F*%#ing c-sections - secondary infertility

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP back. I had my lap/hysteroscopy and the news was not good. Severe scarring and the doc is worried about how it will heal. He says if we can get it 80% healed we can do another procedure; if not, I will likely be unable to get pregnant again. I feel so devastated. Anyone else been in the same situation and eventually had a successful pregnancy? I need some inspirational stories.

I'm so sorry, OP. That sucks.

How is your dr treating it? Ablation/balloon? A good IF friend of mine also had ashermans and went through a 2-3 month treatment before finally conceiving. I will try to remember details for you...it definitely included a balloon (called ablation, right?) at some point.

[Anonymous]

Ok. Not ablation. Some kind of balloon to allow clean healing.

[Anonymous]

OP, no personal experience, but several posters in this forum have mentioned that there are much better specialists outside of DC for dealing with scar tissue. If your lap doesn't work, you may want to seek out of town advice.

And I'm so sorry for your results...fingers crossed that the lap worked. The casual dismissal of the risks of uterine surgery (c-section, D&C, etc.) is so frustrating! The percent of women who suffer fertility consequences is not negligible...and what's worse is that after glossing over potential risks when recommending the surgery docs are also not proactive about trying to diagnose it after fertility issues arise!!

[Anonymous]

I had a balloon after my surgery. I also took estrogen to thicken the lining.

[Anonymous]

Can scarring/adhesions after a C-section also impede implantation of embryos? We did IVF due to male factor issues- I was "textbook perfect" according to the RE. IVF worked perfectly the first time, and we had twins via unplanned C-section. Tried IVF again 4 times, twice with frozen and twice with fresh embryos, all A++ top-rated embryos, my lining looked great, my blood tests were perfect- and none of them implanted. Now I wonder if scarring was an issue? Can they not tell if you have scars from the many ultrasounds they do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP back. I had my lap/hysteroscopy and the news was not good. Severe scarring and the doc is worried about how it will heal. He says if we can get it 80% healed we can do another procedure; if not, I will likely be unable to get pregnant again. I feel so devastated. Anyone else been in the same situation and eventually had a successful pregnancy? I need some inspirational stories.

I'm so sorry, OP. That sucks.

How is your dr treating it? Ablation/balloon? A good IF friend of mine also had ashermans and went through a 2-3 month treatment before finally conceiving. I will try to remember details for you...it definitely included a balloon (called ablation, right?) at some point.

It was treated with hysteroscopy to remove the adhesions, and yes, he inserted a balloon catheter for 48 hours to prevent my uterine walls from sticking together while they heal. I am on estrogen therapy for a month which helps the endometrium heal, and then we'll do another HSG and ultrasound to see how how the cavity has healed overall. I am trying so hard to remain optimistic but my doc has been honest that I am one of his more serious cases he has seen and that he is "cautiously optimistic" about my ability to heal well enough to even perform a second procedure, much less support a pregnancy. I feel like I need a miracle, and I am emotionally wrecked. I never could have envisioned, when I first started trying to become a parent, that it would come to this. No one in my family has struggled with this and I know many women who've had multiple children by c-section. The idea that I may never have any more children is such a blow. I had a picture in my mind of what our family would look like, and this was not it. It feels like someone died. And if one more person says "enjoy the one you have" I will scream. Of COURSE I enjoy and love him. But that doesn't take the pain of this away.

At any rate, thank you all for your kind words and for letting me vent here. I don't know who to talk to about this because no one in my life has gone through this and can truly understand what I am feeling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can scarring/adhesions after a C-section also impede implantation of embryos? We did IVF due to male factor issues- I was "textbook perfect" according to the RE. IVF worked perfectly the first time, and we had twins via unplanned C-section. Tried IVF again 4 times, twice with frozen and twice with fresh embryos, all A++ top-rated embryos, my lining looked great, my blood tests were perfect- and none of them implanted. Now I wonder if scarring was an issue? Can they not tell if you have scars from the many ultrasounds they do?

