Time for another inspiring story and the importance of pushing for what you believe in as a part of your treatment. When I first contacted @ourjourneytobethree on instagram, I was not sure what their journey was going to be like. I soon realized that they had undergone some difficult treatments. Once she shared their story with me, it made me realize the importance of asking for specific things as part of your treatment and feeling entitled to receiving them. Undergoing fertility treatment is not easy and if you are denied access to certain treatments, this just adds to the stress of the process and makes things even more difficult to deal with.
@ourjourneytobethree's journey started once it was apparent that they were struggling with conceiving. She was diagnosed with PCOS which was not a complete shock as she always thought something might have been wrong due to her irregular cycles. This never bothered her and she didn't pay too much attention to it. Once she was in a committed relationship, things started to get a bit more serious. Due to their struggles with conceiving naturally, they underwent initial investigations. They were offered 6 months of clomid treatment as the first stage of treatment. Unfortunately, these cycles were not successful and so they were referred for IVF treatment. They started their cycle and she was stimulated with hormonal injections. However, she was over stimulated and so could not undergo a fresh embryo transfer after her egg retrieval procedure. As a result, their 5 blastocysts were frozen for future frozen embryo transfer cycles. After she had enough time to recover, they were booked in for their first frozen embryo transfer. One of their 5 embryos was thawed but unfortunately it was not deemed suitable for transfer and so they had to thaw another one of the embryos. This second embryo was of acceptable quality and was transferred. After the transfer, the dreaded two week wait was awaiting them.
Due to anxiety and stress she did not wait the 2 weeks and tested 7 days after the transfer which showed a negative result. Understandably, she resorted to Google and online searching. She saw that many people had a positive result even that early on which was definitely not comforting. Once her period was late, her husband convinced her to take another test. She did so on day 10 and a faint line appeared. She continued testing for the next 6 days and each time, a faint line was visible. Unfortunately though a beta blood test was not offered to her as it was not a part of the standard procedure. She offered to pay for it privately but the clinic insisted that it was not necessary. They advised her that her pregnancy tests were showing that she was indeed pregnant and to continue her medications. She was booked in for a scan after 2 weeks. Of course, this was such good news for them and they were over the moon. Time after time, she was reassured that a positive line on a pregnancy test meant she was pregnant. She was so excited to go in for her scan and confirm her pregnancy with more reliable information. Sadly, the result of the scan was a non viable pregnancy. This was devastating for them. How could have this happened, they had done everything right with nothing to show for it. They could not believe it. Maybe if they had done the beta test, they would have known sooner and all of the false hope wouldn't have been built up for so long. If a pregnancy blood test is not offered as a routine procedure by the clinic, this may be something that a lot of couples have to deal with. Something that could be cleared up a lot sooner could be dragged on unnecessarily for a while. This is not only emotionally draining, but it can also delay future transfers or other treatment options. Her advise for any other couples undergoing treatment was to follow through with any gut feelings and keep asking for help. If you are not receiving the care that you want, there is no shame in asking and referring to other clinics that may offer that service to you. If something doesn't feel right, look into it. She is looking forward for her next transfer and is remaining optimistic. Her optimism and perseverance is admiring. With the remaining embryos that they have still frozen, hopefully they'll be able to achieve a pregnancy and a healthy baby.
Her story is one that is not too uncommon and faced by many patients. In these circumstances, it may feel hopeless to ask for treatments that are not routinely offered but it is important to keep in mind that each patient's journey is different. Some thing that might not be necessary in one case, may be more of an urgency in another patient's care. Feel confident to relay this to your care provider and ensure you receive the treatments you are entitled to. It may be easier for clinics to stick to a routine for all patients but this may not be beneficial for everyone. The move towards personalized medicine will ensure that treatments are geared towards specific needs of a patient and not routinely applied to everyone. This can be reinforced by patients directly.
Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions or concerns.
