Wrote in Jan. 2024
My name is “Baby come”, I was born in 1972 from Northeast China, suffering from congenital primary amenorrhea, has never had a menstrual period or ovulated since childhood. To fulfill my long-held dream of having a child, I underwent a challenging journey of seeking medical treatment and exploration for 23 years, which took me across the country: Harbin, Shenyang, Beijing, Shandong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, etc., until my dream finally became a reality.
“Baby come” – Come for Love
“Baby come”, is my screen name. Baby come, Dream Come True, Must Succeed – these three names are the usernames I used in various online discussion groups. Seeing these names, one can instantly recognize my deep longing for a child, my hope that she must come, my dream that must become reality, and my driving force is that I must succeed. Now, as I write my story, I am moved to tears…
I was born in 1972. Harboring a dream for many years to having a baby of my own, and now, finally, my dream has come true, and my baby has come to me. 23 years of pursuit finally succeeded, and my baby is now nearly nine years old. I believe many people are curious about how I succeeded despite these difficulties. If I were to write down my experience, I could write a book titled “Persistence”.
I don’t have a high level of literary capacity, so let me share my journey in the most simple and genuine language, to offer a reference for other women with the similar experience on this path.
My History of Suffering
Medical History:
(1) Before and during IVF treatment
Primary amenorrhea, primary infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome (with later decline in ovarian function), FSH levels above the upper threshold, AMH once at 0.85. I underwent egg retrieval four times and had nine embryo transfers, suffering from endometritis. The sperm-egg binding was poor, and the embryo quality was not good. I also had a uterine septum removal surgery.
(2) I had IVF transfers four times in Heilongjiang and five times at Peking University Third Hospital, resulting in three biochemical pregnancies and four miscarriages. To check my immune system, I traveled all over the country and consulted with many doctors, including Wang Haiyan at Peking University Third Hospital, Shang Wei at Navy General Hospital, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners Wu Yuning, Chai Songyan, Shen Shaogong. I also went to see Doctor Fu Jinhua at Shandong People’s Hospital, Zhang Jianping, Zhang Rui, Guo Zhongjie in the 2nd Hospital of Zhongshan City in Guangzhou Province, and Dr. Liang at Zhongshan Urology Hospital in Shenzhen.
(3) Immune system inspections revealed the following issues: negative blocking antibodies, high anti-β2 glycoprotein antibodies (a level this high should be treated as antiphospholipid syndrome), lupus anticoagulant above the upper threshold, high platelet aggregation, low NK cell subsets, CD19 as high as 23, positive antinuclear antibodies, insulin resistance, high C-reactive protein, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate over 30.
(4) After becoming pregnant, I was diagnosed with undifferentiated connective tissue disease, hypoproteinemia, secondary antiphospholipid syndrome, the amniotic fluid was too low, with the lowest index being under 50 ml. There was prolonged bleeding during pregnancy. At the later pregnancy stages, I suffered effusion, two large placental hematomas, gestational hypertension, and poor uterine artery blood flow.
(5) The successful pregnancy was because of the blastocyst transfer in early August 2014. Before the transfer, I was treated by Chief Physician Fu in Shandong, where I stayed for two and a half months to maintain pregnancy. Later, I was treated at the Second Hospital of Guangzhou, where I was hospitalized to maintain pregnancy on October 30, 2014. During this period, I hardly ever left the bed and needed a wheelchair whenever I did. During my pregnancy, I took 260 doses of albumin injections, and finally, gave birth lying down.
(6) After my baby was born on March 26, 2015, I had to undergo two surgeries due to poor healing of the C-section incision and stayed in the hospital for over two months, until the end of May 2015 before I was discharged from the hospital.
This is my complete medical history–the arduous Journey of “Baby come” ‘s 23-Year Quest for a Child.
I will share her detailed journey as follow:
I was born in 1972, and I am 52 years old. I am a very special person. I have never had my period since childhood, suffering from congenital primary amenorrhea and I have never ovulated.
When I was in middle school, many of my female classmates started having their periods. I asked my mother why I hadn’t started, and she told me that she also started late, so I didn’t worry about it.
During the time of my college, I still hadn’t had my period. So I went to the hospital, and the doctor prescribed birth control pills to induce a cycle. Naively, I followed the doctor’s advice. I did get a little bit of spotting of period from the pills, and from then on, I relied on birth control to have a menstrual cycle.
