# Balanced Translocation



## coweyes (Sep 4, 2008)

Hi i just wanted to make others aware of my experience, to try and avoid this happening to others!


Trying to keep the story short.


About 3 years ago i was excepted for nhs funding for 2 rounds of icsi and any fet the arose from these cycles.  We had had all the standard nhs tests done which found that my dh had low sperm count.  I then had an ectopic, which resulted in me only having one tube.  Anyway we had our first cycle which ended in a bfp, we were totally delighted only for it to become a bfn 3 days later.  We were reasurred that this was just an early miscarriage and just bad luck, but that it was a good sigh.  We gave it a little time and then went and used our second nhs cycle which resulted in a bfn.  We were able to freeze some eggs so had a nat fet that also resulted in a bfn.  The nhs clinic that we we were using said it was like rolling a dice and wanting it to land on 6, you just had to carry on going till it did, and for some people the luck would be sooner than others.  The only thing they could offer me was to have 2 blasto put back in.  I found this odd as at the age of 30 they had always totally disregarded me having more than one put back in.  I asked about any other testing they could do, but they did not do any more testing and put it down to bad luck.


So we had some time out to get on with other things in our life, during that time we gave it a lot of thought.  I truely believe that yes it could be bad luck, but that the clinic should be able to do more for us then just put 2 blasto back in.  After a lot of thought we went to The Lister hoping to get on the egg sharing scheme.  Part of the process of getting on the scheme is to have loads of blood tests done and one of them was to check chromazones.  A month after our appointment we get our answer.  I have balanced translocation, never even heard of it before but it causes miscarriage and issues with the embryos inplanting, hence for why all our cycles have failed.  I don't know much about this condition yet as i still need to see our consultant a geneticist.  


My mum is really angry with the fact that a simple blood test would have saved us so much emotional pain.  Not to mention all the unnecessary drugs and operations involved in ivf.


The reason i am writing this here is to try to sending a warning out to other ladies.  If you have had apparently a good response to treatment but repeatedly have no pregnancy please please consider that it may be more than just bad luck.  Yes it also may not be, but you never know.  I dont think the nhs screen people for chromazone abnormalities so there for i could have continued having cycle after cycle of failiors just to possibly find this out later on or maybe to never find this out!!  My gut told me that more could be done and even though i am deeply shocked and upset at our new finding i totally appreciate knowing now rather than after several more failed cycles.  Just something to consider ladies. xxxxx


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## Milo73 (Jun 28, 2010)

Hi coweyes,

Thanks for sharing your story, this is very interesting.  It is true, as you go along you learn so much about possible problems that could be the cause of seemingly unexplained infertility.  If only you knew at the start of the journey.  After 4 failed cycles, I will certainly be looking into this.  I only ever get a few good embryos so unlikely to make a difference but understanding would certainly give an explanation & enable me to move on.  I assume it is a relatively straightforward test that I could arrange through a GP, even if having to pay for it myself?

Keep us posted on how you get on with the geneticist.

Good Luck.

Milo x


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## coweyes (Sep 4, 2008)

Milo


Pretty sure that it can not be done at your gp.  Not sure which clinic you are at but they may well do it there.  I know when they tried to charge me for that blood test along with some others it was £140, so will not cost you much.  Dont know what the blood test is called but it checks for chromazone abnormalities.  If your clinic do egg sharing you could ask which chromazone blood test is done for egg sharing and that will be the one.


Good luck. xxxx


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## Milo73 (Jun 28, 2010)

Thanks coweyes.  I will ask at my follow up which I will likely have to wait weeks for  

I wonder if it is the same test that measures DQ Alpha that is mentioned on the Immune boards?

I also wonder if it is the same test that DP had prior to ICSI.  Apparently they need to check for genetic problems prior to ICSI as there is a higher chance of passing on.  We were just told that he was clear but got no actual detail. Will follow this up as well.

Hope you have a good weekend.

