Referrals to our miscarriage clinics
Tommy’s National Centre for Miscarriage Research has recurrent miscarriage clinics in three different sites in the UK:
- Birmingham Women's Hospital
- University Hospital Coventry
- Queen Charlotte's & Chelsea Hospital and St Mary's Hospital, London
All of the clinics will accept patients who have had 3 miscarriages and an appropriate General Practitioner (GP) referral from anywhere within the UK. Your GP will need to refer you via the NHS e-Referral service (often called the ‘choose & book’ system).This will provide you with the opportunity to be part of research towards finding the cause of repeated miscarriages.
Tommy’s strong view is that all women should get referral after 2 miscarriages and our clinicians and centre directors are working towards this goal. However, until it is made normal NHS funded practice, we are unable to offer it as standard across the clinics. Most doctors realise that this can cause considerable distress to women and many hospitals will investigate after two miscarriages. Currently our clinic in Coventry and Birmingham have an arrangement that allows women with 2 miscarriages to be referred and then only from the local area (see more below).
Talk to your GP, explain how you are feeling and ask to be referred as soon as possible.
The clinics work hand in hand with the research centres by offering women the opportunity to have new tests and take part in new trials. Your referral can be made on the basis that the Tommy’s centre offers tests and treatments not offered by your local hospital. This can be the reason for your request for out-of-area referral.
Choice is enshrined in the NHS charter.
Please note, that the criteria outlined below for referrals to Tommy's clinics situated within the hospitals are stipulated and managed by the hospitals themselves.
Our Birmingham clinic
Criteria
- 2 or more miscarriages in England or Scotland
- your GP will need to refer you via the NHS e-Referral service (often called the ‘choose & book’ system)
Address
Birmingham Women's NHS Foundation Trust
Mindelsohn Way
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TG
Our London clinic
Criteria
- 3 or more early miscarriages
- 1 or more late miscarriage(s)
- not currently accepting referrals from women who have two or more (living) children
- women referred should be <42 years old
- women do not need to be from the local area
- your GP will need to refer you via the NHS e-Referral service (often called the ‘choose & book’ system)
Address
Professor Lesley Regan
Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
St Mary's Hospital
Recurrent Miscarriage Office
Ground Floor, Mint Wing
South Wharf Road
London
W2 1NY
Our Coventry clinic
Criteria
- 2 or more miscarriages if local to Coventry
- 1 or more late miscarriage(s)
- your GP will need to refer you via the NHS e-Referral service (often called the ‘choose & book’ system)
Address
Professor Quenby
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
Clifford Bridge Road
Coventry
CV2 2DX
Tel: 02476967528
Fax: 02476967584
Tests available at our miscarriage clinics
Test |
Purpose |
Birmingham |
London |
Coventry |
Lupus anticoagulant |
Test for anti-phospholipid antibodies (sticky blood conditions) | Y | Y | Y |
Anti-cardiolipin antibody |
Test for anti-phospholipid antibodies (sticky blood conditions) | Y | Y | Y |
Thromboelastogram analysis |
Test for global bleeding tendencies | Y | ||
Pelvic ultrasound |
Look for abnormalities in the womb or ovaries | Y | Y* | |
Rubella |
Ensure immunity to German measles or rubella | Y | Y* | |
TSH, T3 and T4 |
Identify any problems with the thyroid gland | Y* | Y | |
Vitamin D |
Identify vitamin D deficiency | Y* | Y | |
Coeliac disease screen (TTG antibody) |
Investigate autoimmune serology, where healthy cells may be attacked by abnormal cells | Y | Y | |
HbA1C |
Investigate for diabetes | Y* | Y | |
Fetal karyotyping |
Identify any structural or genetic problems of the foetus | Y* | Y* | Y* |
Parental karyotyping |
Identify any genetic abnormalities in either partner | Y* | Y* | Y* |
Endometriosis |
Part of a double blind randomised controlled trial | Y* |
*if indicated