So, I am not quite ready to post a full update, but as I was pondering when I might be able to post I realized that I didn't need to necessarily post an update. I really just want to throw some information out there that someone may need right now to save them from even just one BFN.
If you are reading this post because you saw that your medical profile is similar to mine (borderline high FSH, fibroids, advanced maternal age, recurrent pregnancy loss, thyroid issues, activated NK cells, DQ Alpha match (4.1-one of the toughest matches to have), homozygous MTHFR- A1298C, failed IVF cycles, horrible egg quality, mild endometriosis, possible adenomyosis, yadda, yadda, yadda), I want you to promise me you will try two things before you give up or move on. These are two things that I feel are the reasons I was able to get pregnant and stay pregnant:
1. I stopped eating gluten and dairy, though I did not test positive for Celiac Disease. I think that I may just be intolerant. I have always had issues with dairy, but spent many years in denial (I mean, really, a Wisconsin girl cannont live without cheese, right?). I think that gluten and dairy were both causing inflammation in my system which in turn affected my hormone levels, which in turn may have affected my egg quality. Now, I am not a doctor so I don't know anything for sure. All I know is that things were different after I stopped eating gluten and dairy.
2. I had food allergy testing done. I had other food sensitivities that I also feel were causing inflammation (beans, pork, beef, GARLIC!!! etc.). I also avoided these foods.
After eliminating these foods from my diet, I felt less bloated, less crabby and just better in general. Within four months of doing this, I had gotten pregnant twice. I STRONGLY believe that food sensitivities may be one of the causes of many diseases including infertility and I believe that most REs do not want people to know this because it would impact their earnings. I am not saying that this is the answer for everyone, but I do think there are people who have similar profiles to my own who certainly could benefit from such simple (and almost free)changes.
I do also want to throw a shout out to my friends, Lovenox, Prednisone and Intralipids. I believe that while I was not using these items at the time of conception, I did begin using them within days of my first positive hpt and I feel that they played a role in allowing the pregnancy to continue.
Lastly, PLEASE do not hesitate to disagree with your doctor or be persistent about being prescribed prednisone, lovenox, progesterone, intralipids or whatever it is that you may need. While my regular ob/gyn made me swear I would not get pregnant again for at least 18 months because I kept him on his toes, I do not regret my sometimes feisty attitude toward getting whatever it is that I felt I needed to sustain a pregnancy. (For the record, I would NOT have wanted to have me as a patient either...).
Anyway, I know that every case is very different in the land of infertility, but if anyone with similar issues can benefit from what I have learned the hard way it will make my journey more meaningful. I would not wish 6+ years of infertility on my worst enemy.
I hope my two cents can save someone the $15,000 an IVF cycle might cost...
More later!
P.S. Check out Dr. Sher's blog at ivfauthority.com. He knows a lot about immunologic implantation issues!
No comments:
Post a Comment