For those who had fertility issues - how did you eventually get a good outcome?

[PunCana]

Hi,

I'm looking for advice from others that have had a difficult time getting their good outcomes and having their children. I've been trying to start a family for almost 5 years and have had no luck at all and have yet to have a baby. Ive had 6 x miscarriages so far and pretty sure I'm about to have my 7th miscarriage due to very faint pregnancy tests and fading symptoms. So far I've had 4 x missed miscarriages and 2 x ectopics (no tubes removed, thankfully). The missed miscarriages were put down to a uterine septum, but have had that removed in, but have gone on to have another miscarriage since then (possibly two now - depending on the outcome of this one).

I just want to know from those who have had fertility issues- how did you get your baby in the end? Was there any other tests or treatments? Like IVF? A lifestyle change? Was it surrogacy or adoption?

Looking to see if there is anything more I can do that I haven't already done.

We are on the waiting list for IVF through the NHS. However I'm told this probably won't increase our chances any as I can get pregnant.

The things I've done so far are:

• Generally stay pretty healthy through good diet and regular exercise. Don't smoke and cut down alcohol.
• Had my uterine septum removed
• Had some uterine scar tissue removed
• Accupuncture weekly since last Summer
• High dose folic acid every day
• Progesterone pessaries each pregnancy for last 3 or 4 pregnancies (not this one on advice of midwife due to possible ectopic)
• Steroids for one pregnancy
• Pre-pregnancy supplements every day for last few years
• Had all the testing done available from the recurring miscarriage clinic with nothing abnormal found
• Have had testing done for NK killer cells
• Had karpotyping done for both me and my husband with nothing abnormal found.

Anything else I can do that may work? Would be so grateful for any suggestions!

Hello @PunCana - I’m sorry it’s been so hard. Recurrent miscarriages are incredibly tough.

I don’t have any personal experience of this - but you are doing so much already and all in right direction. Physical issues being addressed & appropriate tests.

Hoping that things change for you.

Recurrent miscarriage expert would be my only other suggestion.

Test husband sperm! Extend test and fish!! Went to fertility solutions and it led to us finding out why we kept miscarrying and having poor ivf rounds with no blasts. Wish someone had told me this to save the heartache. Husband sperm dna frag terrible- led to us doing artificial insemination and him regularly clearing the tubes so to speak (13-14 times around my ovulation window!) led to us falling pregnant naturally and not miscarrying after 4 previous losses.

I second testing your partners sperm. Also doing ivf means you can collect eggs, make embryos and have those embryos tested. The reaccuring mc might not have anything to do with you or your eggs and or lifestyle , most mc occur due to the sperm that fertilised the egg being abnormal so its very important your partner also changes his lifestyle, have his own tests run and maybe start on some supplements to encourage new healthier sperm.

In fact we have just had his sperm tested as part of our referral for IVF! Dont have the results back yet though? Thought we would get them once we were starting IVF? Might chase it up though.

Sperm DNA fragmentation test! See my thread about this - is called something like the test that might have meant we could have avoided IVF. The basic sperm tests clinics run usually do not include this. My husband had normal results but sky-high DNA frag. No urologist in the fertility clinic. Dreadful!

once you found out your husbands had high dna frag. What did you do about it? How did you improve it and did you retest? Thank you

We went for IVF privately after 2 years TTC and also went to see a good urologist. Husbands sperm results were horrendous and we looked at many options. With DNA frag there’s also the option of a testicular biopsy to retrieve the sperm. There’s pros and cons but it gave us some hope that there’s possibilities. Truly wishing you the best of luck OP 🍀

@Simplestuff For my husband Dr Ramsay thought it was a significant varicocele causing it so he has had an embolisation. Shall go back for another DNA frag test before we start trying for a second and hopefully see an improvement… and hopefully conceive naturally next time 🙏🏻

hello OP I’m so sorry for your losses. It sounds like we’ve had some similar experiences. I’ve lost 5 pregnancies, a mix of ectopic, MMC, MC. I’ve had all the same testing as you bar the uterine septum. I’ve also had a hysteroscopy and my husband got tested for DNA frag (was fine).

We ended up doing IVF with PGT-A testing. I am now 20 weeks, it’s the furthest we’ve ever got with a pregnancy.

My NK cells testing did reveal high levels so I’ve been on an immune protocol for that. But I was also on that for two MMCs so I’m not sure what the change was this time.

I don’t think IVF is the answer for everything but this is the first time I’ve even gotten to the second trimester. It took me about a year to take the plunge with IVF because we could conceive. But I’m so glad we eventually did.

We had IVF ICSI due to husband's sperm after trying for 5 years and it was successful first time with our soon to be 3yold son. Also very similar to you - gave up alcohol, don't smoke, healthy diet plenty of of fish, fruit, veg, wholemeal etc, exercise, acupuncture and yoga. And making time for myself seeing friends and doing fun things because infertility can take over and life passes by. Take care OP and good luck xx

Hi, I’m sorry you are going through this. Miscarriages can happen for several reasons. Sometimes the cause may be related to sperm quality, so it might not necessarily be something on your side.
One of the most common causes of miscarriage is aneuploidy, which means the embryo has an abnormal number of chromosomes. In some cases, couples choose to overcome this challenge through IVF with genetic testing (PGT-A/PGS) to select chromosomally normal embryos.
The best approach is usually to undergo the necessary medical tests first and then decide on the next steps based on the results. The reasons for miscarriage are very individual, so getting a clear diagnosis is important.
It can also help to educate yourself so you feel confident that your doctor is guiding you well. You may find useful information in the videos on MyIVFAnswers. On Fertility Road, there is also a section with detailed real patient stories that explain their fertility journeys and the treatments clinics recommended to help them conceive. Wishing you strength and the very best of luck on your journey.

Hi everyone- sorry for the lack of responses. Unfortunately had another miscarriage so not been in the place to respond. I will look into all your advice as we are going to try again. Thanks everyone for taking the time to respond