Hi, I’m S. I’m 37 years old and have been trying to get pregnant since 2021.

My battle with infertility starts many years ago (although I didn’t know it at the time), when I was diagnosed with endometriosis and ovarian cysts in 2010 at the age of 22, after a transvaginal ultrasound scan.

I had been going back and forth to the GP since I was 16 years old, with very heavy and extremely painful periods. Sometimes the pain was so bad that I would pass out, and a hot water bottle became my important monthly comrade. Unfortunately during this time I was told that it was a normal part of being female and having periods, and between 2003-2005 I was prescribed mefanemic acid, and the microgynon pill.

When the mefanemic acid and the pill didn’t help (unsurprisingly), I was referred to the Gynaecology team at my local hospital for laparoscopic surgery for removal of endometriosis and ovarian cystectomy. Unfortunately after this surgery I had a lot of swelling down below, and was told that it was due to the fluid and gases involved in the surgery. This turned out not to be incorrect, and was actually a blood clot that ended up travelling to my lung - as I found out a few days later when struggling to breathe!

I was promptly prescribed blood thinners for six months, told to have my INR blood levels checked every week, and sent on my merry way… that is, until they decided to check my INR every two weeks instead of every week. A week after this decision was made, I woke up with extreme abdominal pain, and I fainted oh so glamorously in my bathroom. Cue me getting rushed into hospital. They eventually figured out that an ovarian cyst had ruptured. Because I was on blood thinners, this caused a massive abdominal hemorrhage. I was given four pints of blood while on the ward to replace what I was losing, and rushed in for emergency surgery.

It’s important to note that before both of my surgeries, I wasn’t told that the surgery could cause damage and risk to my fertility. All I was told was that if I didn’t have surgery, the endometriosis could make it difficult for me to get pregnant in the future. At age 22, I wasn’t thinking about starting a family, so didn’t question this further unfortunately.

After the dramas of surgery, things seemed much better - I had less pain and it seemed like the surgery had worked. I later found out that I had a protein S deficiency, which is a clotting disorder. This means that in any future high-risk situations, I would need to be on blood thinners.

Fast forward to 2021, I was now married to my husband and we were starting to think about trying for a baby. I had an appointment with a Gynaecology consultant in my local hospital, who told me that I should try to conceive naturally for six months, and if nothing happened, I should ask my GP to refer me to the fertility clinic for investigations. He also stated that because I had been to see him before I was 35, I would be eligible for one round of funding on the NHS in my area, for IVF treatment if it was needed. This turned out not to be true…!

That pretty much brings things up to speed… join me as I document fighting my way through infertility and IVF!