First a little history. Within Diane's family, there has been some occurrences of Antiphospholid Syndrome, which can cause miscarriages. Due to this history, our doctor gave Diane an ANA test (Antiphospholid Antibody) during our last visit, which came back positive. Even though she is already past the danger point for a potential miscarriage, there are some other problems that can develop as a result of this condition which need to be closely monitored.

The main concern at this point, according to our doctor, is that it can cause preclampsia (also called toxemia), a condition which can prevent the placenta from getting enough blood. Close monitoring of expectant moms who may develop preclampsia is usually the best way to prevent it from striking. In severe cases, doctors will prescribe bed rest or even hospitalization to limit the chances of early labor.

In our case, our doctor suggested Diane start taking one baby aspirin a day to possibly help her from developing preclampsia. This is a slightly controversial subject--some doctors feel that aspirin of any kind, even baby aspirin, taken during pregnancy is not advisable. But one study found that baby aspirin, taken under close doctor supervision, can help prevent preclampsia. Our doctor did warn us that the baby aspirin could potentially cause placental abruption. But with close supervision, they should be able to detect it early.

After discussing it among the two of us, we decided that Diane would start taking the baby aspirin. We felt that the pros of preventing preclampsia and premature labor outweighed the risks potentially associated with the baby aspirin. She started taking an aspirin a day last week and we had a doctor's appointment on February 13.

Diane's blood pressure on the 13th was normal and she didn't have any protein in her urine so the doctor thinks everything still looks good at this point. The doctor did order more blood work and testing to be done before our next full visit. They also checked the heartbeats and both twins registered the same heartrate--157 beats.

Despite Diane being a worrier by nature, both of us are confident that our twins are growing well and are being monitored closely by good medical care. We also go for a full ultrasound on the 15th of February and will check our twins at that point.