At this rate they would know, so I'm doubtful that's your problem. Your RE would know how and when to look for that. Sorry it's not working out for you. This sucks so bad, doesn't it?

[Anonymous]

Just want to say I'm so sorry OP. I struggled to have my second for years and it's really, really difficult. It's exactly what you said...grieving what you thought would happen and the family you had in your mind. It's very real, but people don't want to hear about it when you already have a child.

I hope everything works out in your favor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just want to say I'm so sorry OP. I struggled to have my second for years and it's really, really difficult. It's exactly what you said...grieving what you thought would happen and the family you had in your mind. It's very real, but people don't want to hear about it when you already have a child.

I hope everything works out in your favor.

Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can scarring/adhesions after a C-section also impede implantation of embryos? We did IVF due to male factor issues- I was "textbook perfect" according to the RE. IVF worked perfectly the first time, and we had twins via unplanned C-section. Tried IVF again 4 times, twice with frozen and twice with fresh embryos, all A++ top-rated embryos, my lining looked great, my blood tests were perfect- and none of them implanted. Now I wonder if scarring was an issue? Can they not tell if you have scars from the many ultrasounds they do?

At this rate they would know, so I'm doubtful that's your problem. Your RE would know how and when to look for that. Sorry it's not working out for you. This sucks so bad, doesn't it?

I disagree that RE would definitely catch this. I was similar to PP with the C-section: only dx was MF, good response to meds, great lining, great embryos. My first IVF took, but ended up miscarrying due to a trisomy that stopped development around 7 weeks. I had a D&C. Then 3 failed cycles (1 fresh, 2 frozen). After the first failed cycle, I asked RE to check for scarring...but he only did HSG, not hysteroscopy (I didn't know at the time that HSG doesn't always show scarring if the dye can still get through). Even though according to all stats it was extremely unlikely we would have had so many failures, RE dismissed my concerns. I also had other symptoms post-D&C like extreme pain at transfers, longer periods, and very strange menstrual cramping.

Ultimately I switched RE's. New RE was baffled by our failures and confused by the painful transfers...so we did hysteroscopy right off the bat. It revealed scar tissue. I had it removed with micro-scissors, and I got pregnant with my first cycle afterward.

PP, all I can say is that your case seems similar to mine. It makes no sense for you to have so many failures. If your RE isn't actively trying to get to the bottom of why, get a second opinion...and insist on a hysteroscopy. Ultrasounds definitely will not show scar tissue.

[Anonymous]

A saline sono *can* show some scar tissue, but it's not definitive like a hysteroscopy.

OP, my friend said that this group was supportive & informative when she went through a similar situation a few years ago.

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Ashermans/

[Anonymous]

NP here. Just want to say thank you for this discussion - with 2 c- sections behind me, I've never heard of any of this. Have a checkup with OB next week and plan on asking about this generally as we are 4 months into TTC #3 with no luck, despite 1 and 2 being conceived on first try. one odd symptom I've had the last few months, which of course may just be random, is a recurring tugging sensation on the lower left side during O and AF. Never had it before and wondering what it could be.

[Anonymous]

Ugh, we're in the midst of our first IVF cycle since a c-section (our first) left my tubes beyond repair from scar tissue. This resulted in our next pregnancy being ectopic, so he we are at IVF.

I wish you better luck!

[Anonymous]

This is such a great thread. I have been ttca for two years and have 10 failed cycles (Iui and ivf). Great responder, good quality embryos... My RE did mention transfer was difficult due to scarring from Csection but had me go down the immunology/de path instead. Argh.

Now in tww with DE. Wonder if I could have done a D&C 8 cycles ago with better results.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone from this thread have a doctor they would recommend for looking into c section scarring? I too had a c section and have been trying to get pregnant for over a year now. I have received a lot of push back from the fertility practice I am seeing regarding my concerns about c section scarring. I am finally scheduled for a saline sonogram next week. I would like to get a second opinion though, but just don’t know who to go to, and am having trouble finding resources on the internet. Thank you in advance!