The other day, my daughter asked me if she could have a little sister. My heart sank and I found myself holding my breath. I found some relief when the next statement out of her mouth was, "a little sister poodle puppy", because that is something more fathomable.

The problem is I'm infertile now. Lost your fertility? How can that happen? Well as my RE told me following my 5th corrective surgery in 1 ½ years, according to my hormones and the way my ovaries appear, I look super fertile. But as the hysteroscope entered my uterus we found the infertility problem, it's that I STILL have severe Asherman's Syndrome. Asherman's Syndrome? Yes, another word for it is Intrauterine Adhesions, or scarring of the uterus. In my case, as in 90% of Asherman’s cases, it's caused by D&Cs.

Following the birth of my daughter in September of 2005; I had retained placenta, and had a D&C. Following this I would have terrible cramping that would last for five days every month (even interfering when I urinated and with my bowels) but no menstrual blood flow: amenorrhea. I had a feeling that something was very wrong but I was always told by my doctor that everything was fine. I decided to stop breastfeeding my daughter just before she turned two to see if my periods would return. Three months later, when they didn't, I realized that something was indeed very wrong. I Googled amenorrhea and "Asherman's Syndrome" came up: caused by D&Cs, especially following miscarriage or childbirth. I then went to the Asherman's website at www.ashermans.org and found that--"cyclical cramping" and amenorrhea--were symptoms.

What was happening was that my uterus was scarred from the D&C and not allowing the menstrual blood to escape. Probably the most horrifying thing to me though was that Asherman's Syndrome causes infertility, or subfertility (repeat miscarriages) and possibly very serious pregnancy complications.

To make a very long story short, I was overcome with a feeling that I didn't want what had happened to me to happen to other women. Women needed to have the information that I didn't have access to! Women needed to know the risks and complications from having a D&C.

Probably the most eyebrow-raising piece of information about D&Cs, is that a D&C is a blind surgery. That's right! Blind! The doctor doesn't see what s/he is doing during the surgery, and they use a curette (a spoonlike instrument with a long handle} and/or a suction curette to remove the contents of the uterus (or at times things such as polyps which may be attached to the uterus). It's the only surgery in the world performed on the human body that doesn't use visualization capabilities. Many people ask, "why is the only blind surgery, done on a woman's primary reproductive organ?”

I thought to myself, what can I do to help get the word out? My doctor who specializes in treating Asherman’s inspired me to take action. Over the past year and a half I created a website, called www.DandCnow.Info. Dilation and Curettage: Current Information. I encourage you, and to tell every woman you care about, to read my site. It could help you (and her) keep your fertility!

I also created two videos which are on our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/ashermansorg. One with world reknown surgeon Dr Charles March, and the other to honor the founder of the Asherman's Support Group, Poly Spyrou.

The past year and a half have been some of the most difficult times in my life. I have been a fighter and have turned my "lemons into lemonade" as my doctor would say. I had so much "Asherman's energy" that I had to direct it in a positive way. I'd cry (sometimes five times a day) and then at night, after my daughter and husband were asleep, I'd get on the computer and research for my website and support the other women in the Asherman’s Support group. I felt that I had to make the world a better place and hopefully prevent other women from suffering the same fate as me.

Please visit my website now, and send the link out to all of the women you know of childbearing age, you too can make a difference:

www.DandCnow.info
Dilation and Curettage: Current Information