Fertility Road Issue 03

ISSUE 03 | NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2010 £3.95/€4.95
ISSUE 03
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My daughter Katy was born five days later, weighing just
two-and-a-half pounds. She was immediately transferred to the
intensive care ward. Doctors explained that although she was in
good shape, the next 48 hours would be critical, and she could
experience any number of complications from a collapsed lung
to a brain haemorrhage.
When I first saw her, about six hours later, she seemed so frail
and vulnerable lying in her incubator with wires coming out of
every part of her body. When I’d thought about bringing my
baby into the world, I’d imagined me proudly pushing her
around her new pram. Instead, I was staring at her through a
plastic box and having to ask permission to hold my own child.
But as the weeks went by, Katy got stronger, and in December,
nearly 12 weeks after her birth, we finally took her home.
In May 2006, when Katy was just eight months old, I discovered
I was pregnant again. I was shocked, but also delighted. Surely
we deserved some luck this time around?
But a few days later, I started to bleed. My GP ran blood tests,
which showed low levels of the pregnancy hormone HCG, which
suggested the pregnancy was failing. I resigned myself to
another miscarriage.
Weeks later, I was still bleeding and, although I couldn’t put
my finger on it, something just didn’t feel right. I went back to
my GP who referred me for a scan, which showed it was an ectopic
pregnancy, a life-threatening condition in which the foetus
implants outside of the womb. If it ruptures, as is common with
the condition, it can cause massive internal bleeding.
I was prepared for theatre immediately and investigative surgery
showed I had a rare type of ectopic pregnancy, known as
‘cornual,’ where the foetus implants in the junction between the
womb and fallopian tubes.
The surgeon explained that removing a pregnancy from this area
carries a high risk of catastrophic internal bleeding and performing
a full hysterectomy would be the only way to remove the pregnancy
safely. To avoid this, I could take a drug call Methotrexate,
under close observation, to try and ‘dissolve’ the pregnancy.
Faced with the prospect of a hysterectomy at 31, I opted for
the drugs. It took several months and endless trips back and
forth to the hospital, but in late August I finally got the ‘all clear.’
After a miscarriage and premature baby, it seemed like bad luck,
but doctors reassured me both my fallopian tubes were intact
and I would still be able to fall pregnant in the future.
But four years later, my friends were onto their second and
even third babies, and I still hadn’t fallen pregnant again. I went
back to my GP, who referred me for tests.
Earlier this year, a hysterosalpingogram showed that one of
my tubes was blocked. I am now waiting for a hysteroscopy, but
my consultant thinks it is likely that the ectopic pregnancy has
caused tubal damage and scarring.
I am 36 now and with only one tube working. Combine that
factor with an autoimmune disease that affects my fertility, and
we realise that IVF may well be our only option. And given my
previous history, there is a big question mark over whether I
could carry a baby to term.
People are usually quite sympathetic to women who can’t
conceive a first baby. But when you can’t conceive a second,
people can be quite dismissive. I’ve lost count of the number of
people who have said to me ‘well at least you’ve got one.’
My daughter is five now and has no long lasting problems as a
result of her prematurity. We feel so grateful to have her, but it
doesn’t ease the longing for a second baby.
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