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Chapter Nine: Pre-IVF Therapy

Age 43, Failed IVF, and Prior Ectopic Pregnancy - Christine’s Story

I yearned for children when I turned thirty-one, but Mr. Right was nowhere to be found and I wasn’t really paying any attention to the tick-tock of the biological clock. It never occurred to me that I might have difficulties conceiving when I was finally ready to start my family. As an educated woman, I was woefully unaware of the term “advanced maternal age” and the exponentially difficult odds of conceiving as the years progressed. Mistakenly I thought women were able to conceive at the same success rate until menopause. Not until I entered my 40s did I learn that I might have problems due to my age!

I immediately decided to undergo IVF. After reviewing a chart with rates of successful pregnancies rapidly diminishing in my age range, I knew my age was an enormous challenge and that I needed to do everything I could to maximize my chances of success.

When my first IVF transfer ended in a chemical pregnancy, I rapidly began to look for alternative and com­plementary therapies. A couple years earlier, I had read a maga­zine article about the Wurn Technique®. I remember thinking how interesting it was, though I couldn’t imagine ever needing anything like that.

Now faced with my own infertility, I researched my op­tions online and again came across this special Wurn Technique®. I pored through the Clear Passage Therapies (CPT) website and called their headquarters for more information. CPT cited remarkable pregnancy statistics and offered many powerful patient stories: story after story of successful pregnancy after long periods of infertility.

Learning that my chances of success could be increased relatively easily convinced me that I had to try this new kind of therapy. I wanted to know I had done everything I possibly could to help prepare my body (and mind) for a healthy, full-term pregnancy.

During my initial evaluation, I quickly discovered how knowledgeable my therapists were. Their level of attention to all of the parts of my body was extraordinary. They looked at how I stood, leaned, and sat, with my eyes open and closed. Even though I was an extreme­ly healthy person (I always worked out, did yoga, and had run marathons in the past) they noted abnormalities in places I didn’t know anything was wrong.

As they moved from examining my posture to examin­ing my organs, they explained everything they discovered and felt. It was tremendously comforting; they had an intuitive sense of my body. I knew I had placed my body in the hands of highly skilled professionals.

When they began treating my fallopian tubes, they said that my left fallopian tube felt like it was folded sideways. It was a very profound moment, knowing a therapist could feel that deeply in my body and could manipulate and improve it. It became clear that this unique therapy was an entirely different level of treatment than I had ever experienced. As a previous marathon runner, I had seen plenty of physical therapists, but never with the level of attention and expertise that I was now receiving for my fertility.

By the end of my treatment, I just felt wonderful. I was walking better and more smoothly. I stood taller and overall felt better and happier. I felt a renewed sense of confidence. Before treatment, I had chronic pain in my back that would flare up after walking or shopping for an hour. I thought it was a normal part of aging. But after treatment, that pain vanished.

After I completed my therapy, I knew CPT was the best thing I could have done for myself, even if I didn’t become preg­nant. It helped put my body and mind in the right place; I was confident that it would increase my chances of pregnancy.

The week after treatment, I started medication for my second IVF cycle. It was indeed successful and I had a great pregnancy! I hadn’t felt that good in a while. I was fortunate to maintain an increasing level of activity throughout my pregnancy. I followed the exercise instructions my therapists had given me and also did prenatal yoga and step aerobics. I kept my heart monitor on to make sure my heart rate didn’t go above the recommended level and I was able to continue doing aerobics until the day before I delivered.

At the ripe age of 44, I delivered my beautiful, healthy baby. I know my therapy at CPT made a difference between my first and sec­ond IVF transfers. In fact, two physicians told me how great my uterus looked after therapy.  I am sincerely grateful to have had the opportunity to experience this exceptional therapy.

Blocked Fallopian Tubes and Scar Tissue after Chlamydia - Wendy’s Story

Wendy’s struggle with infertility began in her early twenties. She contracted Chlamydia and went to her doctor immediately. The doctor told her that he could take care of it and she should be “fine.”

