When we found out that our overseas treatment had been unsuccessful, the questions that preyed on my mind were why the fertilisation rate of our eggs were so low and why the quality of the embryos resulting from this was so poor. At our follow up appointment with our consultant, we agreed that he would follow up with the clinic in Cyprus so that we could get a better understanding of our poor results.
Two months after our appointment, we were sent a letter of apology in which the clinic admitted that our outcome was far from satisfactory and therefore wanted to offer a free round of treatment with a new donor at a time of our choice. Due to a number of developments, we have yet to take up this offer.
Round about the time we were following up on our overseas treatment, we made an amazing discovery. I had fallen pregnant with no assistance whatsoever! While we were over the moon, we were also anxious that everything went well.
I reflected on whether there was anything different about my body and how I was feeling. Right from the outset, I scanned the internet and started reading up on what to expect. Occasionally, I felt a faint aching sensation in my stomach area which I put down to my muscles stretching to make room for our baby. I also felt aches in my legs and I read that this is because the body produces the hormone relaxin during pregnancy which causes ligaments to soften and stretch. I was happy to to put my feet up and rest and relax as much as possible as I was feeling more tired than normal.
I made an appointment with my GP and contacted the very first fertility consultant that we saw not only to find out whether my high FSH, low AMH and scan results had any implications for my pregnancy, but also to share our news as I hoped that our case would give hope to other couples who were in the same situation as us. She said that I did have an increased risk of miscarriage and as well as the standard prenatal screening including a nuchal scan between 11 and 13 weeks, I could have a scan at 6 weeks gestation which would confirm the presence of a heart beat. Unfortunately soon after I made contact with her, I started to bleed much like I would with a period. My GP confirmed that I had miscarried and given the early stage (4 weeks approx gestation), I could let nature take its cause without the need for any further medical intervention.
For the two weeks I was pregnant I thought finally, our turn to start a family had arrived. We were destined to have a baby of our own which was the reason why our previous IVF attempts had failed. The outcome was a cruel play on my emotional state. I would rather not have fallen pregnant at all than for it to end in miscarriage.
IVF couple 