2009

• I had sharp needle-like pains and decided to see an OBGYN. I was diagnosed at age 22 with naturally occurring Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), not from a STI. Ultrasound showed the infection caused my ovaries to grow three times their normal size and nearly rupture. Doctor put me on what she called the “Cadillac of antibiotics” instead of hospitalizing me which is sometimes necessary. It’s estimated about 13% of women who’ve had PID will experience infertility issues (CDC, 2019).

 

2013

November 

• Started dating Kurtis and fell in love.

 

2015

January

• Got engaged on vacation in Hawaii.

 

2016

March

• Married in beautiful Belize.

July

• 1st pregnancy: positive pregnancy test on July 23, 2016, conceived naturally. 

September

• 1st miscarriage: natural miscarriage due to missed miscarriage at 6 weeks along.

November

• 2nd pregnancy: positive pregnancy test on November 2nd, 2016, conceived naturally.

 

2017

January

• 2nd Miscarriage: natural miscarriage due to missed miscarriage at 6 weeks along. Did not test baby to find out why we miscarried due to insurance not covering testing until 3rd miscarriage. 

July 

• 3rd pregnancy: Positive pregnancy test July 11th, 2017, conceived naturally.

September

• 3rd miscarriage: missed-miscarriage (6 weeks along), needed hysteroscopy with laparoscopy procedure after complications, tested baby and learned baby had chromosomal issue of Trisomy 16 due to additional maternal DNA .

 

2018

January 2018

• Diagnosed with Diminished Ovarian Reserve / Low AMH (Anti-Müllerian hormone)
  • AMH Level = 0.19 ng/ml
  • “A typical AMH level for a fertile woman is 1.0–4.0 ng/ml; under 1.0 ng/ml is considered low and indicative of a diminished ovarian reserve” (Extend Fertility).

February 

• 4th pregnancy: positive pregnancy test on February 1st, 2018, conceived naturally. 

• Ultrasound shows beating heart at 6 weeks and 5 days on February 13th, 2018. First time I ever see any of my babies’ heartbeats. Sadly baby passes that same day according to measurements on later ultrasound. 
• 4th miscarriage:  D&C due to missed miscarriage, February 25th, 2018.
• Baby tested, had Trisomy 15 due to maternal origin.

March

• Created HopingForBaby.com with my first blog post.  You can also read about HopingForBaby.com’s Beginnings here.

April

• Got our fur baby, a puppy. He is an Australian Shepherd and Husky mix. 

August

• 1st Round of IVF
  • Started stims 8/19/18
  • Flew to Seattle IVF clinic 8/25/18 
  • Egg Retrieval Day 9/19/18
  • IVF Results: 5 eggs retrieved, 4 eggs mature/fertilized, 1 embryo developed and PGS tested normal. Embryo cryopreserved to complete 2nd Round of IVF.

November

• 2nd Round of IVF
  • Started stims 11/3/18
  • Flew to Seattle IVF clinic 11/9/18
  • Egg Retrieval Day 11/23/18 
  • IVF Results: 8 eggs retrieved, 4 eggs mature/fertilized, 3 embryos developed abnormally that would have resulted in miscarriage if implanted. Next step is FET.

December

• 5th pregnancy: positive pregnancy December 31st, 2018, conceived naturally.

 

2019

January

• 5th miscarriage: miscarried January 13th, 2019. Chose not to do testing on baby for financial reasons and believed that it would be the same issue again, a trisomy of maternal origin like two other miscarriages were.
• Found out Mom has cancer. I decide to wait to do Frozen Embryo Transfer so I can be there for her during her surgery and recovery.

July 

• Saving up some money to do FET in later part of 2019
• 6th pregnancy: positive pregnancy test July 26th, 2019, conceived naturally. FET postponed due to this pregnancy.

August

• Saw baby’s heartbeat on ultrasound (Second time seeing heartbeat out of six pregnancies).
• I’m diagnosed with MTHFR gene mutation C677T (Heterozygous) on August 30th, 2019. One of the symptoms of this gene mutation can be recurrent miscarriages.

September

• 6th miscarriage: D&C for missed miscarriage.
• Decided to test baby due to doctor saying I might need to be on medication Lovenox. 
• Test results from miscarriage: chromosomal abnormality, triploidy of paternal origin.
• Ultrasound done to ensure uterus was clear, but a black mass was found on ultrasound. 
• Previous pregnancy may have been a partial molar pregnancy. Need weekly blood draws to ensure hCG levels do not rise, an indicator of Gestational Trophoblastic Disease (GTD) which could turn cancerous.

