got pregnant on the third month. On the 6th month my baby was diagnosed with malformation on the genitals, it was a baby boy. We had a lot of stress just thinking of what the baby could have.

On my 29th week I began swelling that began on monday january 7, 2007. By wednesday my swelling got better with bedrest, but on the afternoon I had a huge pain in my abdomen and I really had no clue to what it was, 15 minutes later I couldnt breath and I felt a burning sensation all over my body. the next thing I knew I was on my way to the hospital. When I got there I was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome. I had an emergency cesarean and my baby was born at 29 weeks. My baby only lived for two and a half days. As you can see we are devastated of what happened.

My physical recuperation was pretty good my bp got back to normal after a week and a half so I stopped taking medication for that, my liver and enzymes got back to normal three and a half weeks after my delivery.

My question to you is : Do you think that clomid had something to do with the HELLP syndrome? Do you think that after two normal deliveries and this third one with the HELLP syndrome I have a high chance of it happening again? If yes do you think it can be treatable?

Please let me know your answer because we really would like to have the chance of another baby.

Thank you very much,

[expert@preeclampsia.org]

To the best of my knowledge, there is no association or causation between clomiphene use to induce ovulation and subsequent HELLP syndrome. They are probably not related. Most HELLP syndrome occurs in multiparous women, not in first pregnancies. It happens a second time in less than 1 in 5 patients with prior HELLP, possibly as low as 1 in 25. In my opinion, it is not a good reason by itself to avoid further pregnancy since you are more likely not to get it again and there is good therapy to treat it when it develops (high dose steroids).