Wendy didn’t think anything of it again until she was thirty-five and wanted to become pregnant. She went to her doctor for tests and learned that her fallopian tubes were blocked. Her doctor in­formed her that Chla­mydia was probably the culprit. Chlamydia is of­ten known as a “silent” disease because it shows very few symptoms and carriers do not know when they contract it. In women, the bacteria travel through the cervix, uterus, and to the fallopian tubes, where it can cause inflammation and scar tissue to form, often causing the fallopian tubes to block.

Wendy’s doctor suggested she undergo surgery to open her blocked fallopian tubes, but after researching the suc­cess rates, Wendy decided she didn’t want to undergo the pro­cedure. Wendy told us, “I even considered IVF, but my health insurance didn’t cover it.”

She then researched different treatment options on the web. She found Clear Passage Therapies (CPT) and felt that it was a treatment option she was comfortable with.

Wendy made an appointment and flew down to our clinic for an intensive week of treatment. She told us, “Treat­ment was really great. I could feel all of the adhesions loosening. I felt much better afterwards.”

Wendy and her husband tried to get pregnant naturally for a year after treatment and then decided to pursue in vitro fertilization. She told us, “My new insurance said they would cover it and we made the appointment right away.”

The transfer was successful and Wendy became preg­nant. She told us, “I felt very lucky that I got pregnant with my first try. While I was at the IVF clinic, there was another woman who was there and it was her sixth IVF. I really feel that my treatment at CPT helped me become pregnant with my first IVF.”

Wendy later gave birth to a boy in perfect health.

Extensive Endometriosis - Megan’s Story

My husband and I had tried for a little over two years to get pregnant. When I finally got pregnant, I was thrilled, but was quickly depressed to learn it was ectopic. I had emergency surgery and one of my fallopian tubes was removed. The sur­gery confirmed my doctor’s suspicion of endometriosis and he said it was pretty extensive.

My sister, a physical therapist, told me about Clear Passage Therapies (CPT), a clinic that could help reduce en­dometriosis and improve infertility. But I dismissed it — I am a prosecutor and am very skeptical.

After Clomid and artificial insemination both failed, my sister again mentioned CPT so I began reading up and watch­ing the DVD. My sister was convinced that the bladder surgery I had when I was younger also made me a good candidate. I was very unsure what to do — since IVF was our last option and our insurance didn’t cover it. I knew I only had one shot at IVF and we couldn’t afford any other tries. I had never heard of in vitro working on the first try so I was discouraged. I had to decide whether to go straight to IVF or spend more money preparing for the cycle with CPT. All of my friends were pretty skeptical about their treatment, as was my husband.

Finally, I decided to try CPT because I didn’t want to spend my whole life just wondering, “What if . . .” When my flight was the last one into Florida because of a hurricane, I decided that was a good omen.

Once I began my treat­ment, my doubts were erased and I had a very good feeling. I could feel pulling sensations, so I thought something must be going on. I faithfully walked and drank water after each treat­ment, as instructed by the therapists.

I had treatment at CPT in July and then had my IVF transfer in August. I was thrilled to learn I was pregnant. My pregnancy went smoothly and I now have a beautiful, healthy baby girl. I look at her and cry because I feel so lucky to have her.

Using Intuition through Fertility Treatments - Hana’s Story

The first time I got pregnant, my husband and I had only tried for four months. As a physician, my husband knew that most couples needed about six months to a year to conceive, so we were happy to be pregnant. But then I miscar­ried at seven weeks. That’s when I really started to think about infertility and read more about it.

We didn’t try again for another five months. When we did, we were dismayed to find that we could not achieve a pregnancy despite our attempts. It was strange because while we couldn’t become pregnant again, I kept feeling like I was pregnant. I experienced all of the similar symptoms as before — my period would be a couple of days late, I experienced cramp­ing, breast tenderness, sometimes I felt bloated, etc.

After five months of trying, we went to a fertility spe­cialist and completed a full work-up. Everything came back looking just fine: my tubes, ovaries, hormones, and blood work all looked normal.

