Infertility
StefH1973
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PG after 4 years of unexplained infertility...there is hope, don't give up
StefH1973
member
in Infertility
Hi. I am StefH1973, but you can call me Stef. I am 41, have polycystic kidney disease, one fallopian tube that is scarred closed, and a history of HBP and DVT. I also just found out that I may also have a bicornuate or septate (heart shaped) uterus...I will get another sonogram at the hospital on Friday to confirm this. Over the past 4 years, I have undergone an insane amount of testing, poking, and prodding with no real answers after having a miscarriage at 6 weeks PG. I was treated by 2 infertility clinics, both of which did every test under the sun (all were normal). I completed 6 cycles of IUI and one cycle of stimulated IVF with embryonic genetic testing...which yielded one more early miscarriage at 6 weeks. To be honest, I had given up hope and resigned myself to be stuck in the "unexplained infertility" category. Recently, I went to the doctor after getting food poisoning and found out that I am PG again(totally spontanious). When I went to my Ob, I learned that I may have an abnormality with my uterus that would explain why I can get PG but always miscarry at 6 weeks (completely missed by both infertility clinics despite being numerous ultrasounds and going inside my uterus with a camera). Of course I have been preparing for another miscarriage...but for the first time ever, I have made it to 7 weeks PG, and this time there is implantation and a tiny heartbeat!
I tell you this story for two reasons...
First, if all your tests are coming back normal and you keep having early miscarriage or "chemical pregnancy"...insist that your doc checks for a bicornuate or septate uterus. It increases the risk for infertility and early miscarriage by 88%...I wish I had known about this when I was going through IVF, because it is correctable and I could have saved myself a lot of heartache, time, and tens of thousands of dollars in testing and treatment.
Second, I want you to know there is hope, no matter how difficult it may seem. If a hopeless case like me can get (and stay) PG without any help, despite all my risk factors and against all odds, then there is hope for others too.
I wish you all the best...I hope you all find answers to your infertility issues, and are able to successfully overcome infertility.
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Re: PG after 4 years of unexplained infertility...there is hope, don't give up
2012-2013: 3 Clomid cycles, 3 IUIs, all BFNs
IVF #1 January 2014: 14R/12M/9F 1 transferred, 3 frozen = BFN
FET #1 March 2014: 1 transferred = BFFN · FET #2 May 2014: 2 transferred = BFFN
IVF #2 June 2014: 24R/11M/10F 6 PGS tested: 1 normal embryo, 1 with no result
FET #3 in March 2015: 2 transferred = BFFN
Married for 7 years, TTC for 4 years
dx: Diminished Ovarian Reserve
2 Clomid IUI's + 4 injectable IUI's= 5 BFNs and 1 mc
Married for 7 years, TTC for 4 years
dx: Diminished Ovarian Reserve
2 Clomid IUI's + 4 injectable IUI's= 5 BFNs and 1 mc
You know what I hate about the "Don't Give Up" speech? It's that it ignores the fact that some women will never get pregnant and for some of them the right choice is for them is giving up on fertility treatments and moving on to another path like adoption or living childless.
Personally I don't find drive by BFP "inspirational" stories helpful. Their success has no bearing on my success.
TTC #1 since August 2011
My Blog
September 2012: Start IF testing
DH (32): SA is ok, slightly low morph, normal SCSA Me (32): Slightly low progesterone, hostile CM, carrier for CF, Moderately high NKC, High TNFa, heterozyogous mutated Factor XIII, and +APA
October 2012-May 2014: 4 failed IUIs, 3 failed IVFs, and 1 failed FETw/donor embryos
November 2014: IVF w/ICSI #4 Agonist/Antagonist with EPP and Prednisone, Baby Aspirin, Lovenox, and IVIG for immune issues. Converted to freeze all due to lining issues. 2 blasts frozen on day 6!
January 2015: FET #2 Cancelled due to lining issues
April 2015: FET #2.1
PAIF/SAIF Welcome!
Married for 7 years, TTC for 4 years
dx: Diminished Ovarian Reserve
2 Clomid IUI's + 4 injectable IUI's= 5 BFNs and 1 mc
Twinkie0612StefH1973 is indeed helpful to know about because, a Kidney patient has very lower odds of getting and staying pregnant (its worse for female patients). I constantly see posts by other Kidney patients who don't get pregnant or miscarry EVERYTIME on the Kidney boards. The fact that she did get a BFP and went on to 7 weeks, is something in itself & her point was something trivial and obvious to find was missed. Her kidneys are not working a 100% like most of ours work & this contributes to toxins building up in the system & many fertility issues and automatically makes her pregnancy a high risk one. She either has or will need a Kidney transplant & same goes with dialysis- as a witness to this disease, I will tell you that this is a horrible disease. Kidney disease messes up everything, the quality of your eggs, quality of your sperm, the ability to sustain a pregnancy, higher risk for diabetes & mother going into complete kidney failure (immediately requiring dialysis, which can cause loss of pregancy) etc.
DH : 36, has Chronic Kidney Disease, on dialysis & is waiting on the transplant list (average wait for B+ is 5 years)
Me: 36, Hypothyroidism, PCOS, BMI 32, need to be done with "child bearing" ASAP so that I can be a Kidney donor (was fun realizing we didn't as much time as we thought :-/ )
We're TTC#1
IUI #1 : 5mcg Letrozole (CD 3-7) + Ovidrel Trigger + Had the one follicle = BFN (March 2014)
IUI #2 : 5mcg Letrozole (CD 3-7) + 150 iu Bravelle on CD9 (after much begging!) + Had the one follicle = BFN (April 2014)
7th May 2014 - changed REs, this one seems to care (we think....)
IUI #3 : 7mcg Letrozole (CD 3- 7) + 75 iu Bravelle (CD 8-12) + CD12 Scan 5/16 + Had 3 follicles (2 under 15mm) = BFN(May 2014)
IUI #4 : 7mcg Letrozole (CD 3- 7) + 75 iu Bravelle (CD 8-12) + CD12 Scan 5/16 + Had 1 follicle + DH gave best sample so far = BFN(June 2014)
IVF#1 - ER Only Cycle Sept-Oct 2014, 17 eggs Retrieved, 14 mature, 10 fertilized, 6 made it to Blast & post PGS 5 were not viable due to chromosomal abnormalities
Not sure where we go from here...
We're parents to two very adorable, bratty, affectionate & goofy Bernese Mountain Dog pups who would very much like a 2 legged baby brother or sister of their own!
Most of us on this board have been (or are) in a clueless state on how to navigate our healthcare system, make some pretty tough decisions about our care, and which doctor is the one who can help.