'I had 13 miscarriages before falling pregnant - one thing was behind it all'

Julie Ashworth was so excited when she fell pregnant at the age of 27 that she told every person she knew.

The mum-to-be and her partner Paul couldn’t wait for her bundle of joy to arrive and had already started planning for the future.

But a few days after her eight-week scan, Julie started experiencing symptoms similar to period pains and noticed she was bleeding.

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Sadly, a hospital scan showed Julie had miscarried and the heartbroken couple had to let everyone know their baby had died.

But the tragedy wouldn’t stop there.

Julie didn’t know it at the time, but she actually had Crohn’s disease, a condition which can cause thrombophilia.

Thrombophilia means blood can clot easily which increases the risk of miscarriage.

This underlying condition would cause Julie to lose 12 more babies before doctors finally connected the dots.

“My life was on hold while I tried and tried again,” she told the Manchester Evening News.

“I felt fear that I couldn’t carry children, I felt guilt that I had somehow caused this and confusion that I was the youngest of seven children and my mum had no problem carrying babies. Why me?”

Julie, now 57, miscarried four more times throughout 1994 to 1996 – losing most of her babies at the eight-week mark.

After her third loss, she had blood tests taken but doctors were unable to figure out why she kept miscarrying.

In December 1996, Julie, from Wirral, suddenly became very ill with sharp stabbing pains down her side.

The severe pain spread to the tips of her shoulders and her chest, leaving her doubled over in agony.

She was rushed to A&E where she was operated on within hours – later