October 

• HCG level rises although I know 100% I am not pregnant, doctor recommends surgery right away to remove the mass that might be GTD or a tumor.
• Repeat D&C due complications from first surgery. Pathology report showed the black mass on the ultrasound turned out to be part of my placenta left behind and not GTD or cancer. Phew! Could have been way worse.
• Doctor says I still need to come in weekly for blood draws until hCG level drops to zero and I should NOT do FET for 6 months (April/May 2020). I’m still high risk for developing GTD if I were to get pregnant in these next 6 months.
• Once hCG drops to zero need to come in monthly for blood draws to make sure I don’t develop GTD. 
• Continuing to learn about MTHFR gene mutation and how to manage it and potentially improve fertility odds.
• Doctor says I should not get pregnant for six months and I need to be on birth control pills.

November

• hCG level finally drops to zero November 19th, two whole months post surgery (September 18th had initial surgery). Switching from weekly to monthly blood draws until April 2020, to monitor for signs of GTD.

December

• Some good news! My AMH level rises to 0.63 ng/ml, compared to 0.19 ng/ml in January 2018.

2020

January

• Started preparing for my Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET).
• SIS test completed (clinic requirement prior to FET). SIS shows abnormality in uterus. I was told it was most likely scar tissue or possibly uterine cancer.
• Hysteroscopy surgery done on January 27th to remove abnormality. Pathology report pending.
• New fur baby addition to the family, an always-up-for-a-cuddle kitty.

February

• Pathology report from surgery was that it was only scar tissue and thankfully not uterine cancer.
• hCG level continues to be negative and no other signs of GTD found.
• Waiting to hear back from fertility clinic on next steps and when I can start my FET meds.

March

• Monthly hCG level continues to be negative and no other signs of GTD found.
• Started birth control pill to down-regulate for upcoming FET scheduled for April 24th.
• On March 18th, my fertility clinic cancels my FET due to COVID-19 Pandemic. 🙁 ASRM recommended all U.S. fertility clinics not start any new fertility treatments at this time.

May

• Clinic reopens only to women with AMH level <1 and women over 25 years old. That’s me!  Started FET cycle again (2nd attempt).
• My body does not seem to be responding properly to the medication and I start my period one full week earlier than clinic wanted me to.

June

• Asked doctor about trying Lovenox to try to possibly prevent miscarriage (due to MTHFR gene mutation). Doctor approved request to try Lovenox for the first time when I become pregnant. I’ll start it with positive pregnancy test.
• Suppression check shows very large cyst and elevated estrogen levels. Transfer date delayed, but FET not cancelled.

July

• FET cycle cancelled completely for several reasons; large cyst, thin lining, estrogen levels off, and a misunderstanding about medication instructions.
• Started new FET cycle (3rd attempt). Suppression check results looked good: no large cysts, uterine lining measuring well, and estrogen level is good.

August

• Did FET on August 3rd, 2020.
• Frozen Embryo Transfer resulted in negative pregnancy test.
• Started looking for new local doctor and new out-of-state clinic.

September

• First HSG Test, severe uterine scarring and synechiae found in initial report,
• Diagnosed with Asherman’s Syndrome, based on HSG images.
• Labwork Results:
  • A1C 5% (normal)
  • TSH 0.83 (normal)
  • AMH 1.13 (normal)…First time ever my AMH levels are “normal!” Yay!

October

• HSG images shown to Asherman’s Syndrome Specialist out-of-state
• Surgery done out-of-state to remove uterine scarring and insert balloon stent to prevent further scarring
• AS specialist found I also had a birth defect called a septate uterus, he also fixed this birth defect during that same surgery.
• Recurrent pregnancy loss panel (blood work) done while out of state, including some immunological tests (waiting for results)
• Results from Karyotype Test for Julie are normal, still need to do test for Kurtis
• Uterine balloon stent removed after 1 week

 

Future Plans

2020

• Look into job at Starbucks for IVF benefits ($25,000 for IVF + up to $10,000 for cost of medication).

2021

• Begin seriously looking into fostering/adoption process, regardless of whether I have a biological child or not.

 

 

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Learn ways to improve your egg quality. Purchase Rebecca Fett’s book “It Starts with the Egg: How the Science of Egg Quality Can Help You Get Pregnant Naturally, Prevent Miscarriage, and Improve Your Odds in IVF.” It’s currently the #1 Best Seller on Amazon.com’s Reproductive Medicine & Technology list.