C-section complication / scar tissue and possible infertility

[Periwinklethekittycat]

Almost 8 years ago, when my DD was born I had severe complications from my C section and had to be rushed to hospital. because for the following 6 months it was never treated properly I developed scar tissue. I had laparoscopy surgery overseas and they warned me about possible infertility but I didn’t care that much back then.

Now that I’m getting ready for DC #2 I’m starting to get worried about all of this scar tissue and how t will affect my chances. We haven’t even started trying , but if there’s a chance it will slow things down and I need to do something about I’d rather to start the TTC period ASAP so we can get that secondary infertility sorted.

I guess the bottom line, has anybody here developed secondary infertility due to c section complications and how long did it take to conceive?

I have read an article that people who have had c sections take longer to conceive that those who've had normal deliveries.

To be honest there are lots of causes for secondary infertility and people who've had normal vagina deliveries have no guarantees they'll conceive a second time easily.

If having a second child is important to you I'd just crack on! But I'm biased and had my perspective skewed as I'm 32 with diminished ovarian reserve and don't understand why anyone who knows they want a child doesn't just get on with it !!

Thanks hoping ! We’re also not getting any younger (I’m 34) and hitting the dreaded 35 for pregnancies makes me very worried!! I’m also severly anemic, so in that way I should probably wait...but i panic it’s going to take forever!

Sorry to hear your story, Peri. I also had severe complications including sepsis and I had to have 6 further surgeries including an abdominal reconstruction following plastic surgery to close my abdomen. I had DD 4 months ago and I still have a wound and visits from the district nurses. I have never really thought about how the scar tissue might impact on my ability to conceive in the future.

I do know that I had a great obstetric doctor, and I fully intend on getting an appointment with her before we start TTC again (if indeed we do at all, I nearly died and would have left my DD without a mummy and that thought haunts me).

Can you have an appointment with an obstetric consultant before you TTC so that your mind can be put at rest re: scar tissue and the risks of it occurring again? The calmer you are and the more happy and relaxed you feel might increase your chances anyway.

Good luck

Nick I think in an ideal world that would be the case, but it has taken them (no joking!) 6 months to send me for an iron infusion when I’ve always had unexplained anemia (and that test in January was a severe scare for leukaemia....

So I don’t have any hopes that they’ll send me to a consultant just because I’ll TTC soon. Of course, I could go the private path (although here there are no real private hospitals...)

That's a shame, I mean I certainly wouldn't TTC without having seen a consultant. I would really want to know the risk of it happening again, and what they will do to prevent it happening again.

Why not just crack on in that case, and if there's nothing within 6 months, head back to your GP (or similar) for a referral?

Are you tracking your cycle?

i track because of other reasons but not for fertility awareness (I tend to have very bad PMT, so I like to be prevented).

There are some external factors that mean that SENSIBLY we should wait, but realistically that wait is going to be YEARS. SO if I wait until it’s the right time in that regard... I’ll end up TTC knowing that I might have trouble conceiving at 36 which is not ideal.

SO that way we see it is, i get the coil removed (which in theory should help with the scar tissue) and then just crack on, without being too fixated about it.

When you say "realistically the wait is going to be years" you just don't know that -might happen first time!