Tuesday, June 05, 2012

Premature ovarian failure success story


At the age of 16 my periods stopped for no apparent reason after having normal regular periods since the age of 12.  We had tests done at my local hospital in the UK and they did not find anything significant other than a few hormones which appeared to be a little erratic.  I was told not to worry and that it should be ok as this can happen due to stress (I had my GCSE exams at the time).  So at that I did not worry. No periods for a little while sounded great.

As time went on, they did not return.  I went to see another doctor while I was at university with more of the same tests.  Again I was told not to  worry as I was young and that there was no need to take any action until I wanted to have children.  I was put on the pill and told to go away.  It wasn’t until I was in my mid 20’s when I was living and working in the Middle East that I decided to pursue the issue again.  I had more tests and the same results.  My doctor then told me that I had POF and that I would never be able to have children and should consider adoption as my only route.  Even though I had known deep down that having children was going to be a difficult task, I had not been ready for those harsh words.  It was soul destroying.

After this I went to see another specialist gynecologist recommended to me by a friend.  She gave me hope and said that I could try IVF with a donor egg.  I wasn't married at the time and my partner and I were about to move to Singapore.  Here we found out that there was no donor egg program in the country.  We got married and all our friends started to have children and I was conscious of the time ticking away. 

I found out about Dr Malpani and his clinic through a web search.  I contacted him and he replied quickly and answered all the questions we had promptly and clearly.  We went for our first round of IVF with donor egg in 2009.  The 2 weeks that followed went really slowly and the blood tests revealed that we were not pregnant.

After this we left Singapore and headed back to the Middle East another place with no donor egg program.  We decided to return to Dr Malpani in 2011.  All through the trip both my husband and I were on edge and we had pretty much decided that this would be the last time we would try.  Dr Malpani was great and his staff too were very friendly and they all knew what they were doing.

2 weeks after the embryo transfer the blood test showed that I was pregnant, though I think I knew before that due to a number changes in my body including getting up in the night to go to the bathroom, something that I never normally do!  As you can imagine we were overjoyed at the news and it took some time to sink in.  The pregnancy was not particularly easy.  I had quite a bit of bleeding and spotting during my first 3 months and I was on edge all the time with worry thatight miscarry.

Now we have a beautiful smiley little girl, we named her Asha.  She has really changed our lives for the better.  I thought that I would never be able to have a child after my POF diagnosis but thanks to Dr Malpani and his staff today we are the happiest parents in the world and very grateful.


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4 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:31 PM

    Dr, why is IVF so costly? Is there any ways to bring down the costs and make it affordable for poor people too? I had a short conversation with a woman who is trying to conceive for 8 long years. When the doctors advised her to undergo IVF she asked them how much does it cost? The doctor said 1.5 and she asked him in return 'is it 1500 rupees?’ They replied 'no, it is 150000'. She told me 'I am shocked and I just moved away quickly from that place, we could not afford it'. They want a baby so badly and her in-laws are not treating her good too. If an infertile woman doesn't have money then she can't even undergo a process which might give her a baby. Does it mean only rich infertile people have the privilege to have a baby? If money plays such an important role in medical treatment (when money can decide whether a woman can have a baby or not) then where does God stand in all these happenings? Do you believe in God? I have no hidden intentions when I ask you this question. I hope you will understand it. I am just disturbed.

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  2. Yes, the high cost of IVF is a major sore point today. I completely agree that this is very unfair.

    There's no reason why government hospitals cannot provide IVF at a low cost to poor patients !

    Sadly, even health insurance companies refuse to pay for IVF treatment today, claiming that infertility is not a medical problem ! Unless infertile patients start agitating and demanding their rights, this is not likely to change !

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  3. Anonymous12:44 PM

    Life is too unfair most of the time. Might be that is why we all need a 'God Delusion' to keep us sane. I wish I could do something to change this discrepancy. But at the moment I need a genei which can grant all my wishes :) Thanks for answering :)

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  4. Brian Jeffreys5:15 PM

    Wow what and awesome story and a beautiful baby you now have congratulations :)

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