My journey at UAB Women & Infants Center started in March of 2022. I had two back-to-back miscarriages, one in November 2021 and another in February 2022. I did not want to wait for a third miscarriage to happen. Instead, I wanted to quickly find answers regarding the fertility challenges I was experiencing.
The Beginning
I started seeing the wonderful Dr. Campbell at Women & Infants Center in 2022. It didn’t take too long to see her, only about a month. She was great! She listened to all of our concerns and questions and explained everything she was going to test for. We were offered everything from blood work to saline ultrasounds. We chose to get everything tested, including karyotyping for both my husband and me. We were able to come back the next week for a saline ultrasound to rule out any uterine abnormalities. At that point, we discovered that I had APS, or antiphospholipid syndrome, which can cause blood clots during pregnancy.
Our Plan
We now had a plan for when I got pregnant again. The ultrasound showed either polyps or retained tissue from my miscarriages. Dr. Campbell was amazing and was able to get me in the following week for a hysteroscopy. One thing I love about Dr. Campbell and her team is that they are super responsive on the patient portal. I had my hysteroscopy a week later, and we discovered a small polyp and retained tissue from my miscarriages. She was able to remove it, and then my uterus was in pristine condition. After I healed, we were given the go-ahead to try for a baby again.
Further Plans
We tried for about three months without any medications with no success. Being 32 at the time, I was getting impatient. I had gotten pregnant two other times immediately, so I asked Dr. Campbell if we could try and add medication in order to get pregnant faster. Dr. Campbell was all for it. She gives you all your options and then lets you decide how fast or slow you want to go regarding treatments, which I love!
An Unexpected Positive
The next cycle, we started on letrozole. I had a dominant follicle and took the trigger shot, but it did not result in pregnancy. I talked with Dr. Campbell again, and we decided to add in an IUI my next cycle, as well as have an HSG done just to be 100% positive both my tubes were open. We had also discussed moving straight to IVF due to insurance coverage. The next cycle, I went in for my baseline ultrasound and had four cysts, so we were not able to do any fertility medications that cycle. I was super disappointed, but at the same time had a good feeling about this cycle. So we naturally tried that cycle, and at nine days post ovulation, I got a positive home pregnancy test!
The Beginning of My Pregnancy
I messaged Dr. Campbell’s team and they got me in for betas the next day to confirm pregnancy. They were just as excited as me! Pregnancy was confirmed and then we waited until six-and-a-half weeks for the first ultrasound. I was super sick for five weeks and ended up having to go to the ER for fluids due to extreme nausea and vomiting. Dr. Campbell and her nurse, Lauren, checked on me multiple times throughout this and gave me medications for nausea, as well as emotional support.
Another Unexpected Surprise
We went in for our first ultrasound and discovered we were having not one, but two babies! I had never seen a heartbeat, so this was super exciting. Dr. Campbell and her whole team were so excited for us, too! I went in for two more ultrasounds before graduating from the fertility clinic; it was bittersweet. I highly recommend Dr. Campbell to anyone seeking answers and/or fertility treatments. I truly believe God placed me in her care for a reason, and I’m so grateful to her for listening to my and my husband’s concerns.
Life Today
After graduating, I started visiting maternal-fetal medicine at UAB Medicine. Everyone has been wonderful there, as well, from the front office staff to the residents, fellows, doctors, and genetic counselors. I truly feel heard there.
One of our boys has Down syndrome, and everyone has been amazing at answering our questions without treating us any differently. I would highly recommend UAB Women & Infants Center to anyone!
Jennifer Krautter is our guest blogger for this post. She and her husband just recently welcomed their twin boys into the world. Thank you for sharing your story!
