TTC after ectopic part 3

[that90sgirl]

@coffeewithmilk @HereIfYouNeedMe @myrainbowjourney

@Louise276 - so sorry for the delay this week time has run away with me...
I went to the doc after 6 months of trying as I'm 38 and started with the usual forms and test requests, given that this was around the same time as covid hit we found we had to pay privately for a lot of our tests to get things moving. It was just after this that I experienced the ectopic and my AMH result came back devastatingly low - I was treated with mexotrethate as they caught it very early on and I was monitored closely. My consultant wanted to go in and do a laparoscopic surgery to try and remove endometriosis which she suspects I have, however covid meant this type of surgery was on hold for the foreseeable and in the meantime my AMH suggested that I have a diminished ovarian reserve so she re reviewed my prognosis and age and decided we should probably move forward with ivf as time was a factor. I had to push and push for this protocol though, which involved a lot of emails and calls trying to get answers conscious that time is a factor - it was NHS, one cycle is offered in our area
We paid privately for semen analysis as it was the only way we could get results quickly. I was approaching the two year mark when I finally got treatment but I think age plays a factor there too? I would suggest definitely get a semen analysis if you can they will only ask for one prior to IVF anyway for their records, have you had AMH tested? This can give a good indication of ovarian reserve - hope this helps! X

Hi @Louise276 in terms of the risk of another ectopic, although this is generally higher for ivf I felt a lot safer doing the ivf than ttc naturally. With natural ttc I knee the egg HAD to pass through my remaining tube and the same could happen again. Whereas with ivf obviously you by pass the tube all together. I spent a lot of my time lying on my right post transfer in the hope that gravity would stop it travelling up my remaining left tube! During my laparascopy they found I had pelvic adhesions, endometriosis and that my left ovary (the one with a tube) is much smaller than my right which can be a sign of diminished reserve. These factors all also played in to my decision.

My other thought was that if I was going to have another ectopic I would rather get it out of the way ASAP than it happen after another year of trying!

We went with Oxford fertility which is in our area but not the closest to us. They are a well established clinic and had good statistics on the hfea website. I was also impressed with the initial consultation we had. Despite us being private they were not pushy at all and I respected their medical knowledge.

Ivf as a process was fine. Don't get me wrong injecting yourself isn't ideal but luckily I was on a short protocol so didn't have to do it for long. I also had reasonably good AMH and DH has super sperm.

I really hope it all works out for you!

Thank you so much for coming back to me, your advice is so helpful!

@Luan82 I don’t think we would have any joy with NHS but since your last message I have found a clinic near us and may make an appointment in Jan to get the ball rolling. It seems like they do packages of fertility tests with that - most of what we have already had done so I think we will look to get a semen analysis done separately so they have everything they need test result wise to look at a protocol for us.

I have had AMH tested which was 13.5 which apparently is average for my age (32) but I didn’t think it was that good. I did have my follicle count done at the same time which came back out at 20 (10 on each ovary) which is apparently pretty good.

@DoctorBambino I get completely where your coming from, as I said, it seems like we are in a similar position to where you were. Oxford fertility is a bit too far away from us (although I know the guy from there is on BFN). I have done a bit of research and found a couple of clinics in my local area to look at getting an appointment for the new year.

In terms of IVF being actually ok and manageable - this is the way I feel. After 2 MC and one ectopic, I feel like IVF is manageable to get through.

Thank you again for all of your advice, it has helped me massively!

Much love xx

@Louise276 no problem - I'm so pleased we could help - even just a little bit 🙂 for comparison- my AMH last year was 4.6 (very low) and my AFC count was 7 across both ovaries one was four and one was three - this Probably goes some way to explain why I never fell pregnant naturally aside from the ectopic. I really hope that things start to get better - I know when I had a path forward it really helped me xx

I got my bloodwork done last cycle and I'm a bit confused, maybe someone of you can help me. @Luan82 you mentioned that your AMH of 4.6 is considered very low. I got a reading of 1.5 and my OB-GYN said it's a very good result. According to this site, it is good. rmanetwork.com/blog/anti-mullerian-hormone-amh-testing-of-ovarian-reserve/ According to others, it's really low. Are there different tests?

