Scar tissue - question

[Juney09123]

We’ve been trying for our second for two years. First was a very lovely accident, so this journey has come as a shock. We’ve had two miscarriages one year apart.

We’re currently in month 5 of trying since our last miscarriage with no luck so far.

Since we conceived our first so easily, I’m convinced that something that has happened since their birth must have caused our problems now. The only thing that has changed since this is I had a c section, a small infection following this and an MVA(?) to resolve the first miscarriage. I’m worried that one of all of these things may have caused scar tissue in womb and/or tubes.

Would there be any obvious symptoms if I had this? I had a HyCoSy and several scans which I got normal results from but I’m not sure if they’re the best to check.

Hi,
Sorry to hear you're having these difficulties. I had several scans on the NHS as part of my fertility investigation (including a hycosy) and all appeared normal. However when we went private the consultant noticed that my uterine lining was too thin on my previous scans and so they are scanned to checked this at 3 different points in my cycle. He then said combined with my light periods and spotting before each one it was likely I had adhesions (possibly from my previous ERPC procedure for a molar pregnancy).
I was referred for a hysteroscopy and that is where they confirmed the adhesions in my uterus and removed them.

Maybe speak to your doctor about your concerns and see if they will do a hysteroscopy to check?

Hi @Juney09123 I had acar tissue/adhesions following a surgical TFMR. I'd gotten pregnant quickly, so when months of TTC passed with nothing happening, i thought there was something up. My periods were pretty light, they'd never been heavy, but they seemed not quite right and my lining was always showing thin on scans.

After about 7 months TTC again I had an ultrasound with a very good doctor who said she thought adhesions could be the issue (another scan prior to that had told me I didn't have any and apparently its quite common to be missed on an ultrasound) and then I had a hysteroscopy a little after that which revealed I had moderate adhesions and removed them, with a follow up hysteroscopy six weeks after to check they'd gone. Shortly after I did get pregnant, unfortunately a chemical, but I'm sure that the adhesions had been the problem before!

A good hycosy should be able to see if you have scar tissue, but a hysteroscopy is the gold standard for diagnosis and also treating scar tissue so this could be a good next step for you

Thank you this is really helpful. I had quite a few in-depth scans including a private one where they said my lining was tri-something or other and thick both which were correct as I was just about to ovulate. But I’m unsure if this could still happen whilst having scar tissue.

Were your periods considerably lighter? Mine are a little lighter but they used to be very heavy so now they feel more like a normal period. I get quite considerable pain around ovulation and first few days of period. Not enough to lay in bed but enough to take paracetamol.

I feel like it’s just the one thing that is in the back of my head and I just feel I need to know rather than live in this uncertainty.

Thank you this is so helpful. My lining was ok on the last scan I had, I wonder if this is still possible if adhesions are there?

It just seems strange how my troubles with getting pregnant all started following the MVA. My first pregnancy (successful) and my second pregnancy (miscarriage) were both within 2 months of trying, and following the MVA it’s been 2 x 5+ months with a suspected ectopic in the middle, which again fits in with adhesions. But my periods and tests so far don’t fit with it. It’s such a minefield!

My periods were never that heavy but were lighter after I had the erpc, the most noticeable change though was the spotting for 1/2 days several days before each period.

I had 2 scans and the hycosy before going private and was told they were normal but when the consultant at the private clinic reviewed the scans he pointed out the lining thickness was about half as thick as it should have been at that point in my cycle - this is what prompted him to do additional scans and the hysteroscopy to investigate what was going on with my lining.

After my molar pregnancy I did get pregnant naturally one more time but it was ectopic so never actually implanted in my womb lining.

I'm not sure if scarring always leads to light periods but with your history of difficulty conceiving since the MVA I would definitely ask about having a hysteroscopy as this is the best way to check and treat if needed.