I.1993, The Beginning of an Anxious Life
In 1993, I started my first marriage and couldn’t have children. Thus began my anxious journey of trying to conceive. The second year after my marriage, my in-laws were anxious about my not being pregnant, so I went to the best hospital in Harbin. The ultrasound showed that my uterus and ovaries were slightly smaller, and the endometrium was just 0.1 mm. How can someone like me get pregnant? The doctor told me I would be infertile never get pregnant for my whole life.
I was just in my twenties, and I cried after hearing what the doctor said, begging for the doctor’s help. The doctor suggested me try medicated cycle, so I followed the doctor’s orders and took medication for three months to induce ovulation.
I remembered that I started to use the medicine of Climen®– estradiol valerate tablets, but initially the endometrium didn’t grow at all, resulting in failure. Then, I underwent three months of ovulation induction with a not very high dosage of medication. I remember it was the usual menotropin injections, 75 units a day for three days, followed by monitoring and then repetition. On the tenth day, I took an ovulation induction injection, and my abdomen started to bloated every day.
I was too young at that time, and had no experience and knowledge, and did not realize that it was ascites. Later, when my abdomen bloating became unbearable, I went to a local small hospital, and the doctor said there could be many tumors in my abdomen. How ignorant were the doctor and me!
So, I immediately transferred to a bigger hospital in Harbin. The gynecologist there saw my abdomen was as big as a balloon, but they could not to do anything one me because technology and equipment at that hospital were still not advanced enough. So, they sought a reproductive specialist from the south to perform a vaginal puncture on me. The reproductive specialist told me I got ascites. I got it because of overstimulation of ovulation induction. During ovulation induction, the doctor performed a puncture through the vagina, and rupturing the eggs.
This ovulation induction attempt failed, and I nearly lost my life. Afterward, that doctor refused to treat me. The following month, I had another ultrasound, and I was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome.
I rested for two years, during which I sought medical advice everywhere and took traditional Chinese medicine by the bags, thinking that regulating my menstrual cycle might lead to pregnancy. However, after a year of taking traditional Chinese medicine without getting my period, I realized that only taking birth control pills could make me had a menstrual cycle.
II. In the year of 1996, I got in-laws’ warning
In the year 1996, the third year after I got marriage, my in-laws issued a warning, which put a lot of pressure on me. So I went to Mudanjiang, where there was a gynecologist named Fan Danyan, who was said to be very skilled.
Under her care, I underwent another round of induced ovulation and therapeutic insemination, and to my delight, I finally got pregnant. When the pregnancy test showed a positive result, I can’t express how excited I was. However, as my pregnancy progressed, my abdomen began to swell again.
My belly kept growing day by day, and at 50 days pregnant, it was as big as that of an eight-month pregnant woman. I was short of breath every day, had severe abdominal pain, and couldn’t sleep at all. So, I went to see the doctor, and sadly, I had to have abdominal ascites drawn from my vagina every day, about half a basin full. It would feel a bit better each time after the ascites was drawn, but it got worse and worse, and I felt extremely afraid.
I remember it was a cold winter, and at 59 days pregnant, my family called 110 for emergency services. The examination revealed that my thoracic and abdominal cavities were filled with ascites, and the doctors issued a critical condition notice. An ultrasound was performed, and the results shocked me—the doctor said my ovaries were too big, and the gestational sac was also very big, but there was nothing inside, no embryo, no heartbeat, just a large empty sac.
I had no choice but to undergo a dilation and curettage. However, my ignorant in-laws said this was not a pregnancy but some kind of monstrosity. Now, I understand that this was ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, likely caused by overstimulation during the second round of ovulation induction.
III. 2000, Marriage Hits Red Alert
After that failure, and I took a 2-year break, it come to the year of 2000. Seeing my classmates’ children running around and very happy which reignited my desire to seek a treatment again. I couldn’t give up!
So, ignorantly, I revisited the idea of seeking medical help. I studied the causes of polycystic ovary syndrome online and searched up the reason why I had no menstruation, I determined to find the root of the problem.
Therefore, I was duped again and went to Beijing, where I underwent a combined uterine and abdominal surgery at the Antai Maternity Hospital. The doctors said that polycystic ovaries could be treated with surgery and that my menstruation could be restored.
So, I underwent ovarian drilling surgery, and a uterine septum was also removed, costing 30,000 yuan—an astronomical amount for my family at that time. I remember that during the surgery, my in-laws didn’t care about me at all, and my then-husband didn’t even have a call.