The specialists recommended we try an intrauter­ine insemination (IUI) in conjunction with Clomid, a fertility drug that improves ovulation.  We tried three rounds, but again there was no pregnancy. However, each month I still felt like I was pregnant early on.

We then decided to do IVF. After they retrieved my eggs, my doctor said they all looked great and strong. The IVF team placed three embryos in my uterus, but all post-transfer tests came back negative for pregnancy.

At that point, I knew something else had to be hap­pening. While researching different techniques and treatments, I came across Clear Passage Therapies (CPT). In the past, I had experienced interstitial cystitis (recurring pain and discomfort of the bladder). I thought that maybe whatever had caused this condition had also caused abnormalities in my reproductive tract that prevented a successful pregnancy.

I scheduled myself for treatment, but continued to search for other answers and possible causes for my infertility. After reading about genetic disorders, I asked my doctor to perform a karyotype test which could identify an abnormality in my chromosomes that would prevent me from becoming pregnant or cause me to experience frequent miscarriages. My doctor said it was expensive and not necessary, but I wanted to make sure there was nothing wrong.

After completing the blood work, we found I had a bal­anced chromosomal translocation. This somewhat rare condi­tion decreased my chances of a healthy full-term pregnancy to 20%. I was told that 80% of the time, my husband I wouldn’t be able to conceive or I would have a miscarriage by eight weeks gestation.

My husband and I discussed our options and we decided to pursue preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), a test that could determine if our embryos had a balanced number of chromosomes before they were implanted in my uterus. PGD is completed in conjunction with IVF. The ovaries are stimulated with hormones so they produce a large quantity of eggs, which are retrieved and mixed with sperm to form em­bryos. Afterwards, the PGD is performed to test for abnormali­ties and the healthy embryos are placed in the uterus. Although the procedure was extremely expensive, we decided to do it rather than to possibly suffer more miscarriages.

I was still scheduled to attend an intensive week of therapy at CPT before my IVF and PGD, and I decided to at­tend. I wanted to make sure my uterus and entire reproductive system were ready for my upcoming procedure. I had spent a lot of money and I wanted to increase my chances of success.

I attended therapy for a week in August and then began my IVF medication in September. The medication was intended to stimulate my ovaries, but my es­trogen levels rose too rapidly (a con­dition know as hy­perstimulation). In essence, I reacted too well to the medicine. My doctors were still able to retrieve 10 eggs, which were mixed with my hus­band’s sperm. But because I had hyperstimulated, the embryos needed to be frozen and my transfer was postponed for one month.

When my body was ready for the transfer, the em­bryos were thawed. One embryo did not survive the thaw. The PGD was completed on the remaining embryos and only one was balanced/normal, meaning it did not contain the un­balanced translocation. We transferred that single embryo, and were thrilled to find that I was pregnant.

My pregnancy proceeded without complications and I delivered my healthy baby boy via C-section at full-term!

Looking back, I cannot scientifically say whether I would have gotten pregnant without treatment at CPT. Although my main issue was a translocation, I did only have one embryo to be transferred, so my chances for a pregnancy were only about 30-50%. I wonder if the embryo (now my son!) would have adhered to the wall properly if I hadn’t received therapy at CPT. Looking back, I believe the treatment I received at CPT set the stage for a successful pregnancy by preparing my uterus to ac­cept the embryo.

I can only speak from my own experience, but I would say doctors don’t al­ways have all the an­swers. It’s important to listen to your intu­ition and your body and investigate other options on your own. For me, I believe it was the combination of PGD and CPT that enabled me to be­come pregnant.

13 Years Infertile with Endometriosis - Ava’s Story

Where do I begin? I’m a 39-year-old mother of twins. I endured 13 years of disappointment without any medical explanation for my inability to conceive. The only obstacle I thought I really had to overcome was having only one fallopian tube. Years earlier, I had a tubal pregnancy and the doctors had to remove my tube during emergency surgery. Thus I under­stood that I would need more time to become pregnant than if I had both.

I felt I would be successful at some point within the first few years of trying to become pregnant, but that was not the case. I made a commitment to myself that I would not be consumed by conceiving. Being a person of strong faith, I knew there was a reason for everything and my first sign was the breakup of that marriage.

