TTC after Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (after abortion) please help!

[Nic81111]

Hi there

I got pregnant in September this year with an abusive partner who basically bullied me into having a medical abortion at 5-6 weeks.

Everything with the at home abortion went okay but a week later I was noticing a few twinges in my ovaries.

3 weeks after the abortion I had really bad lower abdomen pain, particularly in my left hand side, as well as gas and bloating.

I booked straight in with the GP that day (friday) and he was a bit perplexed, but wondered if I’d had PID although I didn’t have all the signs like burning when urinating etc. He diagnosed me with PID and I’ve been on a two week antibiotic course since.

I’ve since split up with my BF but the abortion is the biggest mistake of my life, I’m 31 and want children. I’ve been googling PID all weekend and am absolutely terrified about the damage that’s now been done to my Fallopian tubes and the chances of getting pregnant in the future. The only thing is most people who have shared their experience had chlamydia which caused their PID and therefore had no idea how long they had it. My STI test has come back clear for chlamydia so I’m 100% mine was caused by my abortion, so the longest I could have had PID for was for 3 weeks.

Does anyone know how much damage this would have caused? Has anyone TTC post PID? I’m so worried I’m even considering paying privately (£500+) for a private fertility test to see if my Fallopian tubes have had any damage

Hello, I’m sorry to hear about what’s happened to you. It’s really horrible. Unfortunately I don’t know how much damage it will have done - but you can have a pelvic exam on the NHS - perhaps see if your Dr will refer you. I would be surprised if an abortion could have too big an impact though.

I think with anything to do with pregnancy getting tests can help give you the reassurance you need.

Wishing you lots of luck

Hi @Nic81111

I had severe PID when I was pregnant in 2016/17. They don't know how I got it and just said I was "unlucky". All STI tests came back negative. As a result I ended up having a miscarriage at 7 weeks. I'd developed an abscess on my ovary which caused a tonne of scar tissue and was leaking puss.

I have only just got a BFP after 2 rounds of IVF. I had to have my ovary and both Fallopian tubes removed (but I have severe endo so it's hard to say if my tubes were blocked due to endo or the infection).

I'm sorry this isn't an entirely positive story for you. But if I were you I'd definitely get checked out but by the sound of it, it seems your infection was caught early and hadn't progressed too badly.

Good luck xx

I’m no expert OP but I thought that it would have to have been undiagnosed for a lot longer than 3 weeks to cause the kind of damage to affect your reproductive system.

You started feeling the pain and went straight to get antibiotics so hopefully that will be fine. Xx

@Loulabelle90

Hi *@Nic81111*

I had severe PID when I was pregnant in 2016/17. They don't know how I got it and just said I was "unlucky". All STI tests came back negative. As a result I ended up having a miscarriage at 7 weeks. I'd developed an abscess on my ovary which caused a tonne of scar tissue and was leaking puss.

I have only just got a BFP after 2 rounds of IVF. I had to have my ovary and both Fallopian tubes removed (but I have severe endo so it's hard to say if my tubes were blocked due to endo or the infection).

I'm sorry this isn't an entirely positive story for you. But if I were you I'd definitely get checked out but by the sound of it, it seems your infection was caught early and hadn't progressed too badly.

Good luck xx

Hi, thank you, I’m over the moon you’ve had a BFP, congrats!! Can I ask how long you think you’d had the PID for before you were diagnosed in pregnancy? Had you had any symptoms before?

@Overlyanxious

Hello, I’m sorry to hear about what’s happened to you. It’s really horrible. Unfortunately I don’t know how much damage it will have done - but you can have a pelvic exam on the NHS - perhaps see if your Dr will refer you. I would be surprised if an abortion could have too big an impact though.

I think with anything to do with pregnancy getting tests can help give you the reassurance you need.

Wishing you lots of luck

Thank you, I think getting tests is a great idea!

@TableFlowerss

I’m no expert OP but I thought that it would have to have been undiagnosed for a lot longer than 3 weeks to cause the kind of damage to affect your reproductive system.

You started feeling the pain and went straight to get antibiotics so hopefully that will be fine. Xx

Thanks tableflowers, me too. My sister is a nurse and said the same. But I may get proper testing to be sure

I had no idea I had the infection until it was far too late unfortunately. I had no signs or symptoms. Even the gynaecologist said he doesn't know how I got it, as when you're pregnant the cervix closes to prevent infection 🤷🏼‍♀️ xxx

@Loulabelle90

I had no idea I had the infection until it was far too late unfortunately. I had no signs or symptoms. Even the gynaecologist said he doesn't know how I got it, as when you're pregnant the cervix closes to prevent infection 🤷🏼‍♀️ xxx

That’s crazy, and very scary too! So pleased you have been able to get a BFP though