Fertility
Asherman's syndrome?
Hello dear women who I think are also in their heads about (in)fertility,
I have to try to make a very long story short;
For days I've been scouring the internet for info/clarity/reassurance.
In May 2017 I met my current partner, and we accidentally got pregnant when we had only been together for a month. With a lot of pain and endless doubting and talking, we chose to end it at 11 weeks pregnant because we didn't know each other well enough and mainly felt we had too little to offer the child in every way. Even before that happened, my biggest fear, like for many women in a similar situation, was that it wouldn't work out anymore after this, that I would throw away my only chance at motherhood and regret it forever. But because this fear is common, you try to convince yourself that it's unnecessary and that, like for many others, it will turn out fine in the end.
What I did notice was that I had almost no bleeding after my abortion. Normally that lasts quite long and is heavy, but for me it was minimal. It was hardly comparable to an average period, and mine have never been very heavy anyway. Still no reason for panic, I started the pill immediately after my abortion and went straight into the NuvaRing (I thought it was better for me, less hormone side effects) without a break week, until when I finally took my first break week I was in agony, and even more surprisingly, I barely lost any blood during that break week. The same story for the next break week.
When the worst nightmare comes true, you start Googling, and that's how I came across Asherman's syndrome. I went to my GP to explain how everything was right after the abortion (D&C) and then with the NuvaRing, and she referred me to a hospital to check if anything was damaged during the D&C.
There, an ultrasound was done, and I was told that my uterine wall looked very thin. This would explain the pain and the negligible periods, and according to the treating gynecologist, it had to do with my use of the NuvaRing.
That was reassuring at the time. The pain was just so severe that I (after reading online that this shouldn't be a problem) decided not to take any more break weeks. After that, I also had little trouble with breakthrough bleeding and the enormous pain I had during a break week, so I felt like this was working for me.
At most a year and a half later, we took out the last NuvaRing (after no break weeks and no periods) with the intention of finally welcoming a baby soon. A few days without NuvaRing and still not a single drop of blood. I searched online for women's experiences with "unringing" and read that many women quickly picked up their old cycle and got pregnant. But I also found out that I couldn't find anyone who had stopped menstruating due to the NuvaRing (which the gyn said was logical)..
I immediately get nervous and think of my worst-case scenario.... now that I want it, something is wrong and I can't anymore. I keep desperately searching for people with the same story as me but keep only coming across Asherman's syndrome. Where I feel like I have every symptom of it, and have undergone a known possible cause (abortion). And believe me, I am naturally rational and anything but hypochondriac!
4 days after (for the first time in 1.5 years) removing my NuvaRing, nothing happened except a vague menstrual feeling, and I called my new GP to ask if we could check if it had anything to do with Asherman's. This afternoon I had an appointment, and an hour before I was supposed to be there, I had 2 large bright red drops on the toilet paper when wiping after peeing.. what a relief!!! An hour later I told my doctor about this at the appointment, and she said that the situation was certainly notable but that we could now wait and see how it goes after this blood.
I cycled back to work full of relief. To find out there that the bleeding hadn't continued. Every time I went to the toilet after that, I hoped for at least a little blood but it was at most minimal brown discharge. The stress is back.
I can't just relax and see what happens. I want to reassure myself so badly. So I now hope with all my heart that there is someone who has experience with Asherman's/NuvaRing/unringing or generally the absence of menstruation who can tell me if this is normal.. I can't think of anything else and can only cry.
I have to try to make a very long story short;
For days I've been scouring the internet for info/clarity/reassurance.
In May 2017 I met my current partner, and we accidentally got pregnant when we had only been together for a month. With a lot of pain and endless doubting and talking, we chose to end it at 11 weeks pregnant because we didn't know each other well enough and mainly felt we had too little to offer the child in every way. Even before that happened, my biggest fear, like for many women in a similar situation, was that it wouldn't work out anymore after this, that I would throw away my only chance at motherhood and regret it forever. But because this fear is common, you try to convince yourself that it's unnecessary and that, like for many others, it will turn out fine in the end.
What I did notice was that I had almost no bleeding after my abortion. Normally that lasts quite long and is heavy, but for me it was minimal. It was hardly comparable to an average period, and mine have never been very heavy anyway. Still no reason for panic, I started the pill immediately after my abortion and went straight into the NuvaRing (I thought it was better for me, less hormone side effects) without a break week, until when I finally took my first break week I was in agony, and even more surprisingly, I barely lost any blood during that break week. The same story for the next break week.
When the worst nightmare comes true, you start Googling, and that's how I came across Asherman's syndrome. I went to my GP to explain how everything was right after the abortion (D&C) and then with the NuvaRing, and she referred me to a hospital to check if anything was damaged during the D&C.
There, an ultrasound was done, and I was told that my uterine wall looked very thin. This would explain the pain and the negligible periods, and according to the treating gynecologist, it had to do with my use of the NuvaRing.
That was reassuring at the time. The pain was just so severe that I (after reading online that this shouldn't be a problem) decided not to take any more break weeks. After that, I also had little trouble with breakthrough bleeding and the enormous pain I had during a break week, so I felt like this was working for me.
At most a year and a half later, we took out the last NuvaRing (after no break weeks and no periods) with the intention of finally welcoming a baby soon. A few days without NuvaRing and still not a single drop of blood. I searched online for women's experiences with "unringing" and read that many women quickly picked up their old cycle and got pregnant. But I also found out that I couldn't find anyone who had stopped menstruating due to the NuvaRing (which the gyn said was logical)..
I immediately get nervous and think of my worst-case scenario.... now that I want it, something is wrong and I can't anymore. I keep desperately searching for people with the same story as me but keep only coming across Asherman's syndrome. Where I feel like I have every symptom of it, and have undergone a known possible cause (abortion). And believe me, I am naturally rational and anything but hypochondriac!
4 days after (for the first time in 1.5 years) removing my NuvaRing, nothing happened except a vague menstrual feeling, and I called my new GP to ask if we could check if it had anything to do with Asherman's. This afternoon I had an appointment, and an hour before I was supposed to be there, I had 2 large bright red drops on the toilet paper when wiping after peeing.. what a relief!!! An hour later I told my doctor about this at the appointment, and she said that the situation was certainly notable but that we could now wait and see how it goes after this blood.
I cycled back to work full of relief. To find out there that the bleeding hadn't continued. Every time I went to the toilet after that, I hoped for at least a little blood but it was at most minimal brown discharge. The stress is back.
I can't just relax and see what happens. I want to reassure myself so badly. So I now hope with all my heart that there is someone who has experience with Asherman's/NuvaRing/unringing or generally the absence of menstruation who can tell me if this is normal.. I can't think of anything else and can only cry.
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