However, I was blessed to start my life over a few years later with my new (and adoring) husband Andrew. Prior to our vows, I made sure that Andrew knew my medical history and my years of infertility. He said,  “I fell in love with you first and anything more in our time together would be a blessing.” He has always put me above all else.

We tried the first couple of years to conceive on our own — still nothing. We decided to consult my gynecologist, who happened to be a fertility doctor, to get his opinion on where to go from there.

Unlike my first husband, Andrew was willing to undergo whatever tests were necessary to ensure he did not have a medical issue. All of his results came back fine. We were back to square one: exploring my reproductive health. Natu­rally, this was no surprise.

After about eight months and some unsuccessful tries by my gynecologist, he referred us to a specialist. Upon meet­ing the reproductive endocrinologist, we knew he wasn’t going to waste any time answering our questions. His approach was no nonsense and very prompt. Our first meeting was in June, and by August I underwent surgery to confirm that I had stage three endometriosis, which is considered severe.

After he made this diagnosis, our specialist outlined our options and instructed us to make any decisions necessary by February. The urgency was due to the nature of my endome­triosis and its rapid growth.

Over the next month we discussed our options, and how on earth we were going to come up with the funds need­ed for the procedures we were going to try.

Ironically, just as we were considering our options, a co-worker of Andrew’s shared an interesting column on infertility with him. Andrew researched it further before sharing the ar­ticle with me; he did not want to get my hopes up with another treatment option.

What Andrew stumbled on was a new infertility therapy provided by manual physical therapists at Clear Passage Thera­pies (CPT). In our research on this therapy, it almost sounded too easy and too good to be true. The testimonials they shared on their website gave such hope to women like me.

It didn’t take us long to decide it was something we needed. In my case, they were going to help me not only to become a mom, but also with some severe back pain that I learned later was associated with the endometriosis.

We made the arrangements and traveled to their clinic. The clinic ensured they had as much of my medical history as possible, prior to my arrival. Once at the clinic, they reviewed my information with me to create an individualized plan for me.

No drugs or surgery were a part of their technique. It was a combination of physical therapy and deep tissue mas­sage and manipulation. That may have been why Andrew and I were a little skeptical at first. In today’s age of modern medicine, we’re generally programmed to expect anything effective to be intrusive and involve drugs.

I received therapy for five consecutive days for roughly four hours per day. I cannot say enough about the staff or the therapy. It was a very unique process and one I’ll never forget. They felt that the adhesions from the endometrio­sis and surgeries were acting like glue in my pel­vis, binding my reproductive or­gans and causing me pain.

The first thing that happened following my therapy is that the endometriosis pain I had lived with for over ten years completely disappeared. My body felt looser and somehow more free when I walked and moved.

They did so much for Andrew and me that I believe it was due to their therapy and God’s blessing that my IVF procedure, done four months later, was a complete success. I was also able to become pregnant a second time and now have two children. CPT cares so much for their patients.

Secondary Infertility, Endometriosis and Failed IVF - Erin’s Story

My husband and I were married in 1995 and we started trying for a family right away. I thought it was going to be easy to become pregnant. I am a physical therapist and have studied physiology and the reproductive system in my course work, and I was confident we could get the timing right. Furthermore, I am one of six children and all of my sisters were able to get pregnant easily.

I went off my birth control and I thought I could tell when I was ovulating. After a year passed with no pregnancy, I went to see my doc­tor. I received the “try a bottle of wine” answer and finally consulted an Ob/Gyn for help.

He did some general testing, but everything came back normal. Shortly afterwards, I was pregnant, but dismayed to learn that it was a tubal pregnancy. I underwent emergency surgery.

Even though the surgeons were able to save my tube, I still wasn’t able to become pregnant afterwards. It was a very lonely feeling — one that you cannot understand until you live with it. It was always painful when someone said, “I know how you feel,” when they really didn’t. My husband was very sup­portive of me and our situation, but I don’t think he could fully understand the disappointment I felt as a woman whose body was not performing as it should. As a woman, I felt like it was part of my responsibility to be able to carry a baby, and I couldn’t.

