1993- March 22 - I gave birth to a beautiful 8 lb. 6 oz. Girl – Amber. Approximately 6 months later I went to my OBGYN for a routine pap smear and was told that I had an abnormal growth on my cervix and needed to have a biopsy done. I had a cone leap performed on my cervix to remove the growth. Years later after reading through my medical records I learned that this is called Cervical Dysplasia and if left alone can turn into cervical cancer.

2000- March - I was 5 weeks pregnant and began to bleed heavily. I assumed that this was a miscarriage and that it would pass. It did not. I went to the emergency room hemorrhaging and was told that I was having partial abortion and need to have an emergency D&C. I had one performed by the emergency OBGYN on duty and went home afterwards not thinking that anything was abnormal.

2001- August – I went to see the OBGYN that had performed my D&C in 2000 for a routine pap smear. At that time I told him that we were ready to ttc again and he gave me a prescription for pre-natal vitamins. My next cycle I conceived. We were so overjoyed about the news and began to do all the things like eating better and drinking water etc. We never imagined what would happen to us. At 8 weeks I began to spot when having bowel movements. I have always struggled with constipation so I really wasn’t too concerned but called my doctor anyway. The treatment that I received from his staff that day on the phone didn’t sit well with me so I decided to return to my old OBGYN who was very well known and respected chief of the neonatal ward at our local hospital. I trusted this man and had seen him for several years prior to seeing the other doctor

2001- October - On my first visit with my old OBGYN (Dr. S.) we asked a lot of questions, one of them being the concern regarding the spotting. He brushed it off and said that it should not be a concern as it was not red blood but more of a pink discharge. I reviewed my history with him to ensure that he was up to date on my medical situation. I reminded him that I had the cone leap in 93’ and I had an IUD in 97’. He was not concerned about the cone leap and said that in some cases in can even strengthen the cervix because of the scar tissue build up.

On my next several visits to him (November and December) I expressed my concern to his nurse that he had not done a pelvic exam on me. She did not seem concerned and said that he would probably do one on my next visit.

2003- January 16 - My 19 week ultrasound. We were so excited to learn the sex of the baby that we took my in-laws and my 8-yr. old daughter with us into the room. During my US the doctor jiggled my belly and pushed and poked me to try and get the baby to move so that he could determine the sex. At one point he poked me very hard and I jumped. This upset my family and they did not want to continue with the US. Finally the Dr. said that he was pretty sure it was a girl, but because of the angle he could not be completely sure.

I never felt good after that visit. I was tired, weak, felt faint and the next day I began to have what looked like pink urine. I phoned the doctors office on Friday 1/18 at 10:30 am and they told me that the doctor would call me. At 2:30 when I had not received a call back, I called the office, they informed me that the office closed at 12:00 and the doctor was in surgery, but that he would call. The doctor called me at 4:30 p.m., I told him of my symptoms and he said that it was too bad that it was that late in the day, otherwise I could come into the office and he would check me out. I told him that I had some pressure very low and with the pink urine, maybe it was a bladder or urinary problem (I had no idea that it could be my cervix opening). He told that if my symptoms got worse over the weekend to call him.

That evening at 8:10 p.m. my water broke and I went to the hospital in my neighborhood. It is a small hospital and not equipped for neonatal emergencies. After being examined by the ER doctor I was put in an ambulance and transferred to my hospital, which is about 20 miles away. My regular OBGYN Dr. (Dr. S) was not on duty and his partner (Dr. M) was going to be taking care of me.

Dr. M arrived to examine me about 2 a.m. and I was very tired. She examined me and told me that I was 3 cm. dilated and there was a foot sticking out. Imagine my horror after hearing that? After being given 2 doses of medication to induce labor, I finally gave birth the next morning at 8:00 a.m. After I gave birth to my 8-oz. baby girl the doctor could not remove the placenta. She tried for 2 hours with no success. I had to have a D&C. I went home that evening at 5 p.m. with no baby.

During my follow up visit 2 weeks later with Dr. S. I told him that I was having discharge and discomfort, he checked me and told me I had an infection and put me on antibiotic. He told me that after reviewing all of the lab work and my history that I had an incompetent cervix and explained that I would have to have a cerclage if I get pregnant again. I feel that had my doctor done a pelvic examination on me early on he would have diagnosed my condition. Also if he had seen me earlier in the day, he could have given me a stitch in my cervix to keep it closed and I would not have lost my baby.

