Autoimmune Infertility Fixed With Donor Eggs

From using my eggs to egg donation, seeing those two lines on the test and receiving the "ticket" for pregnancy is no longer difficult; however, if the heartbeat cannot be detected repeatedly or if an ectopic pregnancy occurs—maybe even an intrauterine and ectopic pregnancy (with a probability of only 1 in 10,000)—it’s incredibly heartbreaking and disappointing!

Despite many setbacks, I believe that the heavens will take care of those who are earnest. She did not give up; after over three years and her eighth IVF attempt, she successfully got pregnant and finally received her graduation certificate! Let’s cheer for her! We eagerly await the arrival of new life ❤️

>> Implanting during a natural cycle can reduce immune reactions and lessen the body's burden.

On her graduation day, I asked her to write her story about trying to conceive, and below is her heartfelt account that is worth sharing with everyone.

She started her IVF journey in 2018 after getting married. Due to her age, her eggs and their quality were poor, and she also had complex immune issues. After three IVF attempts—one ectopic pregnancy and two with poor embryo quality, coupled with significant immune problems—her HCG levels never broke the 100 mark and failed. Having almost given up and with her husband not wanting her to suffer further, they even considered seeking a surrogate abroad.

Unexpectedly, due to the ongoing pandemic in 2020, they couldn't travel overseas, so a friend suggested trying egg donation in Taiwan. She began working with Dr. Wang and arranged for egg donation. Although he always made her feel secure, she was initially disappointed with only five ordinary embryos from the first cycle.

For the next implantation, they chose to implant two embryos, along with immune treatments including 15 bottles of IVIG, a two-day low-dose pulse therapy, one injection of love formula daily, and eight steroid pills each day. On the seventh day post-implantation, her HCG levels were positive, but her white blood cell count skyrocketed to nearly 20,000. By the fourteenth day, her HCG levels had dropped. Because the app reported results quickly, she already knew it had failed before entering the consultation room.

When she entered the room, Dr. Wang looked more disappointed than she felt. She comforted him, saying, “It’s okay, I know there was implantation, but my immune system went out of control; you’ve done your best.” They decided to focus on managing her immune issues before returning, but a year and a half passed in the blink of an eye...

In December 2021, she returned to Dr. Wang, informing him that her immune issues were under control. This time, she chose not to take biological agents, just immune medication and heparin. Dr. Wang was surprised and asked if that was sufficient. She told him she wanted to be a little stubborn this time, as all the previous biological treatments hadn’t worked, so she wanted to try this method.

She decided to bet on her last three embryos. This time, she successfully managed her immune response, and for the first time, her HCG levels broke 10,000, and they found an embryo! However, she still did not see a yolk sac. During her follow-up visit with Dr. Wang, she couldn’t help but cry, knowing that she had no more embryos to implant. Dr. Wang informed her that he would be leaving and suggested she stay to continue with another round of egg donation, so she stayed to wait for another kind egg donor.

Since the embryo quality was good this time, she stayed to implant a PGS-normal embryo. However, different doctors used different medications. Initially, they were confident, but on the day of the results, there was no implantation. Later, her immune specialist found that she had taken too many medications, causing liver damage, and immediately prescribed liver protection medication.

After several months, her liver function was finally under control. In August 2022, she followed Dr. Wang to NUWA Fertility and informed him about her liver issues. Dr. Wang was shocked! He advised her to minimize oral medications in the future, switching to gels instead, and to use natural cycles for implantation to reduce medication use. She felt that Dr. Wang always prioritized the mother's health rather than rushing for implantation.

She requested Dr. Wang to test with three normal embryos, although he suggested two would suffice. Still stubborn, she insisted on three, and Dr. Wang respected her decision. Fortunately, after implanting the three embryos, she became pregnant, and everyone was delighted. However, a week later, she began to bleed. Given her experience with ectopic pregnancy, something felt off; the pain on one side was intense, and she instinctively sensed there was an issue. Thus, she rushed to Taoyuan Dianthus OB/GYN, informing them of her three implanted embryos and her suspicion of an ectopic pregnancy.

The doctor arranged for an ultrasound, which confirmed both ectopic and intrauterine pregnancies, leading to an immediate decision for surgery. Early that morning, she messaged Dr. Wang, who was taken aback by the news. 

She chose Dianthus for the surgery because both facilities shared the same system, allowing both doctors to access her complete medical history. That day, they completed the surgery for the ectopic pregnancy, and later that evening, Dr. Wang checked on her condition. He genuinely cared and asked her to have the Dianthus doctor check the intrauterine embryo the next day. Unfortunately, it turned out that the intrauterine embryo had flattened, and she was told it might not survive, but she was still asked to return for follow-up with Dr. Wang. Later, Dr. Wang confirmed the embryo had shrunk. He reassured her that although it was unfortunate to lose it, at least the next implantation would be in the uterus.

After resting for three months, she was ready to implant again in late February 2023. This time, Dr. Wang suggested implanting just one PGS-normal embryo using a natural cycle. Since her ERA had been three years, she worried about timing. However, Dr. Wang assured her that it would be fine and that using a natural cycle would eliminate worries about implantation timing. Initially, the process wasn’t very smooth. Yet, unexpectedly, they successfully timed the cycle for implantation.

On the seventh day post-implantation, her levels were very low, and she messaged Dr. Wang, saying it seemed to have failed again (later realizing that online information isn’t always accurate). Dr. Wang consistently reassured her, “No, the levels are normal.” One morning, she messaged him again, expressing concern that her levels hadn’t risen. Dr. Wang encouraged her to come in for an ultrasound to check the embryo directly.

She arrived for her follow-up appointment with a mindset of failure. However, upon her early arrival, the staff at NUWA were very attentive. Given her past bleeding record, they assumed she was experiencing another bleed and quickly arranged a bed for her to rest while waiting for Dr. Wang.

She wanted to laugh and say, “I’m not bleeding; my levels just didn’t rise…” After waiting for Dr. Wang to do the ultrasound, he found an embryo and even spotted the yolk sac! He told her to return the following week to check for a heartbeat.

At that moment, she felt her mind freeze—oh my! This was the first time in her life seeing a yolk sac. As she left the ultrasound room, a nurse secretly informed her that she had just seen a flicker of a heartbeat. This made her even more excited. From then on, everything exceeded her expectations. Each week, the embryo grew steadily, and today she has reached 12 weeks—she still can’t believe she’s actually at 12 weeks.

She is incredibly thankful for Dr. Wang’s encouragement and care over the past three years; she respects the medication choices of her immune doctor, and importantly, Dr. Wang reduced a lot of medications to protect her liver. Dr. Wang successfully implanted four times with a 100% implantation success rate. Throughout this long journey of trying to conceive, she implanted eight times, and she started to question life. Yet, Dr. Wang insisted that one good embryo was enough, and indeed it led to her success.

On her graduation day, she received the news that her NIPT results were also clear, which truly made her extremely happy and relieved! Although there are still many challenges ahead, she believes that as long as she perseveres, each difficulty will be overcome. Lastly, she expresses her deep gratitude to Dr. Wang and the NUWA team and looks forward to returning with her baby to see them. Choosing Dianthus and NUWA, along with future postpartum care centers, has truly given her peace of mind at every step. Thank you.