My first and only child was born through c-section at 36 weeks. Pre-term labor was caused by her breech position and the presence of a urinary tract infection. I was given intravenous antibiotics to treat the UTI and scheduled for a c-section. There were no problems with the delivery and I went home 3 days later. The next 8 months I felt just fine. Did not have any symptoms that would alarm me (no fever or discharge to signal an infection) except that I did not get my period but I never thought anything about it because I was still breast-feeding.

When my baby was 8 months old, we decided to go forward with a frozen embryo transfer for a second child.  My first was conceived via Invitro Fertilization (not related to Ashermans.  It was prior to the development of Ashermans).

I went back to my RE who did the first IVF and he performed a routine ultrasound (which is done before any fertility treatment is started) and he detected what he called a "mass" in the center of my uterus. I went in for an operative hysteroscopy in May 99 and severe Asherman's was diagnosed. During this surgery, my RE lysis the adhesions (cut them out). I then had an open cavity once again.

I asked my RE how this could have happened and he said I must have had an infection that went undetected after the c-section. He told me Asherman's is usually caused by aggressive scraping of the uterus as in a D&C, but it can also develop from any type of uterine surgery.

Following the hysteroscopy, I had a balloon inserted, was on estrogen and antibiotics for a week and then had another saline ultrasound two weeks later which revealed that the adhesions had returned. My doctor was concerned and ordered another hysteroscopy immediately. In June, I went through the whole thing again and had an ultrasound one week later which revealed that the adhesions returned again! Each time they returned it was a smaller area. It was not the whole uterus filled with scar tissue but there were still adhesions reforming in certain areas.

I was so frustrated at this point that I went to a new RE. He confirmed what my former RE said about how Asherman's develops. In Sept. 99, he performed my third hysteroscopy and he used the barrier INTERCEED instead of the balloon. Again, I was on estrogen and antibiotics and he also added steroids. The ultrasound a week later showed no scar tissue but by this time my lining had taken a beating and will probably never be a normal thickness again (at least not on its own).

I got a period six weeks later and have had one every month since but it has become lighter and lighter each month so I called my RE who prescribed estrogen supplements. On day 15, he did an ultrasound to see the lining. It measured 4mm. He said the endometrium is not responding like it should and I may have to take gonatrophins to make it thicker when I am ready to try the frozen embryo transfer. From the beginning he told me that there was a chance that the lining may be permanently destroyed from the prior surgeries but what choice did I have? Scar tissue is also permanent if it is not removed.

He had given me hope that fertility drugs will help stimulate endometrium growth sufficient enough to sustain an embryo implantation. We will try again in the summer of 2001 and hope for the best.