Mariah's TTC Journey With a Didelphys Uterus
Didelphys Uterus: 1 in Every 3,000 Women Have This
Hi! My name is Mariah. I’m 27 years old, married to my best friend, and have three adorable fur babies. I decided to share my story, because my husband and I, like so many others, are part of the 1 in 8 couples who are struggling with infertility. So, buckle up, because it’s a long one.
My husband Marcus and I have been married for five years, and together as a unit for six. We officially began our journey last year in April, just a week or so before my 26th birthday. Previously, my periods had been really off, and sometimes I would go a month or more without one. When I would get a period, the cramps were unbearable, bleeding was so heavy, and I’d spend a full day in bed. We’d been trying for 3 years with no success or light at the end of the tunnel. My periods finally started to regulate themselves after years of hit or misses, when I started vitex and progesterone cream. Naturally we just thought it was a hormone imbalance, and that was the cure all. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. We moved from our tiny hole in the wall apartment, to a much bigger place, and acquired health insurance so we can proceed forward.
So last year in April, we made a doctor's appointment to my OBGYN. The morning of the appointment, it ended up being pushed back because she had to deliver a baby that morning. We ended up going, filled out our paperwork, and waited for her. Now the original deal was that I needed blood work, an HSG after I was off my period, and Marcus needed a semen analysis done. Nothing of which we’ve ever done. If everything came back normal on both our ends, she would put me on Clomid for three months, and if I wasn’t ovulating, she would up the dosage. If after that I still did not end up pregnant, or if our results were abnormal, she would refer us to the Fertility Clinic 45 minutes away. And so, the testing began.
Luckily enough, my blood work came back normal, and that I do ovulate on my own, which was great news. My cycle came normally, and I called the hospital to schedule my HSG, which was a process, but the nurse was able to squeeze me in. Marcus and I decided the day of my HSG, he would turn in his sample for the semen analysis. The morning of my HSG, they had me take a pregnancy test which of course came out negative, just as I knew it would. Marcus was able to come back with me so I wouldn’t be alone, which was a huge sigh of relief. We had instructions to have me take ibuprofen about 45 minutes to an hour before, a pad in my underwear for after, and to take it easy the rest of the day afterwards.
The HSG was the worst pain of my life. If anybody has been through one and felt pain, you know where I’m coming from. Unfortunately, our radiologist was unable to find the left side of my uterus, including my left fallopian tube and ovary. My right side is healthy, and my tube is clear, but narrow. After the procedure, Marcus brought me home, and I was in the worst pain besides my period cramps that I’ve ever experienced. He headed off to turn in his sample, and after he got home, we went to my parents’ house where my mom fed us dinner and let me use their new bathtub. The night was long and painful, and the next day wasn’t easy either.
I would say it was about a week or so later when my OB called me with the results of my HSG. I was out with my best friend and my god babies when I got the phone call. That was when she told me that she couldn’t help me anymore, because my HSG results came back abnormal. Both her and the radiologist had thought I had a Unicornuate uterus, which is where only one side of the uterus forms. With a heavy heart, she referred us to the Idaho Fertility Clinic, 45 minutes away from us. Marcus also had picked up the physical results from his semen analysis, and we read them with much confusion, thinking he wasn’t producing enough good swimmers.
A few days later, the receptionist from the Fertility Clinic called us to schedule a consultation with our new doctor. 21 pages of paperwork later, we were ready to go. And so May 31st, 2019, the day after our four-year wedding anniversary, we were sitting in the waiting room, nervous. Our doctor sat down with us, went over Marcus’s results, which actually showed that he produces 10 times the number of swimmers that they consider normal, which is great. She then brought me in for my first ever trans-vaginal ultrasound. She immediately found my left side, fallopian tube, ovary, and uterus, which made me cry. I had plenty of eggs on both sides, and my cervix was nice and healthy. To my surprise, she thought she saw another cervix, and so with my permission, she began to examine me. She told me that what she saw was hidden behind a flap of skin, and she wanted me to do an MRI so we could see the full picture, both with and without contrast dye. We agreed that our next appointment would be over the phone with the results.
I’ve never had an MRI before, but it was thus far the most non painful thing I had done. It was a breeze, and we waited for the results. On June 19th, 2019, the day after Marcus’s 26th birthday, we learned our results. I was officially diagnosed with a Didelphys Uterus with a full trans-vaginal septum. Basically, what she saw hidden behind the “flap of skin” was indeed another cervix. It was my left cervix, but it was tiny and had stopped forming. The trans-vaginal septum basically splits my uterus in half, and it comes all the way down into my vaginal canal. It also has nerve endings, so sex is painful sometimes for me. 1 in every 3,000 women have it. It is a genetic abnormality, so I was born with it. My right cervix is healthy and normal sized. The good news is that the top of my uterus is flat like a normal uterus. We were told that I can have babies, and carry them, it would just be a little harder to get there. A Didelphys Uterus also comes with increased miscarriage and preterm birth rates. I also cannot have surgery to fix it, because I risk killing my entire reproductive system.
Our options were 3 IUI’s. If after those three none of them were successful, then we would regroup and discuss IVF. We proceeded with our first round of IUI, which was un-medicated besides the trigger shot. As of one year ago today, August 25th, we found out that our first IUI did not work. We actually did not make it to blood test day, as I started bleeding a week early. What started out as what we thought was implantation bleeding, quickly turned out not to be. We took a few months for a break, which ended up in me being put on Provera to induce a period. When I went in for our beta ultrasound for our second IUI, we found out that I had no eggs ready to go, my left side was lazy, and I was put on Letrozole to grow my eggs. I came back the next week, and they upped my dosage again from one pill to two. The next appointment, my dosage went up again from two pills to three. I was taking 7.5mg of Letrozole until my next appointment. The final ultrasound we were ready to go. I ended up having to order Progesterone suppositories because it ended up being a medicated cycle. And so, we did our second IUI.
Two weeks went by, as smoothly as you could imagine. We all thought this one was it. Unfortunately, my blood test came out negative. We were devastated. And now as I sit here typing this, I am on another round of Provera with three days left, and we plan to do our final IUI in October.
We are in year four of making baby Merrick happen. This has been the hardest thing I have ever had to go through. If you are going through the same thing, you are NOT ALONE. I have an infertility journal coming hopefully soon, and if you need me, I’m here. I see you mama, I hear you mama, I love you mama.
All our love,
Mariah and Marcus
Medical Disclaimer:
The information provided in this blog is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your healthcare provider or qualified medical professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this blog.