# Missed PID led to infertility



## lama321

Hello all,

I am new to this site and have come looking for a bit of support. I am finding it very hard to deal with my current situation. 

I was diagnosed with chlamydia in March and have now been told that one of my tubes is blocked the other is not fully open. I cannot believe that this infection was missed for so long. I trust my husband and do not think he has been unfaithful. I was tested routinely about 1 month - 6 weeks after we started having unprotected sex but not after that. I stupidly didn't make him go for a test. I am extremely lucky that I have one kick ass cervix that meant the infection did not make it further North earlier and so I got pregnant 1st month with my now 3 year old son.

While I was pregnant I asked a nurse about a discharge but they only tested for thrush. A midwife who was covering for my midwife also seemed to spot something of concern in a routine urine test but then commented that my normal midwife did not usually do that test and probably just a bit of a UTI and I was not advised to have further testing.

Post-partum I had severe lower abdominal pain and was sent for an ultrasound scan then a few days later I had upper right quadrant abdominal pain which was excruciating. I called NHS 24 and was told to go straight to a doctor who suspected a pulmonary embolism. I have just learned that another condition (Fitz-Hugh–Curtis syndrome), a complication of pelvic inflammatory disease, presents with similar symptoms to a pulmonary embolism. Any way the test for a pulmonary embolism came back negative and I was exhausted and in pain. I tried as best I could to figure out what was causing the pain but got no answers. Slowly the pain improved (as is normal assuming you don't get really really sick) and I learned to live with it not realising it was destroying my chances of having another baby.

Once I was treated for chlamydia I noticed changes in my body. Ovulation was no longer painful and my luteal phase seemed to improve. I also had amazing relief from IBS. However, slowly these symptoms have all come back. I am convinced that I still have PID even though I now test negative. 

I started taking serrapeptase for the scar tissue and a cycst I had now seems to have gone and I felt much better but as we are TTC this month I stopped taking it after ovulation and I feel awful. The serrapeptase acts as an anti inflammatory so I think it was treating the inflamation of the PID. Now I have stopped it feels like I have a balloon in my lower abdomen and I have quite a bit of pain. The doctors all think I am nuts.

I am not sure how I can ever trust doctors again!

I am debating whether I should try to take legal action.. surely someone should have tested me for infection. 

I feel so stupid for not asking my husband to get tested.. it was the really unpleasant test at the time and I knew that I would get tested any way. Then I got pregnant no problem and was on cloud 9 thought there was no way anything could be wrong. But I didn't know what I know now... surely someone who was supposed to be looking after me medically should have suspected something?

Thanks for reading sorry about the rather long rant!

Laura


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## bombsh3ll

Hi Laura,

I'm sorry for your pain, I can relate to how robbed and bitter you feel about what's happened. 

I have tubal infertility too from an appendix abscess - partly my own fault for not going to hospital sooner when I was ill, but also after I went it was another two and a half weeks before I was operated on, by which time I had peritonitis & an abdomen full of pus.

I really think health professionals should have more training and awareness to recognise the importance of early identification and treatment of conditions which can lead to infertility in young women, and understand how devastating the consequences can be even years after the illness is treated. I suffer from adhesional pain and bowel problems too.

Sadly I think you would have a difficult case medicolegally against the healthcare staff involved, as this requires proving both that care was substandard - which it was, you should have been offered a chlamydia test at the point of reporting a discharge, AND that the substandard care led to your infertility. This is the difficult part as they would likely argue the damage may already have been there by then. I think it would do no harm to consult a no-win no-fee solicitor who specialises in this field though, you never know it might result in some financial recompense that you could put towards IVF if needed.

Can serrapeptase really not be taken when ttc if it is helping with your other symptoms? I read of another lady on here taking it for blocked tubes - I am personally very sceptical of any non surgical treatment claiming to unblock tubes as it is scientifically unsound - but if it is being used in this way this implies it is safe to take when ttc.

Best wishes,

B xxx


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## lama321

Hi B, 

So sorry to hear you are dealing with something similar.

Thank you so much for your reply. I did phone a lawyer the other day and they have offered to look into whether there is a case or not.. I think it will be difficult and it didn't sound promising they would do it on a no win no fee. I have also put in a complaint to the NHS and am awaiting feedback. Also my GP pretty much said to me that my husband must have cheated on me so not sure what would stop them arguing that. I feel so frustrated that doctors speak like they know everything without question but they don't even know a fraction of everything there is to know about our bodies!

It is also so hard knowing that I could have done more to prevent this too I feel like I should have known better.

That is interesting that you associate your bowel issue with it... I keep asking doctors if my IBS can be associated and haven't found one yet who agrees with me. Makes perfect sense it is... yet another thing laking scientific evidence apparently so can't possibly be the case according to my docs! 

WRT serrapeptase and TTC... it is untested during pregnancy and because of it's action I just didn't want to risk it. Besides I think although it is helping the inflammatory response it wouldn't be doing anything for any underlying infection so I'd rather suffer a bit and convince the docs there is still an issue. 

