One of the questions I repeatedly asked my doctors was “What other tests can we do to find the cause?” They all replied that I had done all the tests that I needed to do – thyroid, basic blood tests, fallopian tubes and semen analysis for DH. Hmm… But they all came back normal and 2.5 years on, we are still not pregnant. Clearly something wasn’t quite right and I kept thinking to myself that there must be other tests. How could it just be “unexplained?” Why would they throw us into IVF and make us go through the emotional and physical pain without trying harder to find the cause? What if the cause negatively affects our IVF? Those were all the questions on my mind. Questions that none of the doctors that I’ve seen in HK have been able to answer. Or perhaps, they were unwilling to answer. After all, IVF is a lucrative business. It’s their gain if you don’t succeed.
So, I took the issue into my own hands and consulted with ‘Dr. Google’. I know, I know… You’re probably shaking your head right now saying we shouldn’t look too much into Google as it can unnecessarily freak us out and isn’t the right way for diagnosis. And I totally agree. Whilst we shouldn’t take everything literally and apply it to ourselves, with some careful judgement and caution, Google can provide a wealth of information and “leads”. And it is here, where I learned about genetic testing (Karyotype and PGD).
Following our failed IVF#1 in HK, we decided to do IVF#2 + PGD testing in Bangkok. You can read more about why we chose to do IVF#2 in Bangkok here. After I emailed them with my medical history, they suggested I do further blood tests to investigate possible reasons for our infertility and miscarriage. Wow! Finally some doctors who wanted to help us investigate further before throwing us in the deep end! The results came back interesting and cited a possible concern – I have higher than usual levels of ANA and Anti-TG antibodies which means that these antibodies could potentially be rejecting/attacking any embryo that tries to implant into my uterus. That’s big. If this really is the case, then no amount of IUI and IVF would be successful without medication and a tailored approach. I emailed Dr. #3 at the Sanatorium to double check if he had ran these tests before. The answer was no. My only thought was thank god we sacked him (and all of the other HK doctors for that matter).
Had I known about these tests earlier, I could have opted to do PGD in IVF#1, significantly increasing my chance of a successful pregnancy, probably have avoided the MC and saved hundreds of thousands of dollars on this merry-go-round. Yes, these tests are expensive. But trust me, they’ll work out cheaper in the big picture and you’ll be more likely to succeed in your first round of IVF. In our case, as we got taken on a merry-go-round, we only did the testing in IVF#2 after we had already dropped HK$150K on IVF#1 and miscarried. I feel it could have been avoided.
To that end, I’ve included a flow chart of suggested steps that TTC couples should take. Your doctor may not think it’s necessary to do antibodies and genetic testing yet – they may say that it’s not usually done until couples miscarry multiple times. But who wants to go through that when a simple blood test “could” reduce the chances of miscarriage? Of course, everyone’s situation is different and you may need additional tests other than these. I would encourage you to judge for yourselves and if you want to do these tests prior to/during IVF, to pursue it with your doctor. Note: the tests highlighted in red are those that I wished I had known about and did before starting IVF#1.
*The following information is based on my personal opinion and experience as a TTC sister who has gone through the “unexplained infertility” journey. Whilst I encourage you to investigate the order of these tests with your doctor, it in no way represents professional medical advice and you are advised to consult with your doctor and use your own judgement*
By the process of elimination, I would advise you to move onto IUI + IVF treatments only if steps 1-3 have been taken. Only then will you know if, and most importantly, “how” to proceed with IUI/IVF.
Disclaimer:
*This blog contains some graphic language. Read at your own risk 🙂
*Contents of this blog are based on my personal opinion and own experiences and in no way represents professional medical advice. Please exercise your own judgement when making decisions.
Love, Hope, Jabs and Probes Copyright 2016
Love, Hope, Jabs and Probes 