@Bundaberg84 - doesn't sound quite right, I think you might need to check the type of test and how it's measured - are you in the uk? The US measures AMH differently so it works out a lower figure - mine is like 0.46 in US standards, check if the measurements are in pmol/L see below for a guide you can see mine is on the edge of very low :

At any age, a score over 48 pmol/L is considered a relatively high AMH level and could be an initial indication of PCOS.
...
What is a good AMH level?
Ovarian fertility potential
pmol/l
High
40.04 - 67.9
Satisfactory AMH
21.98 - 40.03
Low AMH
3.08 - 21.97
Very low AMH
0.0 - 3.07

@Bundaberg84 worth noting that this is relative to age too as it naturally declines with age so whats defined as high for a twenty year old is very high for a 30 yr old - think mine should have been around 15-20 ideally for my age

@Hlump1980 can I please ask you where did you do your PAI-1 4G blood test? I am trying to get this test but can’t seem to find it. Is it part of any blood test pannel? Did any doctor refer you for this specific test or were there any other tests you did along with it? Thank you in advance for the information 🙏

@K8dferXdder
I went to Prog Regan in London. She is linked to St Mary’s hospital London. I went private with her through the One Wellbeck clinic. She did quite a few other tests too.

Just an update from me... baby Max was born on 11.1.22 (at 37 weeks). He is an absolute dream and I am so so grateful to have him!

@coffeewithmilk and @luan82 you must both be due soon too! Hope all is going well xx

@DoctorBambino congratulations!! I was only thinking of you recently and thought you must be due soon!
I'm 37+3 and becoming very impatient!! Very uncomfortable at this stage but know it'll all be worth it!

Hope you are feeling well. Enjoy your baby bubble 💙💙

@DoctorBambino - huge congratulations!! So happy for you!! 💙 I'm 32 weeks now and definitely feeling big!! I've had a few issues with the midwife sending me back and forth to the consultant- she doesn't seem to know much about dealing with an IVF pregnancy ! Thanks for checking in!! xx

Congratulations @DoctorBambino some lovely news for this thread ❤️ my wee one is 13 weeks now and we're horrifically sleep deprived but loving life otherwise 😂

Congratulations DoctorBambino and welcome to the world little Max. So lovely to see so much good news from the crew who were all hanging in there together, this time last year.

Congratulations all on getting to the end of your pregnancies/all of those new babies. Since my ectopic and operation in May 2021 (2 MCs prior to this) hearing the positive stories has given me so much hope so thanks for keeping us updated with all of your lovely news.

A little update from me...

We are still TTC, in the TWW of cycle #7. Have lost a bit more weight so I am now 2 stone lighter than my second MC - not quite in the ok weight category but feeling a lot fitter and better for loosing the weight.

We have our IVF consultation (self-funded) on the 3rd Feb. All fertility tests done and have come back ok - just waiting on DH sperm analysis which may come back today. As we have got pregnant 3 times in the last 2 years I am expecting that to be ok, so fingers crossed.

For those of you who did do IVF - what did you find the most difficult bit/how did you manage stress?

Likewise - are there any good questions we should be asking at our first consultation?

My husband and myself are v busy with work between now and the end of March if we have still had no joy by then, we will be looking to start our first cycle in April.

Thank you and big congratulations to all again!

Xx

Hey ladies.

I'm having a tough time, 5 cycles into 6 cycles of fertility treatment and having no luck.

Does anyone have any positive stories about getting pregnant when ovulating from the tubeless side? My follicle tracking scan showed the dominant follicle on the right side, which is tubeless. We are hoping the left side catches up but I'm feeling like this cycle is pretty hopeless 😢

To anyone reading through this thread :
Our little miracle boy arrived last week, 2 weeks earlier than planned.
He was long awaited for, after 3 ectopics, and the loss of both tubes.. we started our ivf journey last year and it lead us to our precious son.
We are besotted.
Anyone still on their journey, my heart goes out to you, it's not easy but you will get there
X

@coffeewithmilk

To anyone reading through this thread : Our little miracle boy arrived last week, 2 weeks earlier than planned. He was long awaited for, after 3 ectopics, and the loss of both tubes.. we started our ivf journey last year and it lead us to our precious son. We are besotted. Anyone still on their journey, my heart goes out to you, it's not easy but you will get there X

Congratulations @coffeewithmilk! That's so wonderful! Thank you for sharing the good news with us.

