How she got pregnant with diminished ovarian reserve and miscarriages
Transcription :
Marc Sklar:
In this FertilityTV episode, I am going back to doing one of my most favorite things, which is sharing with you stories of hope. This story of hope really is something that is near and dear to my heart, because I worked with her to get her to this place, and she and her husband so much deserve to get these wonderful results, and I’m so excited to share them with all of you.
Now, this was not an easy journey for her, and you will hear that in her story in just a moment. But when you have Hashimoto’s disease, diminished ovarian reserve, MTHFR positive, these journeys are difficult. They take time. So if you have a similar story, I want you to take hope from her story that you can achieve the same thing. So let’s jump into this right now and hear directly from her.
Hi, I’m Dr. Marc Sklar, also known as The Fertility Expert, and I’ve been working with couples for close to 20 years through my online coaching programs and right here in San Diego. And this story of hope is something that I am so excited to share with you, and I want to just give you a little bit of context before we hear from her, and then I will comment as we go along. Okay? Just so you all know.
So first and foremost, as I mentioned before, we’re going to be touching on Hashimoto’s disease. We’re going to be touching on diminished ovarian reserve, which means low AMH and higher FSH in her situation. And we’re also going to be touching on MTHFR and more importantly, hearing from Leslie. So let’s jump into it.
Leslie:
My husband and I started trying to conceive in mid 2019, and we tried for about six months before we got pregnant. And our doctor did some tests and found out pretty soon after we started trying that I had diminished ovarian reserve. And I was previously diagnosed with Hashimoto’s in 2012, so I was already being treated for that partially, but still had some immune issues. And we got pregnant. We actually got pregnant naturally a couple of times, but we had two miscarriages in 2020, early on. And yeah, our fertility doctor pretty much told us that … or excuse me, OB doctor said that I would have a hard time conceiving and that I would likely need fertility treatments.
Marc Sklar:
So we’ll stop here. So in addition to the Hashimoto’s and MTHFR, and diminished ovarian reserve, she got pregnant a couple times, her and her husband, and unfortunately had losses. And when we were evaluating her case, we did feel like those underlying conditions impacted and contributed to the losses. So we definitely knew that this was something that was needing more concerted effort on all parts to get the results that she was looking for.
Leslie:
So that was a pretty dark time for me, because I had a couple of miscarriages and-
Marc Sklar:
It’s going to be a hard time for anybody, right?
Leslie:
… after the diagnosis of diminished ovarian reserves, I just didn’t really feel like our eyes were very high that we would be able to have a successful pregnancy. And at the time, I was 40 in 2000. And so I’ve just felt like if there was anything I could do, I did a lot of research on my own, and just tried to learn everything I could about natural therapies that I could try. And I was listening to a podcast one day, and Marc was a guest speaker on the podcast, and I was just very inspired by his outlook and his whole demeanor. And so I started listening to him on YouTube and contacted him and was really interested in what he had to say, and his approach, his holistic approach.
Marc Sklar:
I just want to comment real quickly. You can see two different pieces. One is you can see how difficult just reliving the memory is for her of going back through all those struggles, the losses, the challenges, the fear, right? The fear that her and her partner had that maybe they wouldn’t have a child. You can see it, and you can feel it, and you can hear it in her. Right? And then the magical thing, and this is just something I saw this time in listening to it, is that you could see how it changes when she says she heard me on a podcast. And what that tells me is that she at that moment had hope. She had a glimmer of hope and thought and understanding that there was potentially something different that could be done to get the results that she was looking for. All right, let’s keep listening.
Leslie:
Later on in 2020, I signed up with him and he gave me a treatment plan. And what I liked about his approach was that he looked at everything. He looked at my medical history, he included my husband in the plan. He really focused on my immune system, which I felt like I needed because I was [inaudible 00:05:48]-
Marc Sklar:
It was a big part, yeah a big part of her care.