I was all alone in distant Beijing for the surgery, which ultimately failed. My period did not return after the surgery, and the polycystic ovaries were unchanged, leaving me heartbroken…
So, I went to Peking Union Medical College Hospital to analyze the reasons for my amenorrhea and its treatment. The experts said it was hypothalamic amenorrhea, with no medication available for treatment. The only option was IVF, but the chances were very slim.
Standing alone on a bridge in Beijing, thinking a lot and I almost jumped off to end my life.
The professor conducted a pituitary secretion test on me and told me that I might never have children in this lifetime. I cried and I knew my marriage wouldn’t last long without children.
IV. 2001—2005: Childless, My First Marriage Ended
From 2001, I began to slowly take Chinese medicine in an attempt to regulate my heathy and wellness, a practice I continued for several years. However, my ovarian function was simply not adequate, and the Chinese medicine was essentially ineffective for me. Without taking progesterone to induce a cycle, I couldn’t menstruate on my own, let alone ovulation.
By 2005, after 12 years of marriage and still without children, my in-laws had had enough. Although my relationship with my then-husband was still good, I couldn’t fight the inevitable, and in October 2005, I divorced my first husband.
Being unable to have children cast a huge shadow over me, leading me to a state of almost mental illness and even suicidal thoughts at one point.
V. 2006—2011: Emerging from Pain, Rebirth
It took a lot to emerge from that pain, but in 2006, I met my second husband, who at the time had an 8-year-old son. From then on, I became the boy’s mother, raising and educating him. My love for my son touched my second husband, and he married me.
Our relationship has been very good after marriage and seeing my desire to be a mother to have my ow baby, he encouraged me to try again.
In December 2009, I underwent my first IVF attempt at the Harbin Red Cross Maternity Hospital in Heilongjiang Province. It was a short protocol; 18 eggs were retrieved, resulting in 11 embryos. Three embryos were transferred, and on the 14th day post-transfer, my blood pregnancy test showed a level of 124, but I soon experienced a biochemical pregnancy.
In May 2010, I underwent a second embryo transfer with two embryos, but it did not result in pregnancy.
At the end of December 2010, I transferred two embryos, which again led to a biochemical pregnancy.
In April 2011, I thawed and transferred the last left embryos, but it resulted in a miscarriage.
The first round of IVF equated to four transfers, two biochemical pregnancies, one failure to implant, and one miscarriage.
The four failed attempts were a significant blow to me, but my husband loved and supported me immensely. So, I shared with him my thought of trying IVF again elsewhere, and he was very supportive. I told him, if we could have a child, no price would be too great, and I would have no regrets.
VI. From 2011 Onwards, Seeking Treatment in Harbin, Shenyang, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen
So, in March 2011, I went to Shenyang Jinghua Hospital for an evaluation. I had all the necessary tests done there and was preparing for IVF when I met a fellow patient. She told me to go to the Peking University Third Hospital, where the technology was more advanced, and the laboratory facilities were better.
Thus, in May 2011, I started my second round of IVF in Beijing. After much difficulty, I stayed for two months at the Third Hospital in Beijing, undergoing all the relevant examinations. A hysteroscopy revealed that I had severe endometritis, rendering all my previous tests useless.
I spent four months treating the endometritis with three methods. The first was an anti-inflammatory injection for five consecutive days during my menstrual period. The second method involved using Honeysuckle and Wild Chrysanthemum vaginal tablets, a special treatment from the Third Hospital. The third method was a traditional Chinese medicine enema. After four months of effort, my endometritis finally healed.
So, in October 2011, I went back to Beijing for IVF, entering a short protocol, I remember it was the Cetrotide protocol. My ovarian function was quite good at that time; I had 27 eggs retrieved and 18 fertilized. However, due to ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, fresh transfer was canceled.
In April 2012, I had three embryos transferred, none of which implanted. In August 2013, I did medicated cycle to improved endometrium and transferred two embryos. I was very happy at the time, thinking it would work, but the blood pregnancy test value was only 80, and later the baby was lost to a biochemical pregnancy.
In October of the same year, I underwent a comprehensive immune check, which only revealed elevated anti-beta levels. Considering that previous transfers were based on medicated cycles, this time the protocol was changed to base on an ovulation induction cycle transfer. By then, my ovarian function had declined, with an FSH is close to 8, and again it resulted in a biochemical failure.
