Routine medical procedure can create fertility challenges
After a miscarriage or birth, many women undergo a routine surgical procedure, known as a "D and C". It's mostly considered safe, but the procedure can make getting pregnant again difficult, and many say they weren't informed of the risk.
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00:00 I think people say to you, "Oh don't worry, I hate being pregnant."
00:06 And I'm like, "Yeah, but you got the choice."
00:08 That choice was taken away from me.
00:10 Beck Kalpikoff's path to becoming a mum took an unexpected turn.
00:16 She needed to use an overseas surrogate to have her twins.
00:21 That's clever.
00:23 Beck developed Asherman's syndrome after she had a procedure called a D&C after a miscarriage.
00:30 She was told she'd be unable to get pregnant.
00:34 I was very angry when I got the news.
00:39 A dilation and curatage, or D&C, is sometimes performed after a miscarriage or after birth.
00:45 The surgical removal of tissue is generally considered very safe,
00:49 but if a complication occurs, especially after a repeat procedure,
00:53 it can lead to scar tissue inside the uterus known as Asherman's syndrome.
00:59 Asherman's syndrome will prevent implantation, so women do not get pregnant again.
01:04 It will possibly increase the incidence of miscarriage.
01:08 In many cases, Asherman's can be addressed if treated correctly,
01:13 but those unable to be successfully treated have shared stories of loss and heartbreak.
01:19 I battle with depression, anxiety and PTSD.
01:25 There is not one day that goes by that I don't grieve for the baby that I so desperately want, but cannot have.
01:34 I wish I was more informed of the risks.
01:38 We've seen many women that might have hoped to have a child and then they don't,
01:42 or they might have hoped to have multiple children and they don't,
01:44 or they might have pictured a life without chronic pain and they've got that.
01:48 Naomi Kate was diagnosed with Asherman's after a D&C following the birth of her first child.
01:54 Hi, how are you?
01:55 Hi Kim, good, how are you?
01:57 Now she's working with other women across the country pushing for change.
02:02 We try to prevent the heartache that we've seen in this group of women.
02:06 Advocates are calling for alternatives to D&Cs to be considered.
02:10 If a D&C is needed, they say an ultrasound should be used for guidance
02:15 and informed consent should be mandatory.
02:18 After years of effort, their grassroots campaign is finally gaining some traction.
02:24 The College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists says it will start by reviewing guidelines around the management of miscarriage.
02:32 We're very keen to engage and to do what we can to prevent it happening in the first place.
02:39 But Kalpacoff hopes any changes go far enough so others don't have to go through the same hardships she did to become a mum.
02:49 They just bring us so much joy.
02:51 That's why I want other women to experience this joy because, yeah, it's like nothing else.
02:58 [Music]
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