Leslie:
… and so with the Hasimoto’s-
Marc Sklar:
And Progress.
Leslie:
… I was taking the thyroid medication, but the other piece was not being addressed, so-
Marc Sklar:
Yeah. This is a key piece that I think we should spend a little time on as well. Now, she mentioned that we did a comprehensive analysis and evaluation, which is what we do for all the members in the Hope Coaching Program. And then we came up with a unique plan for her based on her history and underlying issues. And Hashimoto’s was one of them. And now one of the things that I felt was happening at this time was that that wasn’t being addressed. Yes, she was on thyroid medication, but the thyroid medication treats her TSH, her thyroid stimulating hormone. It doesn’t address her antibodies. And so it was really important that she started to make changes both in lifestyle and diet, and we added in some supplements that would impact, and improve her immune system, and really calm it down so that it wasn’t as sensitive and reactive to her thyroid. And that’s really what we were looking to do in this situation for her. I mean that was one of the key pieces that she just mentioned, and that’s why I wanted to mention it to all of you. Okay, we continue.
Leslie:
I still had a lot of inflammation. And so he really targeted that, and-
Marc Sklar:
That’s a byproduct of the autoimmune issue by the way.
Leslie:
Yeah. I just felt more empowered, having a plan, and felt like there was actually something that I could do to improve our chances. When I met with him, I just felt like he was very encouraging, and I never felt rushed with him like I do with other doctors. He always took time with me, and he’s very patient and understanding. And yeah, he gave me a lot of hope when at the time I was devastated with what had happened. And now I am four-months pregnant and-
Marc Sklar:
Yay!
Leslie:
… expecting in August, and we’re just ecstatic. I mean we tried for so long-
Marc Sklar:
She should be.
Leslie:
… and we’re at the point now where it just didn’t feel like it was possible for a long time. And here we are, and so yeah, just very, very excited.
Marc Sklar:
Yeah. So she should be excited, right? Because she works so hard, and it took so long, and it was really a process for her. Our results didn’t happen overnight for Leslie. They really took time, time and a lot of effort. But to her credit, she put in that time, she put in that effort, and she was really diligent for an extended period of time. She kept going. It’s difficult to make those changes with your diet, and it’s also very difficult to maintain those changes for an extended period of time. And she was able to do it, and she was motivated and determined to keep going and get her pregnancy whatever it took. And so I’m super proud of her, really excited and thrilled that she’s four-months pregnant and everything down the road is looking wonderful.
And when I first found out that she was pregnant, I really was just thrilled. But I was also concerned, because we knew of her losses in the past. We need to make sure this one made it. And so we worked hard also to maintain that pregnancy in her first trimester to get her to the place where she is today, which is wonderful. And I tell you this story of hope because I want you all to know that it is possible. Even though it was a long road and a difficult road for her, it was possible and is possible with the right plan and support, just like she was able to get.
So what does this story of hope do for you? How does it make you feel? What questions come up when you hear it? I want to hear from you, so comment below and let me know. This is a beautiful story and we all have our own stories. And so I want to hear your story. Do some of you watching have Hashimoto’s disease? Maybe you are positive for MTHFR. Maybe you’ve been told that you have diminished ovarian reserve, or you’ve had multiple losses and you’ve been told you can’t get pregnant. Well, this story is one that shows you it can happen for you, right?
So I want to hear from you. What’s your story? How does your story play out, and what support do you need? Comment below and let me know. And if you want the support that Leslie was able to get on your journey, and if you have something similar or unique in your own right, and you want the support by me and my team, then I want to invite you to apply to join my Hope Fertility Coaching Program. All you have to do is use the link in the description below.
All right? I know all of you watching found this story of hope, impactful, heartwarming, and because of that, I expect you all to give me a big thumbs up. So click that thumbs up button for me. If you’re not already a subscriber to my YouTube channel, then make sure you hit that bell right over there to subscribe and get notified when I put out another video for all of you. And until the next video, stay fertile.