I am also sceptical of anything non-surgical unblocking tubes... and surgical come to that! But I believe that my tubes are not my only problem, I have really painful ovulation, light periods and spotting before my periods. Once I tested low on progesterone 7dpo, I suspect I have a LDP. So until I convince myself my body can support a pregnancy I won't be doing IVF or anything else so figure may as well try this stuff. Some people say it helps. I believe the body has the capability to break down scar tissue and there have been some amazing stories about massage. I am combining with franckinsece and myrrh oils.

Also I had a small para-ovarian cyst (possibly on my right tube the one that seemed to leak a tiny bit of the fluid in the HSG) it was there in Jan and in April. After the HSG I took the serrapeptase for 6 weeks and as of last week the cyst had gone.. I made the doctor look for it for ages. By no means conclusive evidence but it has spured me on 

I like to think that reproducing is biologcally our no. 1 job so if our bodies can repair themselves to achieve that then they will and I hope these treatments will just help my body do the repairing that needs doing. Even if I can just open my tubes enough so that there is no risk of fluid building up which interferes with IVF that would be great. So many hurdles!

Are you looking in good shape apart from the tubal issues? What stage are you at?

L xxx


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## Blondie71

Hi Lama,

I had PID 20 years ago and it left me with hydrosalpinx and useless tubes, unfortunately great damage from PID can be done very rapidly  Have you had a laparoscopy to assess the damage? I also don't like the sound of the pain you are in you should ask for a referral immediately to get that checked out, as peritonitis with PID can result and it's not worth risking your life tbh.

Another thing to remember chlamydia is a silent often dormant infection and unless you were a virgin when you met your husband you may have been infected many years prior by another partner, also your husband prob would not have had any reason to suspect he was carrying anything as males are often asymptomatic so don't beat yourselves up as this infection is so rife and what's done can't be undone so forgive and find a solution together 

Luckily my tubes are now gone and the fluid that killed off all embryos gone with them 

Thankfully my first FET after tubal removal gave me my lovely boys I hope you have success very soon xox


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## lama321

Hi Blondie,

Thanks for your reply. I know I got it from my husband as I was so paranoid about getting it and I was tested just before I met my husband and after we started having unprotected sex. I thought it would have showed up in my tests if we had been having unprotected sex (I knew he had been tested for HIV and the other serious ones so wasn't too worried) but I guess not always or it could have been a false negative. Also I didn't realise that where my husband comes from they have no sex ed so he had no idea you don't necessarily get symptoms, although now he looks back he thinks he did 

I am going back to my gynacologist on Tuesday and will ask him which is more of a risk giving me the antibiotics and me being wrong or not giving me them and him being wrong. I guess it could be a diff strain of bacteria this time. I am so lucky that nothing went wrong before I was literally writing in agony... I asked for help and they gave me an ultrasound and the test for the embolism, some fibre sachets and peppermint for the extreme IBS and sent me away.

I haven't had the lap yet.. to be honest I am a bit scared. I know they are really routine but someone is the unlucky one who things go wrong for. My son has so much to lose... we are not permanently in the UK and my husband does not have a visa for the UK yet. I figure that if my ovaries are not working properly (seems like POF to me) then what is the point. I did read recently that after PID is treated then sometimes POF can be reversed! I read a report on 2 case studies... amazing! I am still ovulating but I think they are not viable as I seem to have a LPD and my periods are really light.

So great to hear your story, twins how lovely 

xoxo


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## bombsh3ll

Hi Lama,

My treatment part of the infertility journey is now over following successful DEIVF, which gave me a beautiful daughter  

Sadly I had placenta accreta so am unable to carry another child, but I am much more at peace with this than I think I would be had I been able to conceive naturally, as I had already done all my grieving for the loss of my fertility and having one IVF baby is more than I had dared to hope for.  

I understand what you mean about the desire for a sibling though and if I had that option I know I would have been tempted to put myself through more IVF cycles with no guarantee of a happy ending, & whilst I feel sad that it's so final, I also feel free and relieved that it's been taken out of my hands.

This is just a thought but have you considered the "hidden C" test which uses menstrual blood and identifies chlamydia infections that can be missed by standard vaginal swabs?

B xxx


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## lama321

Hi B,

Sorry I hadn't seen your history after I had clicked reply. It is so nice that even people who have completed their TTC journies and have moved on to life post TTC... oh how appealing that sounds... are still active here. I do question whether or not I really need another child. I know I am blessed with one and seeemed to be resigned to having very little control over things with respect to that any more. I am very lucky to have the chance to help my sister in law out with her baby at the moment and what an experience that is! Caring for a baby on a full nights sleep... whole new perspective!  It is hard to see my son so into the baby though but perhaps that will pass as the novelty wear off.

It would be nice to know for sure if my body is totally screwed and just be able to forget it but guess this stuff just toughens us up! Doctors are too positive for my liking, somewhere along the line hope became the enemy. But then all this visulisation stuff tells me that I need to be positive....

Great idea for the hidden C test I hadn't heard of it, I forgot to check back here so couldn't ask the doctor but I did get what I wanted another course of antibiotics. Hmm sounds like I have to wait till I am back in Europe though.. in Chile at the mo. I am going to wait for my blood test results as he has done a general white blood cell count so it will be interesting to see if that is high. 

Thanks so much for that suggestion.. definately makes me feel less crazy. All the doctors had been telling me that I can't possibly still have chlamydia.

Thanks again,

Laura


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