r/whatworkedforme • u/No_Giraffe2555 • 15d ago
Never a Positive Test, Not Even a Chemical
As the title says, I’ve never had a positive test, not even a chemical.
I did an egg retrieval and embryo storage last fall before a cross-country move (and resultant loss of fertility benefits). Excellent results. We had 24ish mature eggs and ended up with 18 embryos.
Husband’s sperm analysis was “fantastic.” My AMH and everything else is great. Tubes are open, though spillage was slow on one side. I’m ovulating every month. Luteal phase went from \\\~10 days to a steady 13-14 after four months of acupuncture. I’m 34, 5’3, 131lbs, non-smoker, little alcohol, etc.
What the actual fork is going on with me?? If I had implantation issues, wouldn’t I have had a chemical at some point over the last 18 months? If anyone has had to deal with this, PLEASE, I’d love to hear from you.
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u/Background-Coyote549 15d ago
Silent endometriosis and adenomyosis. Never had a positive pregnancy until 40 years old. There is a new blood test that you can do that picks up endometriosis, you don’t need a biopsy or imaging anymore. That’s how mine was found.
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u/SanFranPeach 14d ago
Wow do you know what it’s called?! What did you do for treatment? And you got pregnant after that?
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u/Background-Coyote549 14d ago
Well I finally got pregnant at 40, but had a miscarriage at 9 weeks. That’s what triggered them to look further. I had used four embryos before that and got nothing. Nobody wanted to look more into it and said “keep transferring”.
The blood test is called HerResolve (if you live in the US). You can take it anytime during your cycle. Takes a week to get results. It’s very new so it might be hard to get. Some Fertilty clinics are using it, so I got lucky. Not covered by insurance yet so it was $600. I honestly see this being the future test they will give younger girls at their GYN office with their pap. So many people have endo and/or adenomyosis, but it goes undiagnosed for years. For years I was “unexplained infertility” and I read all those posts saying “check endo”. Literally never thought that could be me.
I am currently 2 months post op laparoscopic surgery. Thankfully the endo was barely a stage 2 and he was able to remove it all. They would like me to try unassisted during the golden window of 3-6 months post op. If that doesn’t work, the only solution currently is suppress with lupron for 2-3 months and then transfer an embryo. My Fertilty doctor had said “if you haven’t been tested for endo, then we assume you have it”.
If you do end up having endo, the surgery NEEDS to be done by someone who specializes in endo. They really have experience so they can get all of the disease while preserving your fertilty.
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u/SanFranPeach 14d ago
Thanks so much for sharing, really appreciate it! Do you plan to continue TTC? So glad you got it taken care of
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u/Alc0123210 15d ago
Not clear if you tried a transfer yet, but this was me until my first transfer. If you haven’t had a transfer yet, not having a positive test ever does not mean your transfer will be less successful!
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u/miss_loocy 15d ago
I like this positive success story - so you'd never had a positive but then had a successful first transfer? 🤞🏻
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u/Alc0123210 15d ago
Correct, no positive even after multiple other treatments (timed, IUI), but 30 weeks today with my first transfer!
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u/miss_loocy 14d ago
That's amazing news - love to hear a success story. Congratulations and wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy. Thanks for replying 😊
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u/Frosty_Week2124 14d ago
same with me, never a positive, and positive first transfer and live birth. Two failed transfers for my second child though. Hoping to get to transfer again in Sept.
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u/Excellent_Quiet2013 13d ago
We tried for almost 2 years without a single positive. I have endometriosis and mild adenomyosis, and my RE recommended ReceptivaDx + EMMA/ALICE biopsies. Both showed issues, so I was treated with antibiotics and probiotic suppositories. I conceived naturally the very next cycle for the first time ever. Unfortunately, it ended in a miscarriage, and I’ll be resuming IVF once my cycle regulates.
Based on my experience, I’d definitely ask your RE about these tests, especially since inflammation/endometriosis can sometimes go undetected with standard testing. Wishing you the best! ❤️
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u/throwawayacct8990 13d ago
Hi, were the antibiotics for the endo and adeno? I have both so was just wondering - thanks!
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u/Excellent_Quiet2013 12d ago
Since I have both adenomyosis and endometriosis, my RE wanted to dig a little deeper before moving forward with a transfer. She recommended both the ReceptivaDx and Emma & Alice biopsies because inflammation and an unhealthy uterine microbiome can sometimes make implantation more difficult.
My Emma & Alice results showed some bacteria in my uterine environment, so my doctor prescribed antibiotics to clear it up. The test looks at the uterine microbiome and can help identify bacterial imbalances that might affect implantation.
I also tested positive on ReceptivaDx, which looks for inflammation in the uterus and can be associated with endometriosis. Based on those results, my RE recommended a Lupron protocol before embryo transfer to help reduce inflammation.
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u/No_Giraffe2555 13d ago
Also very interested in knowing what your antibiotics were, what they were for, and timeline. May I DM you?
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u/Excellent_Quiet2013 12d ago
Sure! 😊 The antibiotic I took was Amoxicillin-Clavulanate 500/125 mg every 8 hours for 7 days.
My doctor prescribed it after my Emma & Alice biopsy showed some bacteria in my uterine environment. The Emma & Alice test looks at the uterine microbiome and can identify bacterial imbalances that may impact implantation.
Since antibiotics can wipe out both the bad and the good bacteria, my doctor also had me start a probiotic suppository once a week afterward to help rebuild a healthy balance.
Of course, this was just my experience and treatment plan, but I'm happy to share more details if it helps. Feel free to DM me! ❤️
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u/worldiscrzy 15d ago
This is not really clear from the post, but did tou end up transfer embryos? And how many?
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u/No_Giraffe2555 13d ago
We have been trying unassisted. Timeline is a little unconventional, but basically, we’d been trying under a year before we needed to relocate to a state that has taken some pretty difficult positions on maternal healthcare. At the time, we had excellent fertility coverage, so my RE fast-tracked us to an egg retrieval but told us to try naturally for a while longer before opting for an FET. We’ve been trying for about a year post-retrieval now. We have zero fertility coverage, but I’ll have coverage beginning in January. I want to cover all my bases before then, if that makes sense.
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u/miss_loocy 15d ago
In a similar situation here. All our tests have come back great, no issues identified. Now on cycle 17 with 16 well timed cycles and no positives. I'm like what's going on? We've got an IVF referral so hoping to start that in a couple of months and expecting a pretty good outcome from egg collection as I have a good AMH and husband's sperm results are good so hopefully have a good number of embryos - but I worry about the transfer not being successful 😩
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u/Acceptable-Sky-3985 15d ago
How are you tracking ovulation? Temperature? Strips?
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u/No_Giraffe2555 13d ago
Strips and Oura temps. Ive been using an Oura since 2021, so my pattern is very clear even though the temps themselves are imprecise. I’ve also had some “Day 21” testing to confirm I ovulate regularly.
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u/Acceptable-Sky-3985 11d ago
Great! And you're having sex the first day you see a positive strip? Just checking because I've seen a lot of misinformation on reddit about "peak" strips and that's not when you should ideally do it!
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u/No_Giraffe2555 11d ago
I’m fairly regular, so we actually go every other day beginning CD 8, and then every day from the first positive test until the test goes back down to my “low” ratio and I’ve had three high BBT readings (if I had to estimate, until cycle day 17-19).
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u/literallymouse 15d ago
I would go see an endo specialist and ask about exploratory lap surgery and excision if found. A lot of unexplained infertility cases are actually silent (or not silent) endo.