Do I have Ashermans?

[Babycakez]

Hi all. This is my first ever time of posting on any kind of forum so please be patient with me!

After a mmc last year I had an erpc surgery. My periods come back but they are lighter and I get spotting for more than half my cycle. I went to docs who checked all hormones (all good apparently) although I don't always ovulate. After a trans vag scan I was told I had a polycystic ovary (but not the syndrome) and the lady said there was some irregularity with the lining. When I spoke to the doctor about the results he said it is 'borderline uterine scaring'. He didn't tell me anything else and I've been waiting patiently to see a gyno. I've been scaring myself silly googleing what it means and am very confused! Does anyone know if this means I have ashermans? And can it be diagnosed this way? Could they be wrong? I'm terrified I might not be able to have another child. Please help! Thank you

I had lots of scar tissue in my uterus from first c section, and had light periods after my first child, I managed to have a second child - they struggled getting her out when I had second C-section due to all the scar tissue but I managed to have her ok. no idea if I had ashermans or not but I had light periods and scarring and still managed ok, had problems ovulating and had to go on clomid but i'm not sure if that was related to the scarring.

Hi Babeycakes

Try not to panic, I know it's easier said than done. If you search on the talk archive on here there is a really helpful thread about ashermans. Hopefully your gynae will be able to diagnose you properly - I've heard that's the hardest part getting diagnosed.

If you're in the south east of England there is an ashermans specialist called Adrian Lower who is meant to be one of the top in this field. I am worried that I might have it too but I haven't made an appointment yet.

Good luck

Hi OP, I also had lighter periods after an erpc last year and struggled to conceive again. Like you, I was told I had borderline polycystic ovaries although my hormones were all within normal range. I convinced myself I had Ashermans and saw Dr Lower in London, who did a transvaginal US from which he said it looked like I did have some scarring. Booked in for the op to have it removed, only to wake up from the anaesthetic and be told that actually there was no scarring after all! I think this just goes to show it is extremely hard to diagnose uterine scarring from an US, even when it's done by an expert in the field, so don't panic just yet.

And to give some hope, I finally managed to conceive again a year after my erpc and am currently 19 weeks pregnant! Good luck ttc, I hope you get your BFP soon.

Thank you so much guys for your replys! Feeling much more hopeful now and have finally got the appointment to see the gyno next week so hopefully he will give me some answers!

Metalhead - congrats on your bfp!!!!
It's great to hear from someone that's gone through something so similar. Just hope I'm as lucky as you! Could I ask you about this Dr Lower guy? How hard is it to get to see him? Is he very expensive? Thank you so much for your help! x

baby as Dr Lower only practises privately it's very easy to get an appointment with him, but it is expensive unless you've got private health insurance. I just rang his secretary and made an appointment for the next week. The initial consultation plus scan I think cost about £600; the hysteroscopy where he also flushed my tubes cost about £5k, but thankfully I managed to get most of it paid by BUPA.

Metalhead what symptoms did you have that lead you to suspect ashermans? I have also been told I'm borderline pcos but get a lot of back pain which I never had before my d & c, and my periods seem different - not necessarily lighter but like something is trapped up there?!

I think I have ashermans but I keep getting fobbed off by doctors and gynaecologists, do you think a hsg would show up any scarring?

Sorry to hijack thread Babeycakes!

battenberg my periods were much lighter and less 'clotty' after my erpc, went from a week with 2-3 days heavy flow to around 4-5 days with just 1 day medium/heavy flow and the rest mainly spotting. I also had lots of cramping and pain during ov and leading up to AF. Oh, and the fact the longest it had taken me to conceive before the erpc was 4 cycles (took 11 in the end with this pregnancy).

I'm not sure about the HSG, I think it might show up scarring though the 'gold standard' for diagnosing Ashermans as far as I know is hysteroscopy.

Thanks Metalhead I hope I don't have it but will continue my investigations

Babycakez -do you mind if I hijack your thread too? I posted in Conception but have had no replies.

I have had 4 mcs and have ended up having 3 erpcs. I had a hysteroscopy at St Marys in March and they found adhesions - treatment was 2 mirena coils and HRT for a month.

The problem is that my periods have shortened yet again (now 1.5 days with no 'liquid' (apologies for tmi) and I have no signs of ovulation either.

I am trying to schedule a telephone consultation with a Dr from St Marys shortly but I was wondering if it's worth exploring other consultants...

Hi, I am looking for help and advice from anyone who may be going through a similar experience to me please.

I had a D and C at 12 weeks on April 2018. Since then straight away afterwards I noticed a significant change in my periods. I used to be 5 days (heavy flow - needed to use super tampons and pads) and now they only last 2 days (light flow - only use pads). They have been like this for 2 years now, I haven't tried to conceive again as that relationship ended and I'm honestly terrified about something being wrong which may lead me to have miscarriages etc.

I have booked a consultation with Mr Adrian Lower in London who is a specialist in Ashermans (this is after months and months of having trouble getting any info on this and being dismissed by other doctors saying there was nothing to worry about even though my body has clearly changed straight away after the procedure).
I am considering having a hysterosalpingogram to examine for any damage and then a hysteroscopy to divide any scarring if it (most likely there).

Has anyone else been through this? If so were you able to conceive and have a healthy pregnancy? I'm so depressed and worried.

Thanks in advance.

Sorry to hear @crumpet22 I've been through the process. Developed Asherman's after an ERPC in feb 17. My period had completely disappeared, turns out my cervix was a mass of scar tissue. Ended up seeing Adrian Lower after a lot of research and he successfully treated it and I fell pregnant naturally the first cycle after the post op hormone (Mirena, high dose oestrogen for a month). Sadly after my son was born it recurred (retained placenta) but unsure whether to do anything about it as we now have 2 fab children. He's really kind and I would highly recommend.

Good luck, it's an emotional rollercoaster.

Thank you very much for your reply. So in your case your uterus was largely ok and it was mainly the cervix. Where would the menstrual blood go if it was unable to pass through the cervix? Did your periods go back to normal following your hysteroscopy? I guess you didnt have many before falling pregnant. Do you not have periods again now? Sorry just trying to get my head around this all. Wish I hadnt had to have the D and C done =( I havent got any children so far and conceived so easily before the damage x

@swishswashswoosh

I thought that about the blood. No idea to be honest, I think my body just responded by not building the lining up at all . I had one withdrawal bleed before I fell pregnant so no real idea about whether I would have had ‘normal’ periods but I was all over the shop prior to my child previously so the Hysteroscopy did enough to reset my body without doing any damage. That is the art I think in treating this I think. Since my son my periods were lighter, scans suggest scarring in different areas of my uterus and i still managed to fall pregnant but it ended up being a mmc and the testing on the foetus showed it was a trisomy disorder so nothing to do with the ashermans. Good luck, honestly Mr Lower is superb so even if it gives you peace of mind it is more than worth the money. I know two others who feared ashermans who saw him and he reassured it wasn’t, tweaked cycles with meds and both almost immediately pregnant following.