City breakthrough helps defeat the ‘killer wombs’

Sep 13 2008 by Liza Williams, Liverpool Daily Post

A LIVERPOOL mother who suffered 11 miscarriages was able to give birth thanks to revolutionary treatment developed at a city hospital.

Kathryne Hutson, 33, gave birth to her baby daughter Lilly-May one year ago, thanks to a steroid pioneered at Liverpool Women’s Hospital’s school of reproductive and developmental medicine.

Mrs Hutson and husband Michael, 36, were already proud parents of a 10-year-old son, also named Michael, but they were desperate for another child.

The couple from Walton continually tried for a baby, but were left devastated after 11 miscarriages and one stillbirth.

But, after taking the tablets as part of a trial by Dr Siobhan Quenby to treat so-called “Killer Womb Syndrome” Mrs Hutson became pregnant.

A course of the inexpensive steroid tablets could now offer hope to millions of women worldwide.

Mrs Hutson said: “I’d had every test in the book and they couldn’t find out what was wrong with me.

“I had already had one healthy happy baby, so I just couldn’t understand why I wasn’t able to conceive again.

“After the last miscarriage I was heartbroken, but I never gave up hope.

“I wanted another baby so badly, me and my partner had even considered surrogacy and adoption.

“The last time I was in the hospital, I was sobbing uncontrollably and was resigning myself to never having another baby.

“A nurse came to comfort me and told me about Dr Quenby’s experiment, I just thought why not? I have tried everything else, so I offered to be part of the trial.

“They found the killer cells in my womb and I began taking the steroid, it was my last chance to have a baby and I was determined to do what ever it took.

“When I finally got pregnant, I was absolutely delighted.

“There were no side effects to the steroids and my little girl was born perfectly.

“I have had so many knock- backs over the last 10 years, I have been emotionally drained.

“It also affected my son, who used to come up to me asking when he was going to have a brother or sister to play with.

“My husband has been my rock through all this, when I told him about the treatment he backed me all the way.

“I can’t thank Dr Quenby enough. Anyone that has had a miscarriage should definitely give the treatment a go.

“I am absolutely besotted with my little girl and its all thanks to the treatment.”

Dr Quenby has worked on the treatment for 12 years and the majority of women on the trial have had success.

Her research has shown there are increased numbers of immune system Natural Killer Cells (NKCs) in the wombs of women who suffer from recurrent miscarriages.

But taking the steroid, called prednisolone, reduces the amount of immune cells in “killer wombs” that stop embryos from implanting. She said: “I’m thrilled that my research and theory may become a reality.

“I have tried this steroid on 40 patients so far and 30 have been successful.

“If my findings are correct it would be fantastic, not only for me personally but for the Liverpool Women’s Hospital.

“All the research and development has been done in the city, and it would really mean we had reached the gold standard.

“Thanks to all the publicity I have had several hundreds of volunteers for the experiment, but all recruits must be under 40 and have had at least three recurrent miscarriages.”

lizawilliams