Salpingectomy

Oh yeah baby, they're coming out! Woo Hoo!

So, back to my earlier post when CCRM told me I needed an HSG and I asked, "Why?" Because from my perspective, what did it matter when I wouldn't be needing tubes - who cares if they were blocked. Then came the education - blocked fallopian tubes collect fluid which can not only inhibit implantation but proves toxic to embryos and causes miscarriage. Then Dr. Success proceeds to tell me about a study that was done on two groups of women undergoing IVF - one with blocked fallopian tubes, one with clear tubes. The women with clear tubes had the highest success rate for IVF recorded at that time (around 30%). The women with the blocked fallopian tubes had a significantly diminished success rate of around 6-8%. Researchers knew the fluid inside the tubes was to blame but weren't sure to what capacity. Did the fluid harm the embryo or did the fluid harm the uterine cavity, causing permanent damage? So they took a group of women with blocked tubes, removed their tubes and subjected them to a round of IVF. Voila! Success rates jumped to same as women with clear tubes.

So Friday night I was reading through the operative notes from my laparoscopic surgery last year (before undergoing IVF). Now, mind you, my former RE has these notes, and it clearly says that I had a hydrosalpinx and that it was cleared and that a fimbrioplasty (plastic surgery to the end of the fallopian tube to fix the delicate fingers that grab the egg from the ovary) was performed. Well, one thing I know is that a hydrosalpinx nearly always recurs and within a relatively short period of time. I quickly drafted an email fax to my Gyn (who I am developing a major crush on - how pathetic!) with a copy of his operative notes and asked to bypass the HSG completely and just have my fallopian tubes removed. Thirty minutes after I faxed over the note, he called in complete agreement.

Of course, my first RE NEVER asked me to have an HSG in the first place and I underwent an IUI (converted from an IVF 'cause of my poor response and few follicles) which ended in BFN. And a donor frozen embryo transfer which ended in a chemical pregnancy last month. Don't think for a second I'm not wondering....hmm....did that have anything to do with that fluid? Hmm.....I'm bitter about that, let me tell you. And I deliberately went to a very reputable IF clinic in NJ with a huge staff of doctors so this very kind of thing did NOT happen!

I'm nearly 42 years, my highest known FSH is 22 AND at least one of my fallopian tubes is blocked. The chances of my having a natural pregnancy with my own egg is, umm, well, statistically close to zero. And EVEN if I could find an RE who would attempt to do IVF on my eggs (the 2-3 that heavy stimulation drugs could cajole), the stupid fluid in the blocked tube(s) could kill the embryo. I mean, c'mon here!

So don't cry for me Argentina - I'm having these puppies cut right out and I'm never going to worry about this again!

September 9th is the big day. I just pray it goes smoothly and that I get a nice report that everything went great and that my fallopian tubes are no longer an obstacle for my future donor egg cycle with CCRM.

Man! I don't know how my future child is going to receive the information that we're not genetically related - but one thing I don't fear is there being any validity to the words "you never wanted me!"