Myself and my husband had been trying to have a baby for a short while. I visited my GP in March 2004 and because I was over 30 he decided to refer me to a gynaecologist. In September 2004 I was diagnosed via a laparoscopy with severe endometriosis. I was given injections which put me through the menopause for 4 months to try and shrink the endometriosis and then in 2005 I had a laparotomy. We continued to try and conceive but still nothing was happening. I had another laparoscopy in 2006 and it showed the endometriosis had worsened again and I was advised not to have any further surgery.
I was referred to fertility specialist in Galway. It was here during all my visits that I learned so much about my body, my menstrual cycle and all the emotions that a women can go through. I started follicular tracking. I really noticed that my PMT was very bad a week before my period commenced. The mood swings and irritability were difficult to live with. I also had black spotting during that week. When my period would come I would have a lot of dark heavy clots. At times I would have very heavy periods.
I was having monthly scans and discovered that my follicle wasn’t rupturing. Sometimes I would have a partial rupture. As regards drugs, I remember I started on Clomid. I was taking Naloxone, Menapur and Decapeptyl to try and rupture the follicle.
Bloods were taken regularly also to monitor hormone levels. My progesterone levels were often reading low, which would be serious if I was to get pregnant as I could have a miscarriage. I was getting tired of all the knock backs each month when the follicle wasn’t rupturing. Everyone was good to me at the clinic but in January 2008 I decided to give up on treatment.
In February 2008 I decided to go an alternative route. I am a nurse myself and I was very sceptical about the acupuncture route. I had heard about Siobhan Kehoe’s success stories with women’s fertility problems. I travelled from Offaly to Wexford. I gave her a detailed history of my menstrual cycle. I attended Siobhan once a month. She burned a herb called Moxa over my lower abdominal area also. I noticed that my PMT was improving. The pre-menstrual spotting was lessening. My periods were becoming lighter and less of those black clots that I had been experiencing. The colour of my vaginal discharge was more of an egg white consistency at around mid-cycle. I was also taking natural herbs at home daily recommended by Siobhan.
In early June 2008, four months after first visiting Siobhan Kehoe for fertility treatment, I found out I was pregnant. I had a very healthy pregnancy. I took cyclogest pesseries which was hormonal support up to 16 weeks of the pregnancy to prevent miscarriage.
I had a healthy baby girl in February 2009, which was five years after that first visit to my GP. In January 2011 I went down the herb and acupuncture route again to try and get pregnant. I was taking herbs again and feeling good. Three months later I conceived. I took progesterone support for the first three months of pregnancy. Last December 2011, my second healthy baby girl was born.
I highly recommend going down the route of Chinese Medicine to try and achieve pregnancy. It was a long road with a lot of highs and lows. I’ve come out on a high.
Siobhan Carey, Birr Co. Offaly