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Paula's Story

I became pregnant with twins via IVF (ICSI). My pregnancy went well until my contractions started at 23 weeks. No known reason was found as to why this happened. My doctor did all the necessary tests and he confirmed that I had no infection. At 24 weeks I gave birth. My sons did not survive.

It was decided that they would do a D&C to evacuate the placenta.

During my stay at the hospital, I was checked a couple of times by the doctors by pressing my tummy to see if my uterus had gone down to its original position and I was told it had. I was given medication immediately to stop any milk from coming down. Nobody checked my pad to see the amount of blood that I was having. I asked the nurses a few times how long I should be bleeding and they told me this was normal and I could bleed up to 40 days. As this was my first pregnancy and birth, I had no idea what to expect. Months later, I was told by a doctor that because I had a D&C immediately after birth, I should not have bled for more than 3 days.

During my stay at the hospital, apart from my phsycological state, healthwise I was feeling well and had no other symptoms apart from the blood which continued to come down. On the 10th day, I was dismissed from the hospital. Just as I was getting ready to leave, I went to the toilet with terrible pain in my tummy. I wasn't sure if the pain was from my bowels, but when I stood up, I almost collapsed to the floor. I just about made it to my bed and told the others in the room to call a nurse because I was going to faint. When the nurse arrived and asked me what was wrong, I told her that I felt faint and if she could check my blood pressure. Instead she put a couple of pillows beneath my feet and told me to stay there for a while and I should feel better. After a while, I did feel better and was later discharged.

Another few days passed and a smelly discharge began. I could not understand what was happening. Then the pain in my tummy came back and also I was having high temperatures. I thought it was a virus so I went to a local doctor who prescribed something for my intestines. That didn't help so when I told her that I was getting a smelly discharge she immediately sent me back to the hospital It was confirmed that I had Endometritis and an ultrasound at the time revealed a piece of placenta of size 26.3mm.

I was put on intravenous antibiotics the first day and then the following day after a second D&C to remove the placenta and infection, another antibiotic was added making it a total of 3. During this time, my temperature was high and I was sweating constantly. My bedsheets were changed around 3 or 4 times a day. I was discharged a week later and was told to continue the antibiotics orally for another 2 weeks.

Two months later, I did not getting a period so I spoke to my doctor who told me that if I was breastfeeding, then not getting a period was normal, but because I wasn't, I should have had my period. He prescribed me a months course of hormones to help menstruate.

A month later I was still not menstruating, so I went back to my doctor. After an ultrasound, they could not visualise any endometrium or a cavity so they told me that I should have a diagnostic hysteroscopy to determine what was going on and then if they needed to, they would go ahead with an operative hysteroscopy.

I had an operative hysteroscopy. My diagnosis was severe Ashermans Syndrome.

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