FertilityZone

Hello to anyone reading this -

I just wanted to tell you my very happy ending to a very long story of infertility. I was told many moons ago (10 years) that my hormone levels were off-kilter and it would be very hard for me to conceive. As I was in the process of splitting with my partner, and still in my twenties, this was something I thought would just 'clear up'. Anyway, I met my DH in my mid thirties and we knew we'd really like a family - cut to last year after a long time of trying, and I was diagnosed with prematurely ageing ovaries and told to go straight to IVF.

We had 3 attempts at IVF earlier this year - short protocol, highest dosage of Gonal F they could give me - and no response at all from my ovaries to any attempt. My FSH wasn't especially high - between 10 and 21 (lower end came once I stopped the evil weed) but the consultant decided there was no point trying me on anything else and I was told I would never have my own family, and the discussion became mainly about donor eggs.

Throughout the IVF (and thanks to one of the lovely nurses recommending it - the docs hate the mere mention of the a-word ...) I began going to acupuncture. Specifically Chinese 5 Element acupuncture. Its a bit painful here and there but I began to feel better in myself almost immediately and even after the consultant had said we had no more options other than donor I continued to go, really believing something was happening to my ovarian/womb area.

I then joined a donor egg waiting list, and they asked me to go in for a day 14 scan to make sure my lining was ok - and while I was in there they found one very large folly about to drop, and two smaller follies on the other side - without any drugs I had actually created my own egg. I was told to go home and do the business and perhaps I wouldn't need their services ...

Well it only bloody worked. I'm now nearly 9 weeks pregnant. Still early days but its the miracle that that consultant said would never happen (he also said that if I did get pregnant it wouldn't work because the egg would be such bad quality - well I've just had 8 week scan because I was so bloody scared because of this comment and everything seems ok to date!).

I know this may just seem like someone else's story but I wanted to share the fact that the doctors aren't always right, that acupuncture can help, and the main thing - I started thinking of myself as a mother from the second I saw the donor egg place and they were positive about me conceiving with donor eggs (ladies, you know what its like to have so many no's - I'd never walked out of a doctors surgery having been told that yes, I would be a mother this time next year). Maybe its all this positivity, maybe its the needles or maybe just a goddam miracle from whoever's looking down on us - who knows, I managed to get a good result. It can happen. I know I used to get so down as the FSH issue is so ridiculously hard to resolve, but positivity made me feel so much better and I really think it helped me get to this stage.

I wish you all the greatest love and luck in the world with your search for your baby, however it comes to you.
S. xx

- can i just say I've nothing against the donor eggs - we'd have been happy to have our child whichever way it came to us. This is just a slightly cheaper one for sure! x

Its those needles! Brilliant stuff, I am aware its not the same for everyone but I always wanted to hear positive stories so hopefully we can all be one! x

Mrs I - of course I remember, good luck with the next one, all fingers and toes crossed for you. And its not the end of the line by any means - get those needles going in you! xx