my introduction on this board....need opinions...should i see an RE (LOOOONG!)

hi ladies,

this is my first post on this board but i feel like maybe i belong here now. i'm feeling very torn about if DH and i should go to see an RE and thought maybe your experiences would help me.

a brief history (my apologies to the women here who've read it before): we started TTC in may 2009. by july, i was pregnant. long story short, at our 12 week scan, we found out the baby had a very very large cyst occupying his entire abdomen. so much so that his organs couldn't grow properly and the blood to his heart was becoming constricted. we were told by 3 doctors (2 specialists and my obgyn at the time) that we should terminate the pregnancy. so we did. it was HEART WRENCHING. besides the death of my father, it was easily the hardest thing i've ever experienced. the doctors assured us that it was a "fluke" and we had "bad luck" and that we would be ok to TTC again soon.

so, in december 09 we started TTC. by may, we were pregnant again. but, this time i started bleeding right away. my obgyn thought i was miscarrying. i bled on and off for over a month. bottom line....it wasn't a miscarriage, it was an ectopic pregnancy. unfortunately this wasn't discovered until very late and as soon as i found out, i was rushed into surgery. during surgery, i lost my right tube again, my obgyn (a new doctor now) has told me that it was a "fluke" and that what happened is in no way related to what happened last year. she said after next AF, i could TTC again although she would like to see me lose some weight first (i am obese in the first place and gained 35 pounds in the last year).

so, here i am, my first AF after the ectopic has come and gone and i'm SO confused about what we should do now. we'd like to start TTC by the end of the year so i feel like IF we are going to see an RE, we should do it soon. i'm confused about an RE for two reasons: 1) i'm not infertile (or at least i haven't been so far) and 2) i haven't had "traditional" miscarriages. i can't decide if i truly have horrible "luck" with trying to stay pregnant OR if i need help with the whole process.

and....one other thing....my new obgyn ran a recurrent miscarriage panel. she found that i have a MTHFR gene mutation but didn't seem too concerned about it. i outright asked her if i should see an RE and she said she didn't think it was necessary. but, since she did find this, it leaves me wondering if i need to see somebody more specialized.

anyway, BLESS YOU if you've gotten this far!! i'm hoping you ladies can shed some light on whether i should see an RE or if it sounds like i just have the worst luck ever.

i know i've mentioned this briefly before on the TTC board and a few girls have raved about dr. braverman.....we live in westchester.....if we do see an RE, is it worth traveling to LI to see him? for those of you that see him, do you think he can help me?

TIA! i know this is terribly long!!!

Re: my introduction on this board....need opinions...should i see an RE (LOOOONG!)

Hi there-Welcome

ok where to start....having an ectopic and miscarriage arent related. I had an ectopic and emergency right tube removal also. I got pregnant right after. So to answer your questions an ectopic has nothing to do with you being fertile...I was told me chances of becoming pregnant were only decreased a little. In fact ive gotten pregnant while ovulating from that side. The other tube can scoop it up. Crazy right? Ive been pregnant 4 times with one tube.

I would probably consult with someone about the gene mutation. I do feel like your pregnancy with the cyst is unrelated but I am not a Dr.

I had my first child right after ectopic no problems...now I am having misscarriage thing due to elevated NK cells....

How old are you, that would play a part in how long I would wait to see a specialist...

Re: my introduction on this board....need opinions...should i see an RE (LOOOONG!)

i would see an RE for a consult. it cant hurt. you can always decide after the consult to continue to TTC unassisted.

i would say dr. b specifically for the testing he recommends, but as much as i him, you can PROBABLY find an RE closer to home that could help you. dr. B specializes in immune issues and recurrent m/c though so im not sure if that specialty will necessarily do you any good. although dr. B is absolutely phenomenal so i would never deter anyone from seeing him!!

Message edited 8/25/2010 9:54:34 PM.

Re: my introduction on this board....need opinions...should i see an RE (LOOOONG!)

Posted by FlowerWife

i would see an RE for a consult. it cant hurt. you can always decide after the consult to continue to TTC unassisted.

i would say dr. b specifically for the testing he recommends, but as much as i him, you can PROBABLY find an RE closer to home that could help you. dr. B specializes in immune issues and recurrent m/c though so im not sure if that specialty will necessarily do you any good. although dr. B is absolutely phenomenal so i would never deter anyone from seeing him!!

Re: my introduction on this board....need opinions...should i see an RE (LOOOONG!)

Because of the gene mutation, I would see Dr. B. He has a lot of experience with your particular gene mutation and would be able to help you work around it.

Good Luck!

Re: my introduction on this board....need opinions...should i see an RE (LOOOONG!)

I would go to Cornell. They have an office in Mt. Vernon and you could alternate seeing docs in both the city and Mt. Vernon.

They would probably do PGD or Micro Array testing on your embryos from IVF. It will probably be what you would need to do next.

Like the others have said, I really like Dr. Braverman but there are clinics that will treat you for what you are diagnosed with.

Re: my introduction on this board....need opinions...should i see an RE (LOOOONG!)

Re: my introduction on this board....need opinions...should i see an RE (LOOOONG!)

Re: my introduction on this board....need opinions...should i see an RE (LOOOONG!)

Posted by keepingsecrets

Posted by littlebeanz

Hi there-Welcome

ok where to start....having an ectopic and miscarriage arent related. I had an ectopic and emergency right tube removal also. I got pregnant right after. So to answer your questions an ectopic has nothing to do with you being fertile...I was told me chances of becoming pregnant were only decreased a little. In fact ive gotten pregnant while ovulating from that side. The other tube can scoop it up. Crazy right? Ive been pregnant 4 times with one tube.

I would probably consult with someone about the gene mutation. I do feel like your pregnancy with the cyst is unrelated but I am not a Dr.

I had my first child right after ectopic no problems...now I am having misscarriage thing due to elevated NK cells....

How old are you, that would play a part in how long I would wait to see a specialist...

thanks so much for sharing this! my doctor told me the same thing about the ectopic and she seems confident that i won't have issues getting pregnant or staying pregnant again but it's VERY hard to believe her and have that much faith! hearing your experience definitely gives me hope!

i just turned 34 two days ago so that also is why i'm not wondering more and more what i should do next. i was such a "spring chicken" when we started talking about babies and now i feel like time is passing us by!

do you see Dr. B? thanks again

Re: my introduction on this board....need opinions...should i see an RE (LOOOONG!)

I dont live in Westchester, I live in Ulster County further upstate but I am seeing Dr. Matthew Lederman in Mt Kisco - I really like him & he also has an office in Manhattan. If you want his info FM me!

Re: my introduction on this board....need opinions...should i see an RE (LOOOONG!)

i don't have any experience with what you've gone through specifically, but my advice would be to find an RE that is near to your home and has early morning appts (if you work). When you are being treated, you can often need to go several times in a week, including weekends.
My RE is 20 min from my house and opens at 6:30 a.m. so i can go in and be done and still make it to work on time.

It may not seem like a big deal now, but believe me when you're going to the dr almost every other day for sonos and blood work, the convenience is really a bonus.

I do think that if you're thinking of seeing one, it can't hurt to at least look around your area and make some calls for appts. At least have an initial consult to see if you like the dr and what they suggest.

Good luck with your decision!