Congratulations @coffeewithmilk. Your determination and love to have your baby has just been the most inspiring story. May your little one have a long and happy life ahead of him.

Just popping in to say hi, and what lovely news on the new announcements and arrivals. It's so good that there are still such positive stories for everyone to read through.

My second post ectopic just turned one, and I'm still feel like I'm not done yet. Dh doesn't want any more kids though, and I'm not sure I could find the mental energy to start ttc again.

Hi everyone!
Firstly I want to say what strong women you all are! I stumbled upon the 2020 thread last night and I couldn’t stop reading your stories… I am so so sorry you had to go through all this!
I remember reading about your hard journey @coffeewithmilk and I just want to say I am so happy you have your rainbow, finally. You don’t know me of course and I only know you through what I read on the first thread.
I feel like a know a little about everyone of you.. I promise I am not a stalker.. I just need some support to talk about what I have been through I guess.
I had an ectopic pregnancy on the 24th January this year, my second pregnancy. I am 33 years old, no risks known for an ectopic. It was a surprise pregnancy but very wanted. I have a LO, he’s 15months old and I am still breastfeeding. I never got a period and that was my first time ovulating after his birth…

I found out that I was pregnant on the 14th January, but I knew something was wrong from the first blazing positive test. On the 4th January I had bleeding and spotting for 5-6days and I just assumed it was my period. I rang my GP the same day I got my positive, because I honestly thought I had a miscarriage but at the same time I was confused, because the test line of the test was more coloured than the control line and I knew hcg must have been quite high. I only had a very dull pain, similar to what I used to have with my first pregnancy, but when I was asked if how the pain was, I said it was a mild one. I was so lucky that this nurse listened to my concerns, he told me he’ll ring me back in a couple of minutes because he need to talk to EPU to do a referral.
This was Friday, he managed to book me in for a scan on Wednesday. The wait was so long,I kept praying to have been a Haematoma.. but they couldn’t see anything at all on scan.. the endometrium was normal.. They did hcg and progesterone testing that day and the progesterone was low. I knew at that moment that something was really wrong.. with the second hcg value I knew I had a non-viable pregnancy.
At this point I was praying for an incomplete miscarriage… but there was nothing in my uterus.
On Saturday morning I had another scan and they couldn’t find anything. The consultant asked me to come back in the evening to be scanned by her.. she was certain I was having an ectopic and she found it in my right tube.
She told me I have the choice of Methotrexate or surgery, but after reading a lot of studies I have decided that my hcg levels were to high for it to be successful (only 65%- it wasn’t an option, as I was breastfeeding).
Monday morning I had the surgery, I was left without my right tube and without my little bean.
I feel so sad especially that I don’t even know the gestational age 😔 I am guessing maybe 6 or 7 weeks, because I used to test randomly for pregnancy.
I do apologise of this huge post… I just wanted to share my story as well.
I am 4 weeks post-surgery, with no period yet. We haven’t started ttc yet, I want to wait for at least 2 cycles

@Shanya17 I am so sorry you find yourself in this thread, and you had to go through it all. So glad everything went well though. Let yourself feel all the emotions, whatever they are.
And as a side note, very interesting you mentioned you knew something was wrong. I was the same. I knew I was going to be pregnant that cycle, and I think on the same day I got the BFP I felt something was wrong. Intuition is a weird thing.

So true with the intuition. I am so sorry for your loss @Bundaberg84 ! Thank you for the kind words. I try to be grateful for what I have, but at the same time I keep wondering why and what if…😞 I hope it gets better in time.
At the moment I am concerned that my period has not returned yet and I had no signs of ovulation. I know it can take 2 to 10weeks for it to come back but I am unsure if it will be the case with mine, having the ectopic pregnancy on my first fertile cycle (since 2 years ago)

Yes it might take a while. You will get there though! Are you tracking with opk?

Thank you! Yes, opk and bbt + I haven’t noticed any fertile cervical mucus in the last 2 weeks. I guess I just need to be patient for the moment. I can’t really do much about it. I have a hospital follow-up appointment at the end of April (3 months post-op). I don’t really know what to expect and I am not sure why they booked me in so late (maybe because of covid).