Milo x


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## coweyes (Sep 4, 2008)

Milo


I am pretty sure that both woman and men can have it, as my dh was tested due to a very low sperm count. xxxxxx


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## Helterskelter (Nov 1, 2010)

Sorry to hear your news.  I do know of several people with balanced translocations who have children.

My Oh was routinely tested by the nhs as it is one of the indicators can be a low sperm count.
I paid to be tested but only because of impatience but I have had 3 mc which all indicate a chromosome issue


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## kitten77 (Nov 15, 2006)

im so sorry to hear of your negative. big hugs.

my hospital sent me and DH for these checks after our 4th or 5th failed tx, they said it was the test they do on ladies if they have had 3 or more miscaraiges.  it is just a blood test if we are talking about the same one.

maybe ask your clinic they may be able to send you for it on the NHS xx


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## coweyes (Sep 4, 2008)

Kitten 77


Hi long time since we spoke, how are you doing??


We had our follow up yesterday with Mr Thum at The Lister 3 out of 4 of my eggs will be effected with the faulty gean   .  This was obviously a bit of a shock.  I normally produce 13 eggs so the hope is that i would have 2-3 at best to possible use.  Mr Thum said the worrying bit would be if i had anything to transfere?  i asked him honestly if it was worth us continuing and he said yes.  I really like and trust him so we have to believe that we have a good enough chance to continue.  Not that i want to give up our hopes of having a biological child but i also want to be honest about it all and know when enough is enough.


He suggested that we try and get funding from our pct.  I thought it was going to be hell getting through to someone from exceptional funding but managed it first time   .  It appears that 2 other ladies had applied for funding for pdg in the past but they have both been turned down.  The Lady did say that maybe they did not supply them with enough information and that it was really important to add as much information as possible so that the panel could make a fare decision.  I am not holding out much hope for nhs funding but feel as if i need to give it a fare go as its going to cost  about £10,000 for one cycle if not.  We have decided to give it one go regardless and my dear mum has said that she will pay half of one cycle and Mr Thum said he will try and keep the costs down as much as possible.


Feeling pretty low at the moment tbh, feels as if its all getting too much.  Part of me really wants to opt out i just want to say fxxk it but that's obviously not being honest with myself.


How are you doing with your treatment?  I hope life is treating you kindly.xxx


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## kitten77 (Nov 15, 2006)

hey coweyes

well the good news is that he has said that he feels it is worth carrying on, so thats a bonus, and going for the funding - good luck!!!! can i ask, is this funding extra, over and above, any funding you have already had?

i know what you mean about wanting to opt out but at the moment it isnt an option for us either, so we are saving saving at the moment, while trying to do stuff to our house (while trying to save, so hard job) and also trying to 'live' a bit, not worry to much about things. 

just had our 6th failed tx in march, so thats a bummer....again.

think af on her way so feeling pretty rubbish and wiped out. 

we are a cheery bunch are we not! hahaha. xxx


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## coweyes (Sep 4, 2008)

Kitten 77


Yer its so difficult really, i know that we will not carry on indefinitely though as its effected our lives so much so far, either it will work some time soon or we will say enough is enough   .


I want to go back to my local pct and apply for funding again as the funding that we received the first time was pointless.  This test had not been done so there was no knowledge of me having this problem.  So in effect the treatment we have received on the nhs was false hope.  I feel sad that we have not been given a proper chance to start our family and that all that nhs money was wasted.  So to answer you question i don't really know if its additional funding above what we have already had, i would say more the case that we did not get what we needed first time.  We may not even get it but hoping beyond hope that we will. xx


Sorry to hear that you have just had your 6th failed tx, life begins to to feel like grand hog day doesn't it .  Have they looked into things more carefully as to why you have 6 failed tx?  have you considered getting another clinics opinion.  I know for us that was certainly what led us to knowing that i have this issue.  I would have continued with my old clinic and never know?  Just an idea. xxxx


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