I finally saw an infertility specialist who checked my thyroid levels and found them to be abnormal. She was disap­pointed that my initial doctor had not checked my thyroid and immediately placed me on medication.She also sus­pected I had endo­metriosis and scar tissue from my previ­ous surgery. I agreed to undergo laparo­scopic surgery and the doctor discovered I had stage IV endo­metriosis and scar tissue. She removed everything she could and I was able to get pregnant directly after surgery. Unfortu­nately, I miscarried again.

We then decided to do an IVF. I was fortunate enough to become pregnant and deliver my son.

When he turned eighteen months old, we decided to try again with IVF. My cycle was not successful, and my husband and I wanted to try a third time. But before we began, we wanted to make sure we had done everything in our power to ensure a successful transfer.

My husband is also a physical therapist, and we had both heard about Clear Passage Therapies (CPT). I could connect with what CPT said about scar tissue and the importance of having mobility in all tissues.

I decided to attend treatment and went for an intensive week of therapy directly before my third IVF transfer. I felt their treatment helped my body get back to a normal state.

I also underwent acupuncture treatments as a way to prepare my uterine lining and blood flow to the area.

My IVF transfer went well. My doctors decided to per­form ICSI to ensure my eggs were fertilized and also did as­sisted hatching. When we learned we were pregnant with twins, we were so grateful our doctors had done everything they could to ensure our success and I had done everything I could to ensure my body was ready.

Emergency Ectopic Surgery and Two Failed IVFs - Amelia’s Story

Three years into their marriage, Amelia and Jonathan were ready to start their family. “I was only 31,” Amelia told us. “We never thought we might have difficulty conceiving. I had never had any gynecological problems at all.”

But when months of trying turned into a year, Amelia looked for ways she could track and improve their chances for conception. She began charting her temperature and also casu­ally mentioned her concerns to her doctor, who assured her no significant treatment was necessary at the time.

“We just kept trying and trying,” Amelia explained. “We finally became pregnant three years later.” She learned she was pregnant from a home pregnancy test.

However, she began spotting with­in three days. She immediately called the doctor, who ex­plained she was probably miscarrying. Three days later, Amelia had an ultrasound that confirmed she had miscarried.

“I continued to have a lot of pain,” Amelia told us. “I kept calling my doctor’s office but they told me it was nor­mal.” Two weeks passed and her pain became searing. “I didn’t call the doctor again,” Amelia explained. “I thought I would just be told the same thing.”

That night, she woke up with the worst pain she had ever experienced and rushed to the hospital. The doctors dis­covered that Amelia’s fallopian tube had burst. The pain she had experienced for the past two weeks was due to an ectopic pregnancy.

Amelia underwent emergency surgery and the doctors had no choice but to remove the tube. “It was a slow recovery,” Amelia told us. “I had lost so much blood and was so weak. I also continued to experience pain.”

When her pain did not subside after three months, Amelia changed doctors. Her new doctor suspected that her pain might be due to scar tissue and decided to perform an exploratory laparoscopic surgery.

During the procedure, the physician performed a dye test that showed her remaining fallopian tube was partially blocked. The doctor also found signs of endome­triosis.

“They basically told me to stop trying to get pregnant,” Amelia said. “They were concerned I might have another ectopic pregnancy because my only remaining tube was partially blocked, and I had endometriosis.”

Amelia was referred to an infertility specialist, who immediately recommended IVF. “That was a scary day,” Ame­lia recalled. “They talk about your eggs, your production, and all of that. By the end, it sounds like it will take a miracle to get pregnant.”

Amelia and Jonathan decided to proceed with IVF. When it was unsuccessful, they decided to wait a cycle and try a second time. “I felt dejected when it didn’t work the second time,” Amelia told us. “We had long blown through the little bit of money our insurance gave us for infertility treatment. I was frustrated and scared. After all the disappointments, I didn’t know if I wanted to continue with the infertility treatments.”

