“Endometriosis did not prevent us from becoming parents again”

Treatment: In-vitro fertilisation (IVF)
Provider: IVF Spain Alicante
Date: May 2018

“Endometriosis did not prevent us from becoming parents again”

Anne and Marcus wanted to become parents for the second time. Their daughter Renée is 4 years old and they had always wanted to have a second child. Anne’s first pregnancy was not complicated with Renée  being conceived naturally. However, the couple then tried conceiving for a year and a half without any success

Anne will be 38 in April, and Marcus is 35. They made the decision to visit a fertility specialist as they appeared not be able to conceive naturally. It was then that the examinations and tests started. Marcus began with a spermiogram to assess his sperm quality, and Anne went through hormonal tests and a hysterosalpingography.

A hysterosalpingography (HSG) is a type of radiography in which a liquid called contrast dye is injected into the patient. The liquid flows through the uterus and Fallopian tubes allowing examination of the intrauterine cavity’s morphology and detection of any possible patency in the tubes. Any obstruction of these channels will  impede  a natural pregnancy.

As a result of the test  Anne found out that both her tubes were obstructed, preventing the egg’s fertilisation by her partner’s sperm and therefore the conception of their second baby. Furthermore, due to her suffering from hydrosalpinx (accumulation of liquid in the tubes that can be toxic for the embryo), she needed surgery to remove both tubes. This was a consequence of endometriosis, with which she had recently been diagnosed.

“At that moment, our world closed up on us. We believed that our dream to be parents again had just vanished”, says Anne.

Endometriosis is a disease that affects 1 in 3 women. It is diagnosed when the endometrium’s tissue grows out of its natural location: the uterus. This condition can impact on different aspects of daily life: intense pain during menstruation, painful sexual relations and even infertility.

“When we found out that I had no chance of becoming pregnant naturally, we started searching for information on fertility clinics. We spent several months searching, and we wanted to find the best one, since we couldn’t afford several attempts for financial reasons. We visited different clinics, but we weren’t impressed by them. When we came to IVF Spain in Alicante we got our hope back. Everything was very simple, the trip,  organisation and the whole treatment. We held a Skype consultation with Dr. Natalia Szlarb and there was chemistry between us, we felt understood. That very day we decided to put ourselves in the hands of the IVF Spain team”, points out Anne.

At IVF Spain, patient care is at the forefront of everything they do. It has been proven that results improve when patients feel comfortable and understood during the process, since stress can cause hormonal imbalances that interfere with the treatment’s success. For this reason IVF Spain has an empathic team that takes care of their patients in their native language until they achieve their longed-for pregnancy.

Three months passed after Anne’s surgery before she could start her in vitro fertilisation treatment. In her case, it was necessary to perform an endometrial study to find out unequivocally when the right time for the embryo transfer would be.

To ensure the success of this important part of the process, she underwent an endometrial receptivity test (ER Map®). This is a personalised test that allows for the determination of the endometrium’s degree of receptivity during the implantation window (time period in which the embryo is receptive). ER Map® identifies the best exact time for the embryo transfer, thus increasing the chance of implantation and pregnancy.

The couple waited for three menstrual cycles until Anne’s endometrium was ready to receive the embryo.

“It was a very exciting experience, Natalia made us feel that way through her explanations. I was at my wife’s side during the whole transfer of our baby and I felt part of the process” remembers Marcus.

Ten days later Anne and Marcus went to perform the blood test that measures the levels of the hormone hCG and confirms whether the embryo has successfully implanted. And the long-desired result came: positive. Nine months later, Renée had a beautiful baby sister weighing 6.6 pounds, who according to her happy parents, has come into this world with a lot of energy to burn and with quite a reluctance to sleep.

A new phase begins for Anne and Marcus. Congratulations!