X-posted: Anyone do IVF after C-section?

[ceiba]

I posted this in Infertility but got no responses, so I thought I'd see if anyone in VBAC had experience with this:

My husband and I did IVF due to male factor infertility. All the tests on me indicated no problems at all, and the IVF went perfectly- a textbook case, first try, two embryos transferred and both took. We were very, very lucky. Our twins were delivered via C-section. We had 3 embryos frozen, all very strong. In December the RE said I was still looking good, and we did a frozen embryo transfer that failed, and lost one embryo to the thaw. We transferred the last embryo this month and just got confirmation that it failed too. On both transfers, the RE had trouble getting the catheter past my C-section scar and commented that my scar was "pretty wild." I know there could be any number of reasons for the embryos not implanting (I'm now 38 years old, the embryos had chromosomal problems, not every embryo implants even under the best of circumstances, etc), but I can't help wondering if the scar is having some negative effect on these embryos implanting. Has anyone else done IVF after C-section, and was it successful or not? 

[AlexisT]

I didn't, though I did other fertility treatment post-section. I know multiple people who did IVF after CS, and while I don't have solid stats, the success rate seems to be what I would have expected--I don't recall a high rate of inexplicable failures, if that makes any sense.

If your RE was having trouble with the transfer, did he suggest looking into it further? That's the only thing giving me pause. I am no expert when it comes to adhesions/scarring/uterine issues (my primary problem is PCOS) but it seems to me that would warrant investigation. I do know that some scarring can be treated via laparoscopy though I don't know anyone with your particular issue.

[Buzzer Beater]

I did, no problem on the first try.

I don't think IVF implantation would be impeded any more than regular implantation after a c/s- is your scar unusual? It would seem to me the catheter would go right past a low incision (on the front of your uterus) and deposit the embryos in deep- I think that's what we saw on the screen at our transfer. I wonder what your doctor meant? I have heard of other women's docs having trouble getting the catheter in due to cervix scarring, but never uterine scarring.

ETA- I also had several d&c's for polyp removal, and my ob/gyn said she "burned 'em good" to get rid of them the last time, so I imagine I have some whopper scarring from that too. I hope you have better luck next time.

[ceiba]

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. It's great to hear success stories. I am certainly planning to ask my RE about his comment about my scar at our follow-up appt. I guess I am just looking for something, anything concrete that I can do to help our chances, even though I know that so much of the whole conception process, whether natural or assisted, is random and inexplicable. I do have new appreciation for how lucky we were the first time.

[turtlewomyn]

Haven't done IVF, but have had fertility issues post cesarean (that weren't there before).  Do you think that there could be some scar tissue in there post cesarean that might be affecting implantation?  I had an ectopic in 2008 and was told the only risk factor I had for it was the previous cesarean (presuming that some sort of scar tissue build up caused the implantation in the tube).  I did eventually get an HSG to check to see if everything was normal in there, and am finally expecting again and due soon.