They decided to take time off to make the right decision. “We weren’t sure if we wanted to adopt or whether we should do another IVF cycle,” Amelia said. “Personally, I never wanted to do IVF again. With all of the shots, weight gain, and emotional ups and downs, I just didn’t want to consider IVF again.”

While trying to make this difficult decision, one of Ame­lia’s friends shared an article about Clear Passage Therapies (CPT) with her. After researching the treatment, Amelia and Jonathan decided it was something she should try.

Over the course of three months, Amelia underwent 20 hours of treatment. “From week to week, I couldn’t feel a significant difference in my body because at that time I did not have any pain. But the therapy did give me a better sense of my body, and I knew the changes might not be something I would feel right away.”

After treatment, Amelia and Jonathan decided to wait three months before they made any further decisions. At the end of that time, they considered their options again. Ame­lia told us, “My husband really wanted to do another round of IVF. Even though I did not think it would work, I reluctantly agreed to undergo the procedure.”

When they consulted with the fertility specialists, they learned that the clinic had recently changed their fertility pro­tocol and medications. “Even with the changes,” Amelia said, “I still didn’t think it would work.”

But to their surprise, that transfer was successful and Amelia became pregnant with twins. “My pregnancy was a bit rough for a while, but I managed to carry my boys for 37 weeks.” Joshua and Matthew were born healthy.

Now, Amelia’s twin boys are three years old. “They are certainly high ener­gy!” she told us. “It’s hard to believe we went through so much to get where we are today. I really learned to keep an open mind and be assertive. I used to think that if the doctor says you have the flu, you have the flu. But, after my experience with infertility, I know you really have to listen to yourself and con­sider all of the options.”

Four Unsuccessful IVFs, then Natural Pregnancy - Rachael’s Story  

My husband, Ethan, and I tried to have a baby for over five years with no success.

My physician told me my chances of a natural pregnancy were less than 10% due to severe pelvic adhesions that blocked my fallopian tubes. He also warned that even if I was able to become pregnant, there was a great risk for an ectopic preg­nancy (a pregnancy that remains in the fallopian tube). For these reasons, my physician felt my only options were in-vitro fertiliza­tion (IVF) or adoption. He also stressed that I needed to make a deci­sion quickly because of my age.

Adoption sounded wonderful, but the fact that I could not experience pregnancy was horribly depressing and I felt like I had failed our marriage. Fortunately, my husband was very supportive and told me that he did not marry me just to have children.

We waited a little over a year to do our first IVF. It required many visits to the doctor and all kinds of differ­ent medication. Many of the hormones I was given resulted in symptoms such as moodiness and weight gain. After three IVF transfers, I still had no success.

Afterwards, my massage therapist friend asked me if I had ever heard of Clear Passage Therapies (CPT). At that mo­ment, I was not interested in learning about a new intervention for getting pregnant. I had been experiencing emotional highs and lows for many years and wanted to give my body a break.

A few days later, another friend of mine who was also suffering from infertility problems called me and said she was going to receive treatment at CPT. She asked me if I had ever considered going there.

I thought it was a strange coincidence that two good friends would suggest the same clinic in the same week. I inter­preted it as a sign, and called to make an appointment. 

I signed up for a consultation the next week and spoke to the physical therapists, who were very informative and com­passionate about my drive to experience pregnancy and have a baby.

Since I was gearing up for my fourth IVF, the therapists put together a program that centered on preparing my body for the transfer. Because of my history, they also focused quite a bit of therapy on my tubes and ovaries.

After my CPT treatment, I completed my fourth IVF. Unfortunately, it was not successful.

We were disappointed, but we thought that God must have another plan for us. At this point, we opened the doors to adopting a child.

A few months later, I missed my period, but couldn’t even bear to buy another pregnancy test. I finally bought the pregnancy test and to my utter disbelief, it was positive!

Ethan and I were so happy, but feared an ectopic preg­nancy. We prayed that God would protect the baby, and placed our full trust in Him.

Nervous, we went to my infertility doctor a few days later to have an ultrasound, and to our amazing surprise, there was a healthy heartbeat.

