Csection scar defect? TTC no5 😬

[Keepcrazyandcarryon]

Hello ladies, never posted on anything like this so please be patient with my ignorant self. I’ve had four gorgeous kids all with sections which have gone well and healed well (3 emergencies and 1 booked). This year my husband and I decided we’d love one more. I got pregnant very easily with my children which I am hugely grateful for but we’ve been trying for this little bean for 8 months and nearly every month ive got faint lines and then followed by a chemical pregnancy. It’s incredibly upsetting and I’m getting worried something is wrong but I feel so silly going to the doctors after being lucky enough to have got 4 gorgeous kids already. I don’t want to cost the NHS money when they’re people out there who are desperately trying to conceive their first or second child. Equally I’m broken hearted watching the lines fade and we feel we’re missing that last little one to complete our family. I’m a healthy 35 year old and nothing about my cycle has changed to indicate any obvious problems. I read about csection scar defects and wondered does anyone have experience with this as after researching, this seems the most likely problem? Any thoughts would be gratefully received, I feel silly, lost and sad that it just might not happen for us again.

As far as I'm aware they strongly advise no more that 3 csections and the fact you've already had 4 id strongly consider having a 5th or not. Have you looked into why they only recommend having 3 sections at most generally? It weakens your muscles each time and becomes more and more dangerous.

Thank you for your reply. Yes you’re totally right they do suggest this however I’ve read a lot of journals on this subject (background in biology which has helped 😃) and had discussions with my surgeon about further pregnancies in the past and they’ve been happy with my uterine thickness and healing to have more. I used to live in Germany where they don’t have this policy and had a chat with my consultsnt about having 5 and she said she’d performed sections on woman who’d had 5+ sections without issue and it becomes very much case by case basis. Recent research suggests that the risk after 3 only increases marginally although surgery can become more complex but there is admittedly currently a lack of research in this area. I’ve been fortunate that my scarring has been minimal so far and the surgeries have been uncomplicated so I’m not overly concerned with one more section that is unless I do now have an asymptomatic scar defect that isn’t yet diagnosed. Thank you for taking time to reply and it’s a good point. I’ve spent a lot of time considering this as I knew I wanted a big family when I started my family and was very upset when I had an emergency section in labour with my first because of this added risk.

8 months isn't that long although I know it feels it. I wouldn't worry about costing the NHS money, they'll only do blood tests to start with anyway. I've got two kids and am 43. The nhs are going to do basic fertility blood tests but I wouldn't expect much more from them. Certainly not IVF. If you're happy to accept there will be a limit to what they'll be able to offer, then I think your best bet is the NHS.

Thank you so much for your kind message Kirinm! It feels like an eternity when your waiting and testing all the time with such disappointment after naps every month. I have such a deepened respect for couples who struggle to conceive and what they go through. For me, I guess I wouldn’t be so worried if it wasn’t for these chemicals. I know nothing about what the nhs offer and no idea what to expect especially given we already have a big family so that’s really helpful, thank you. I think we’d accept it isn’t meant to be if there wasn’t any simple fix and wouldn’t go down the IVF even if it was an option. Good to know if I do what would likely happen if I did go to the GP. Would be nice to know what was going on.

You may get referred to the recurrent miscarriage clinic but I'm not sure if they'd expect miscarriages in later weeks rather than chemicals. I was seen in the RMC and they did similar tests and a scan. Said everything was okay and it was just bad luck and that was that.

“we’ve been trying for this little bean for 8 months and nearly every month ive got faint lines and then followed by a chemical pregnancy.”

This doesn’t sound quite right to me and like something else might be happening. Are you saying you’ve had the following sequence around 6 times in the last 8 months?

Period, ovulation, conception, positive test, negative test, period…etc. I had to google chemical pregnancy definition but it says a loss within 5 weeks, still painful though so I’m sorry It sounds stressful to have so many positive then negative tests.

I’m thinking that possibly there might perhaps be another reason that you have elevated HCG levels though? I have heard that the scar can be an issue if the embryo implants into the scar tissue, but that’s a kind of ectopic pregnancy I think and is v unusual even once.

Thanks, it’s so frustrating as they’re are so many factors. Like a needle in a haystack! Curious what they’ll say if I do end up making an appointment!

Yes unfortunately, it’s all very odd. I get a faint positive at around 9dpo which sticks around for a few days and then my period arrives. I read about this possibility and wondered that perhaps it’s benign cyst that’s causing low level hcg. There’s some scarier stuff too so perhaps another reason why I might need to look it to this to double check it isn’t something that needs sorting. Thank you!

Hiya I know this an old post but wondering if you got pregnant I also have 4 children all csections . Then starting trying for a 5th child unsuccessfully for over a yr so paid to have it investigated and found I have a C-section scar defect and have Fluid in the uterus and it makes it a not good environment for implantation or sperm I will be having surgery to remove the fluid

Following new post on this as wondering if anyone else has had similar troubles. I have one DD who is 2 and a half, c section as she was breach. Took us about 18m to conceive a second time and during that I was diagnosed with a uterine niche due to very heavy and prolonged periods, but my GP dismissed this as a fertility issue and wouldn't refer me onwards. When we finally conceived back in May I miscarried at 7 weeks and this took a long time to fully resolve, with an outcome of ectopic or PUL, because I wasn't scanned when I should have been, no one was sure. My HCG took about 6 weeks to come down and now we are TTC but nothing happening, Tia x