2003- March – I was still bleeding lightly and began to release pieces of tissue. I called the doctor immediately and went to see him. He examined me and performed and ultrasound. To my horror he told me that I had quit a bit of placenta left inside of me and that I would need to have another D&C. On March 14 I had an operative hysteroscopy and a D&C performed. After the 1 ½ hour procedure the Dr. S. told me that I had 8 cm of placenta inside and that he was sure he had done a great job to remove it all. He said it looked great in there. He wanted me to call him immediately following the beginning of my next period so that he could schedule and HSG to determine if there had been any scar tissue from the retained placenta.

2003- April – I had an HSG performed. The results were that I had a small piece of scar tissue on the upper right side of my uterus that was causing blockage of my right fallopian tube. My doctor mention the words Ashrermans Syndrome until I requested a letter for the insurance company who was refusing payment for the HSG. Dr. S. suggested that I contact a fertility specialist that specialized in Hysteroscopy and Laparoscopy to remove the scar tissue. He also said that I could also do nothing and could become pregnant but there would be risks involved.

2003- May – I contacted a high risk OBGYN that we had seen after the miscarriage for a referral to a fertility specialist. He also received a very good recommendation from our GP. This Dr. is not on the A list however is an RE and is a member of the RE society and has been performing Hysto and Lapo since 1986. We felt that he was the most qualified RE in the area to do the surgery. We had our first appt. on May 23rd. Dr. A had a consultation with us and reviewed my history. His suggestion was to schedule a hysto/lapo to remove the scar tissue. He explained what could happen afterwards with the treatment. He gave me some birth control pills and told me to begin taking them immediately which was the 4th day of my last cycle. On May 29th I had my hysto/lapo. The doctor took a lot of pictures and reviewed them with me afterwards. He showed me the picture of my uterus before and after. He said that my uterus was full of scar tissue and my fallopian tube was blocked. I was shocked to hear that there was a large amount of scarring because Dr. S. had been inside of me for 1 ½ hours to remove the retained placenta and according to the HSG I had minimal scar tissue. I had a balloon catheter for 2 weeks and he diagnosed Premerin 2X per day for two months.

2003- June – On June 19th I had an ultrasound that showed my endometrium lining to be at 4.7mm. I was told to return weekly for US’s to check my lining. June 26th.I had another US to check my lining and it was 6.6mm!!! Yea! The doctor was encouraged by my rapid growth and put me on Provera for 10 days to stimulate a period.

2003- July – July 4th I started my period. Yea! It was a pretty heavy flow. I am scheduled for an HSG on July 16th to check the scar tissue and to see if my tubes are open. July 21st, my doctor has given us the green light to ttc! I’m so scared!

2003- August – Crazy month! We got married in Maui on August 29th. Started my period on my wedding day. No baby this month.

2003- September - Another crazy month. Started my period on my 26th day. A little early?

2003- October – Yet another busy month. We ttc on the 5th and 6th and I ovulated on the 7th and 8th. Will this be the month? Nope!

2003- November – I started Clomid on the 3rd day of my cycle. Tried timed intercourse with no success.

2003- December – On my second month of Clomid. On cd12 I had an ultra-sound only to find that my lining was @ 3.5mm. Had another us on cd15, lining @ 5.6. Not good. I have discussed my concerns regarding my thinning lining and that my cycle seems to be getting longer. I ovulated on day 19 this month and last month. Christmas Eve, I started my period on cd 38. That along with the stress of the holidays made me crazy!!!

2004- January – I decided not to take the Clomid again on my December cycle because of my concerns regarding the thinning of my lining, I have read lots of literature regarding Clomid protocol and have also decided that I don’t think my RE has put me on a very good treatment plan. He has never taken any blood from me. This concerns me. I made an appointment to see him for my January ovulation to check my follicle size and lining measurement. January did not turn out to be a good month. I did not ovulate!! Why? This was very upsetting to me as I have always had a very regular 28 day cycle, until the Clomid.

2004- February – My husband and I had a consultation with a new RE. Once again I have been hit in the face with more bad news. This doctor begins to read me the operative report from my surgery last year with Dr. A. He reads to me a description of my fallopian tubes and tells me that he thinks my infections have cause damage to my tubes and Fimbria. We had a very good consultation and went away with lab slips for semen analysis and blood work. He suggested that we try Gonal-F and an IUI on my next cycle.