Each step that we took in those five years, including our visits to CPT, got us closer to our ultimate goal of experienc­ing pregnancy and having a baby. I recommend CPT to women who are using medical interventions such as IVF or pursuing a natural course. They are performing many little miracles. Our little miracle is now five years old.

Endometriosis, Three Failed IVFs, Two Miscarriages, Then a Natural Full-Term Pregnancy - Claudia’s Story

When I was 27 I was ready to conceive. I was young and happy to be starting my family. I never thought that I would struggle with conceiving.

After two years and no pregnancy, I went to see my doctor. I had all of the typical fertility work-ups done, but they couldn’t find anything. My doctor then suggested I undergo di­agnostic laparoscopic surgery to see if she could find a cause.

During the surgery, she found endometriosis and mul­tiple uterine fibroids. A few months later, I had a full myomec­tomy to remove everything she found that shouldn’t be there.

After the surgery, I was able to conceive naturally, but then I miscarried. My husband and I continued trying to con­ceive naturally, but finally I returned to the doctor for some help.

I was prescribed Clomid and was able to conceive after the first dose. I anxiously proceeded through my first trimester and was happy when I finally made it past 12 weeks. But at 14 weeks, I miscarried.

Despite this great misfortune, my husband and I kept trying to conceive with Clomid and intrauterine inseminations.

Now in my thirties and still no success with insemina­tions, we decided to try IVF. The cycle medication went well and they were able to get two fertilized eggs. Although this was a low number for IVF, I was excited with the prospect of maybe having twins. However, the transfer didn’t work.

I then took the time to really examine my life. I was the Vice-President of a large company in Canada and I knew I needed a break. I wanted to take a year off to resolve our fertil­ity problems or finally let go of my desire to conceive.

We decided to move to the US, where I went to a fertil­ity specialist and did two natural cycles of IVF — neither of which worked.

The costs of IVF were astronomical and I knew I couldn’t continue trying forever. I finally found an IVF institute that would let me pay for three IVF treatments upfront. If none of them worked, I would get a large percentage of my money back.

I knew this was my last chance and I wanted to en­sure my body was prepared. I had heard about Clear Passage Therapies (CPT) and I decided to undergo a week of intensive treatment there first.

I took that week at CPT to really reflect and meditate on healing my body. It was a very powerful experience. I felt their treatment was healing, both physically and emotionally.

One month later, I went to the IVF institute. They gave me high doses of medication and were able to get one egg. I timed my transfer with acupuncture and through all of that, I was able to have my daughter.

It was hard to say what role CPT played in my body, but I knew it had calmed my body, as well as my mind and emotions.

To my surprise, six months after my daughter was born, I had an ectopic pregnancy. No one could believe it. We had all assumed I wasn’t able to conceive naturally. Although the ex­perience was a nightmare, I was happy to know my body could conceive without the assistance of medication.

The following year, my body took a beating as an un­derlying infection went un­detected and I became sep­tic. I had to have an ovary removed and nearly died. It was a very harrowing expe­rience.

Two weeks later, I became pregnant naturally. No fertility drugs, no acupuncture, nothing. It’s hard to say where my CPT treatment came into that, but I know it must have helped. I gave birth to my beautiful son after nine months.

Looking at my two children now, no one would realize everything that I went through. I did everything I could to con­ceive. I explored all of the opportunities because I didn’t want to have any regrets. That was one of the reasons I went to CPT. Now I can say for certain that I have no regrets.

Endometriosis and Multiple Failed Surgeries, IUIs, and IVFs - Madison’s Story

I was shocked when I could not become pregnant. My husband and I had always assumed we would be able to have children when we wanted. But after trying for a year, we finally sought the help of my gynecologist.

Because infertility tests are less intrusive for men, my husband was the first to be tested. When his tests came back normal, my personal struggle with infertility began.

My physician immediately suggested I have a hystero­salpingogram (HSG) — a test to determine if there was any blockage in my fallopian tubes. I was relieved when the HSG revealed that my tubes appeared to be functioning properly.

