Both tubes gone - ivf experiences

[coffeewithmilk]

Hi,

I've recently lost my remaining tube due to a ruptured ectopic.
We are being put forward for IVF but are awaiting to hear from the clinic.

Anyone else had no tubes and has had ivf?
I presume IVF is the only option to start our family? I've had a look online and al the iui/icsi etc is all very confusing

Thank you

I also lost both my tubes to ruptured ectopics but am now 31 weeks with twins

IUI isn't suitable for you as all they do is inject the sperm at the right time into your uterus and leave it to make its own way to the egg which would require having tubes to facilitate that

If there is one "good" thing its that no tubes does make IVF a tiny bit less risky. IVF actually increases the risk of having an ectopic- my second ectopic was following an IVF transfer and if your tubes don't work you really don't want to lose a precious embryo to an ectopic

Are you eligible for IVF on the NHS? ie you're below a certain age and BMI neither you or your partner have children already? And don't live somewhere like Cambridgeshire which doesn't fund any IVF at all? I would check what your local authority provides in terms of numbers of cycles?

I ended up needing 5 cycles of IVF - but 2 of those were before I lost my last tube and then did a 3 cycle package afterwards and that was successful for me.

If you go private and can afford it I'd recommend doing a multi cycle package as it takes some of the stress/pressure off especially as you no longer have a chance to conceive naturally - that was the hardest part for me after losing my second tube was having to give up all hope of having a miracle naturally conceived baby (i know so many people who had IVF then got pregnant naturally and that hope sort of kept me going until my second ectopic)

@ivfbeenbusy hope you don't mind me asking if you happen to know- why is that IVF increases chances for ectopic? Is it not that embyo is placed into your uterus hence 'skipping' the whole 'travelling down the tube' part? I had one ectopic with ruptured tube. Doing our first IVF cycle in Jan and so scared...😣

@Doremifasol

It's basically something to do with negative pressure - and inserting the embryos from the "wrong" end if you like - remember they are basically fired into your uterus in a fluid solution and that momentum isn't something that occurs in national conception - it can cause the embryos to be sucked back into the tubes and if your tubes don't work then they aren't capable of moving the embryos back to the uterus like they would with someone who has no history of ectopics

It's a small increase in risk but an increase nevertheless but not something spoken about much by clinics - mine didn't mention it until after I'd already done the double transfer (also increasing the risk!) and had my second ectopic 🤦‍♀️

That being said everyone I know who either had a tube repaired/operated on as well as a history of ectopics with no obvious cause (ie fluid build up) have gone on to lose the tube via IVF due to an ectopic

If your tubes don't work unfortunately there is no known test to confirm if they do or not (only getting pregnant with a baby in the right place would confirm it) or anyway to repair them either x

Thank you so much for your reply.
You seem to know what you're talking about @ivfbeenbusy
I've ordered a book from Amazon on all things ivf to help me understand a bit more.
Currently have an appointment booked with a private clinic (we don't get IVF funding in Ireland, so unfortunately to get any ivf you have to pay - I believe they could be changing this in the next year or two but who knows with covid!)
I'm hoping to try and understand a bit more about the whole process before my initial consultation and then go from there
Thank you for your insight and I'm sorry you've also gone through ectopics - it's an awful experience.
X

Sorry to hear of your ectopic. I’ve had a round of IVF in Ireland. Both tubes blocked from abdominal surgery when I was a teenager. I had success with my first transfer and am currently 19 weeks pregnant. You are correct in that the only option is IVF - IUI involves the tubes so no use. My doctor was very encouraging -if the issue is tubal factor then they can have very good success rates. I was devastated initially but found my clinic very good and got a couple of embryos to freeze also. If you have any questions I’d be happy to help :)

@AfterGlow87 congratulations!!
That's really reassuring news!! We have gotten pregnant first time every time we tried but it's just been the wrong place so I'm reassured by the fact the eggs etc are ok! I just have a reoccurring thought that I have triangle shaped eggs and that's why they keep getting stuck 😂

I have my first appointment in a clinic in dublin in February. I've read quite mixed reviews on every clinic I looked into and thought this one might be the best for myself and my husband 🤞🏻