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Previous drug use and fertility
I previously used nitrous oxide for some time, just on weekends. I became pregnant and my baby unfortunately had severe heart defects and Down syndrome. I unfortunately lost him at 15 weeks. I found out I was pregnant before my period came and as soon as I found out, I never touched nitrous oxide again. I’m concerned that I may have caused this. Is it possible that I caused this upon my pregnancy?
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Hello @pris310 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. First, I am so sorry for your loss. I can empathize as I also lost a baby around that same time. Hugs to you.
I was unaware of any connection to nitrous oxide and fertility issues prior to your post but did Google "nitrous oxide and fertility issues" as well as "nitrous oxide and birth defects" and it seems there may be some data to support a correlation but it also appears to be noted for instances where the mother was consuming during pregnancy in the couple of articles I scanned.
From one women to another, I am sure you are looking for the reason(s) this could've happened and are still reeling in grief. Time does help that. This year marked 10 years after our loss.
Were you able to share this with a medical professional and ask questions or did you choose not to share given the circumstances?
Hi, thanks for your reply. I’m so sorry for your loss. I hope one day it will get easier for me, it’s only been three weeks. I haven’t spoke to a medical professional because I didn’t think that caused it. I guess I’m just trying to find a reason why it happened and that is the only thing I can pin it to. I’ve done so much research and have only come across the same information you have as well.
Hello again @pris310. I wanted to check back in with you to see how you are doing now that a few more weeks have past. I'm glad to hear that you don't believe that caused it. It is far too easy to blame yourself, and much more difficult to surrender to the fact that it may have just not been a healthy pregnancy for reasons you and I may never fully understand.
At any rate, this community, and myself, are here for you. Stay open to talking about your feelings as I do feel being transparent greatly helped me through the pain.
How are things going?