I knew something else had to be wrong. Since the onset of puberty, I had experienced excruciating pain during my peri­ods. My doctors had never been able to find the source of my pain. I thought that pain might be tied to my infertility.

I consulted another physician who suspected I had en­dometriosis — a condition in which endometrial tissue grows outside of the uterus, and can cause severe pain and infertility.

Unfortunately, the only way to diagnose endometriosis is through laparoscopic surgery. My physician found severe endo­metriosis encasing the majority of my reproductive system and bladder. During the surgery, he removed any endome­trial tissue he could access. However, the surgery caused my bladder to shut down and a bladder specialist had to be called in. I had to spend considerable time healing, due to these post-surgical complications.

Even after the surgery, we found we were still unable to become pregnant. My doctor then prescribed Clomid®, to en­hance my fertility. Because this drug affects the hormonal sys­tem, I experienced side effects, such as having little control over my emotions. I continued taking Clomid for six months. But after no success, our doctor decided to refer us to a specialist.

The specialist we consulted thought an intrauterine in­semination (IUI) was our best option. During the IUI, a thin cath­eter was inserted through my cervix and my husband’s washed sperm was injected into my uterus. Because an IUI has to be performed within six hours of ovulation, I was given hormonal shots. I was prescribed Paxil®, an anti-depressant, to help with emotional swings, but I still felt like I was going through meno­pause. I would wake up in the middle of the night and want to strip off all my clothes.

My frustration increased when the IUI wasn’t suc­cessful and two subsequent IUIs also did not work. Because my menstrual pain was back, my specialist recommended I have another laparoscopic surgery. I was hesitant to undergo the procedure again, so I sought a second opinion.

Our new specialist agreed that a laparoscopic surgery would be beneficial. I decided to go through with the surgery, but it turned out far worse than the first. This surgeon acciden­tally nicked my intestines while removing endometrial tissues — causing me to stay in the hospital for a week.

After the disappointing results of both surgeries, my husband and I decided to try in vitro fertilization (IVF). For ten days, I gave myself injections that made me sick with an upset stomach. Then, while I was under sedation, the specialists used an ultrasound-guided needle to reach my ovaries, and re­trieve my follicles. They were then incubated with my husband’s sperm. After an egg was fertilized, the embryo was transferred to my uterus.

I had to wait two excruciating weeks before I could return to the clinic for a pregnancy test. When we were finally told the results, we were devastated to learn the IVF was un­successful. Three months later, my husband and I decided to try another IVF transfer. Once again, our transfer ended as a “failure.” Grasping thin threads of hope, we schedule a third IVF transfer.

Before the procedure, our superintendent asked me and my husband if we had ever heard of Clear Passage Therapies (CPT), a clinic that offers manual physical ther­apy to help relieve pain and improve fertility. My husband and I researched CPT, and read their website and medical stud­ies. Because it had proven success without the drugs and sur­gery that had caused me so many problems, we knew this was something that I should do. We felt it would not only increase my chances of pregnancy, but would also help my body heal from all I had undergone to that point.

When I arrived for my week of treatment, the therapists first explained that when the body heals from trauma (surgery, abuse, etc.), scar tissue forms and can turn into adhesions that cause pain and prevent proper function within the body. During my twenty hours of treatment, the therapists worked to loosen adhesions and restore proper function to my body.

Afterwards, my body felt looser and healthier. When I returned home, my husband and I were elated to find that there was no longer any pain with sex. My husband joked that he would send me back for more treatment in a heartbeat. An­other amazing outcome was that I no longer experienced pain from my endometriosis.

We completed our third IVF just one month later. When my pregnancy test came back positive, I was so excited! I knew it had to be the manual physical therapy that made the differ­ence.

We were so happy when our beautiful baby girl was born. Five months after her birth, we discovered anoth­er surprise. I found out I was pregnant again! After struggling with infertility so long, my husband and I never considered us­ing any form of birth control. It was then that I knew CPT had healed and restored proper function to my body.

Looking back, I wish I had gone to CPT sooner. After all the drugs, the painful, unnecessary surgeries and treatments, it was a natural, drug-free treatment that finally enabled me to become a mother.

 

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