Timeline

I thought it might be helpful for you to get an idea of my timeline and to see the various hoops I’ve had to jump through/currently jumping through.  I’m a facts and dates junkie (full disclosure: I’m a lawyer by day).  I’m the kid who read the phone book (true fact and perhaps I’m over-sharing here… hmmm…).  I’ll be updating this timeline as anything new happens.

2015

November:  stopped taking the pill – time to start peeing on ovulation sticks and trying to conceive (TTC)

2016

April/May:

  • the sticks confirmed that I ovulated every month, but no positive pregnancy tests since we started trying to conceive December
  • I had ovulation follicle tracking ultrasound done privately – the scans confirmed that I ovulate each month

June:

  • Hysterosalpingography (tubes fine, hooray!)
  • Tested H’s sperm (within normal range)
  • Private fertility consultant put me on Clomid (found out later this wasn’t necessary)

July:

  • Took Clomid
  • First IUI (done privately)

August

  • PREGNANT!!!!

September

  • Walking on clouds

October

  • Missed miscarriage at 11 weeks
  • First ERPC (D&C) with junior doctor

November

  • Period returned on time (hallelujah!), but something felt not quite right (NQR)
  • Arranged a private ultrasound scan, which showed remains of the foetus in uterus
  • Stressful few weeks trying to get second ERPC to remove remains on the NHS
  • Fertility blood tests done through my GP – confirmed all normal

December

  • Second ERPC (D&C) with senior consultant to remove remains (on the day I would have been 20 weeks pregnant)
  • Check-up with senior consultant just before Christmas – confirmed all looked “fine”

2017

February

  • Second IUI privately – no pregnancy
  • Period was very, very light this month
  • Appointment with fertility consultant on the NHS – booked in for hysteroscopy (“just to check all is fine”)

March

  • Period was almost non-existent; just brown, scanty drops (TMI – sorry)

April/May

  • First hysteroscopy (on the NHS) – confirmed Asherman’s Syndrome (40-50% of uterus cavity covered in scars).  My uterus was punctured, accidentally, during the hysteroscopy, so I had a laparoscopy to repair the hole in my uterus wall
  • Seven weeks of hormone replacement therapy followed the traumatic surgery
  • Received NHS funding for IVF (three rounds on the NHS – felt very lucky!)

June/July

  • Second hysteroscopy with an Asherman’s expert (an “A-lister”) to clear scars in uterus – confirmed uterus was no longer scarred, but endometrium lining was very thin in places
  • Second round of hormone replacement therapy and waited a few months in the hope that scar tissue does not reform

August

  • Uterus looked free of scar tissue, so cleared by the A-lister and NHS fertility consultant to move forward with IVF – finally!!

September

  • First round of IVF (NHS):
    • short protocol: 300 iu Menopur
    • 7 eggs retrieved
    • sperm sample looked great, so embryologist wanted us to try IVF (as opposed to ICSI which we were originally down for) – we agreed
    • only one egg fertilized over night (clearly, we would have needed ICSI)
    • transfer on day 2

October

  • BFN – gutted.
  • Appointment with senior consultant – we decide to go again in December if we make the Christmas cut-off

November

  • Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait

December

  • Period arrives on 2 December – start second round of IVF:  (We made the Christmas cut-off date – it felt like a sign of a Christmas miracle!!)
    • short protocol (higher dose this time – 450 iu Menopur)
    • ultrasound scan on day 8 showed eggs were maturing nicely and quickly; triple layer lining measured at 7.49 mm (post-Asherman’s this is the best it had EVER been, hurrah!!)
    • 10 eggs retrieved
    • ICSI:  9 eggs mature enough to inject sperm into; 7 fertilised (above average, yihaa!)
    • Day 5:  3 embryos had deteriorated; 2 embryos had reached early blastocyst stage and 2 were still developing; transferred the 2 early blastocyst embryos
    • Day 6 – the 2 embryos that were still developing had reached blastocyst stage, but deteriorated afterwards so not suitable for freezing and were discarded
    • BFN over the Christmas period – felt utterly crushed

2018

January

  • Saw private Asherman’s expert (who is also a fertility consultant) for a second opinion after the two failed cycles – he recommended we do an endometrium receptivity array (ERA) and a thrombophilia screen (to check if I had any blood clotting disorders)
  • Blood test results came back showing that I have a blood clotting disorder – I am a carrier of two gene mutations, which means that I have a 20-fold increased risk of developing venous thromboembolism.  No more long-haul flights without compression socks and low-dose heparin injections!
  • Blood test also showed that I am a carrier of the MTHFR gene

February

  • Did a mock frozen cycle – back on the oestrogen again – and did the ERA, which showed that I’m “post-receptive” (i.e. my uterus wouldn’t be ready for transfer for day 5, ideally the transfer should take place on day 6)

March

  • Third IVF-round (NHS):
    • short protocol (same dose as the second round, 450 iu Menopur)
    • lining was terrible on day of egg collection: no trilaminar pattern and around 6mm
    • only 5 eggs retrieved
    • ICSI:  only 3 mature eggs, one popped while they were trying to inject but the fifth one fertilised
    • Day 5:  the one embryo was a fully hatched blastocyst (c’mon this must be the little miracle!) and was transferred on day 5
    • BFN – completely heartbroken (nope, not third time lucky…)

April

  • Took the whole month off — breathing, rebuilding and trying to smile again

May

  • Second ERA to test to see if I’m receptive on day 6.  Results showed I am pre-receptive (i.e. not receptive on day 6 either – a Sherlock Holmes-style conundrum… TBD)

June

  • Fourth round (private):
    • short protocol (this time, Bemfola 450 iu)
    • 9 eggs retrieved
    • ICSI:  8 mature eggs were injected and 6 fertilised
    • Day 5:  two were fully hatched blastocysts, which were frozen and sent off for PGS testing; three stragglers (was hoping 1-2 would make it)
    • Day 6: all three embryos were fully hatches blastocysts and sent off for PGS testing
    • All five embryos are currently chilling in the freezer (yes, another bad pun – sorry, not sorry…)

July

  • PGS test results: 2/5 blastocysts were euploids (hurray!)

September

  • Preparation consultation with IVF clinic – so far all looks good, so we’re pressing ahead with a FET cycle once I get my period

October

  • Hopefully FET 🤞