This time, Dr. Wang Haiyan had me use prednisone and aspirin, as well as a low dose of heparin. The result was still a miscarriage without a fetal heartbeat.
This was my second round of IVF, with a total of three transfers: one failed to implant, one biochemical pregnancy, and one miscarriage.
All my embryos were used up, and just like that, another year had passed.
In November 2013, I started a new cycle for my third attempt at IVF. This time, three eggs were retrieved, two fertilized, but none implanted. This outcome was a huge blow to me. I racked my brains trying to figure out what could be the reason for my diminished ovarian function.
VII. Determined to Learn Medicine, Knowledge Creates Miracle
So, I made up my mind to improve my ovarian function. Time flies and condition get worse because of I was getting old. Before I started the new cycle, I encountered many new problem—my ovarian function was declining with FSH over 10, AMH just above 0.85, and diminished ovarian reserve, which meant that ovulation induction wouldn’t yield good results, and my endometrium was also very thin… My husband’s sperm viability was low as well. Age truly spares no one.
Yet, I was still unwilling to give up. I began researching and studying how to improve ovarian function and the endometrium. I was determined to go online to learn and study the latest theories from abroad.
I analyzed my own medical condition in detail and planned to start with improving the quality of sperm and eggs, improve the endometrium, ovarian function, and the uterine environment by the end of 2013, and then to thoroughly investigate my immune system. Having already undergone egg retrieval three times and eight transfers, I could no longer rush into transfers or IVF without identifying the underlying causes.
In December 2013 and January 2014, I did nothing but study online. I was nearly 42 years old at the time. Not knowing English, I still studied frantically online deep into the night, taking diligent notes. I learned methods to improve the quality of sperm and eggs and studied all I could about immunology.
Finally, based on my own practical experience, I summarized a complete set of ideas—the dual adjustment method. On one hand, I would improve the quality of sperm and eggs and adjust ovarian function to enhance embryo quality, as poor embryo quality was one reason for my many failures. On the other hand, I would thoroughly investigate my immune system and make advance preparations.
I learned about Professor BEER’s advanced concepts online and used a comprehensive nutritional supplement to improve the quality of eggs and sperm.
Egg quality improvement:
Before conducting IVF in the United States, it’s necessary to have a blood test for AMH (Anti-mullerian Hormone). If the value of AMH is good, it indicates enough number of eggs. As for how to improve egg quality, U.S. IVF clinics like CCRM will prescribe a comprehensive supplement regimen based on the patient’s ovarian situation, which should start three months before the IVF procedure. The regimen includes: CoQ10, fish oil, inositol (with choline), vitamin E, vitamin C, pycnogenol, melatonin, L-arginine, folate (or methylfolate), multivitamins, and whey protein powder.
Those who have had multiple unsuccessful ovulation induction or multiple abnormal embryo chromosomal screenings should eat acai berries. Whether to add DHEA is decided based on the actual situation. (Women with polycystic ovary syndrome should take a double dose of inositol.) The supplements are designed to work together: antioxidants like pycnogenol, CoQ10, and L-arginine can increase both the quality and quantity of eggs, but too many eggs can lead to ascites, so inositol is added to further improve quality while controlling ascites.
Antioxidants like pycnogenol, CoQ10, and L-arginine can make a person feel more energetic, so melatonin is used to aid sleep and simultaneously assist in improving egg quality.
Women with fallopian tube unblocked but have had multiple failures have a higher chance of natural pregnancy while consuming ACAI berries, so it’s recommended to seek intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy timely.
Sperm quality improvement:
Men with critical sperm vitality and morphology should undergo treatment, including antioxidant therapy (such as pycnogenol, lycopene, N-acetylcysteine, vitamin E, vitamin C, maca, resveratrol, zinc, selenium) and amino acids like L-carnitine, as well as supplements like Proxeed to help improve sperm quality.
To deeply understand the use of the comprehensive nutritional supplements, I often stayed up all night studying the materials, and finally decided that both my husband and I would try using the comprehensive supplements.
Three months later, my FSH （Follicle-stimulating hormone）had dropped to 5.3, and my husband’s sperm viability had significantly improved.
The second part of the dual adjustment method was to thoroughly investigate the immune system. While my husband and I were adjusting the sperms and eggs, we also treated the immune system.
