# The Endo Scratch Poll



## Cloudy (Jan 26, 2012)

I just thought this would be an interesting poll/discussion as people seem to be talking about it quite a lot recently.

If you have had a scratch please feel free to share your experiences of it as it's something that people do worry about and may help some other ladies.

Xxx


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## Dudders (Jun 18, 2012)

An interesting part of this debate is also the question of how long it is effective - the info I've seen suggests 3 months.

For us the scratch was a slightly difficult decision to make given that my biggest issue was my lining not thickening and deliberately 'damaging' it seemed contradictory to helping it grow!  I had my scratch at about 7dpo, so not just day 21 as my cycles were a little bit longer.  This was prior to a natural FET (although I did use tamoxifen for my lining) cycle.  Unfortunately we were unable to transfer as our embryos did not survive.  The following cycle we used the tamoxifen again and I ovulated on day 23 and fell pregnant on this cycle.  This would make implantation somewhere around 9 weeks after the scratch.

In terms of what it's like, I personally didn't find it too bad - didn't bother with painkillers or anything.  The bulk of the process is very similar to embryo transfer - so a speculum is used and a catheter passed through your cervix.  The difference being the catheter is deliberately scraped across the endometrium two or three times.  Everyone feels these things differently of course, but I would describe it as very brief discomfort, in fact the actual scratch just felt weird!


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## stringer (Feb 16, 2015)

I can't answer your poll yet as I only had my scratch on Wednesday but thought i'd tell you what it was like. I have an overly sensitive cervix so I found it absolutely horrific. My fella nearly had kittens when I screamed! I always struggle with embryo transfer and this was even worse as the catheter they use is more rigid. This is our fourth ivf (plus one fet) all unsuccessful so we thought we'd give it a go but I would have to think long and hard before I would do it again.


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## Jam&amp;Cream (Jan 27, 2013)

I had a scratch twice, last time for my fet and this time on my fresh cycle. 
This time we've managed to get a bfp, I don't know if the scratch had anything to do with it but I wanted to try everything we could.
Last time I found the whole experience awful this time round wasn't too bad. 
If we were to go again I definitely do it again, the pain more than made up for the benefits of it. X


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## Claireybells (Nov 6, 2012)

A friend if mine recommended the scratch to me so on my last treatment I had one at Wessex Fertility. 

You can never tell whether a BFP was as a result of the scratch but I now have a 2 month old so you never know......

Claire x


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## Lilly83 (Jan 19, 2012)

I had one for my second cycle which was my first donor cycle, bfn but so was my first where I didn't have one, I have really difficult egg transfers due to my cervix and they insist on sedating me now for transfers, they had to use the rigid catheter after changing equipment 3 times. It was crampy and uncomfortable but nothing unbareable just dug my nails in DPs hand and grit my teeth, it was the clamp and catheter then was worse the actual cramping/scraping part was ok

I am having it again on mon and not nervous at all so it can't have been too bad! I 
believe it lasts up to 3 months

L x


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