In February 2014, while using the comprehensive supplements, I traveled south to Guangzhou to consult with Professor Zhang Jianping at the Second Hospital of Guangzhou. I had a full set of tests done there, which cost over 4,000 yuan.
The follow-up results showed that my anti-β2 glycoprotein antibodies were high, a marker that had been elevated three times in 2012 and then normalized. After extensive research, it was clear that I should be treated for antiphospholipid syndrome.
High glycoprotein antibodies are not a trivial matter; I knew a fellow patient who had a miscarriage during late pregnancy due to this issue. I asked Professor Zhang Jianping in detail, and he agreed with this view. So, for women with high glycoprotein antibodies, it’s essential to use heparin in advance and continue through the later stages of pregnancy.
The re-examination showed low platelet aggregation rates. The rate had been high before, and after taking aspirin, it went too low. After extensive research, I found that whether platelet aggregation rates are high or low, aspirin should still be used to control it, and Professor Zhang also strongly supported my view.
The results of the lymphocyte subset test showed that the percentage of B lymphocytes CD19 was 24.3%, and the percentage of natural killer cells was 15%. According to Professor Zhang Jianping’s theory, anything over 12% is considered high and should be treated; both my values were out of range.
The antiphospholipid antibody (APLA) test was negative. Professor Zhang’s theory is that anyone who has issues with blocking antibodies should be treated first before progressing to further treatment; in other words, blocking antibodies are foundational.
The final plan was to first treat for blocking antibodies. So, starting in February 2014, I flew to Guangzhou every 14 days to undergo activated immune treatment, spending a total of 12,000 yuan. By the third treatment, my values had turned positive, and it continued to improve (during this period, my husband and I continued to use the comprehensive nutritional supplements to improve sperm quality, egg quality and ovarian function).
While in Guangzhou Second Hospital, I also visited Dr. Liang Peiyan at the Zhongshan Urology Hospital in Shenzhen. Having had multiple biochemical pregnancies after eight transfers, I highly suspected that I had endometrial toxicity, so I went to Guangzhou to see Dr. Liang.
I remember it was early April when I had made an endometrial biopsy. Since I could not menstruate on my own, I took estradiol tablets and scheduled the biopsy. The full set of tests cost 12,000 yuan.
But after further painstaking research, I began to doubt whether toxicity was the issue and finally decided to go to Shandong to see Chief Physician Fu Jinhua. So, I flew to Shandong after completing the fourth round of immune activation treatment in Guangzhou.
In Shandong, my tests showed insulin resistance, immunoglobulin G above the upper threshold, complement C3 below the lower threshold at 0.59, C-reactive protein above the upper threshold at over 15. Anti-β2 glycoprotein antibodies were 24.565, lupus was elevated, erythrocyte sedimentation rate was above the upper threshold, NK56 value decreased to 4.6, CD19 was 21.3, and fibrinogen was slightly higher at 4.95.
So, I went back to the Peking University Third Hospital to see Professor Liu Xiangyuan. The tests showed anti-β2 glycoprotein antibodies IgM 46.8, erythrocyte sedimentation rate above 28, two platelet aggregation tests—one low at 53 and one high at 84, CD3 at 76.5, CD3 and CD450, CD19 was 21.1, NK decreased to 2.4… I had too many issues, so the director in Shandong prescribed me pre-pregnancy conditioning medication.
Gratitude, Thanks
I owe my success to Dr. Wang Haiyan from Beijing, Dr. Fu Jinhua from Shandong, and Dr. Zhang Jianping and Dr. Zhang Rui from Guangzhou.
I am grateful to them, truly grateful. It was they who brought me my daughter-my lovely, precious daughter. I am especially grateful to Director Fu, the words written in Director Fu’s articles inspired me during the most challenging times of my pregnancy.
The greatest challenges I overcame during my pregnancy were:
①Slow HCG growth in the early stages of pregnancy, which after treatment, smoothly progressed past the 12th week.
②Subchorionic hematoma in the mid-pregnancy, which disappeared after two weeks of active treatment.
③. In the late stages of pregnancy: I experienced low amniotic fluid, fetal growth restriction, increased uterine artery blood flow, and abnormal blood sugar.
VIII. Hardships Overcome, Dreams Realized
Success is never accidental. After enduring countless hardships and through perseverance and research, my dream finally came true when my baby was born on March 26, 2015, at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital in Guangzhou.