Endometriosis and Fertility

Hi J.
I had slight endometriosis and had it lasered out by my obgyn. That was the 1st step when I told her that we were trying for over 9mths. Next after the laporoscopy, then waited for about 2 months before trying again naturally. Didn't work, then we moved on to IUI's...5 of them..Then decided to take a break from it all and had to really consider IVF..Mentally I wasn't ready, but once I was, we tried IVF and it worked the 1st time. We are now extremely proud parents of a 20mth old daughter. I too am 37. If you would like the name of clinic I went to here in Orinda, you can email me. Don't wait though if you really want a child...start the process now!

Dear J.,

You mentioned your one year marriage; but not how long you have been trying to get pregnant.

As a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner, I would suggest that you get a work-up.

Why? That is the only way to get the answers that you seek. Although, you are receiving advise from friends; please remember that no to health histories are alike. No to bodies are alike.

You and your husband should consider a workup.

In the meantime, stop trying and focus on just being in the moment with your husband.

I too had endometriosis. I too found Mr. Right a little later at 38. We tried for 6 months before we got pregnant. Delivered a healthy baby in 2007.
Generally most doctors say it can take 6-12 months before getting pregnant. It is then that they usually recommend a work up. I do know their are fertility doctors that will be more aggressive about it than that. I really tried not to get stressed about it until we had tried 6 months. That said I did read a book about fertility and trying to get pregnant. I used the temperature charting. It worked after the 3rd month. Pretty amazing. The book is called Taking Charge of Your Fertility

http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Charge-Your-Fertility-Achiev...

So my recommendation is to try the temperature charting as a first step if you have not already. Good luck.

I have a family member with endometriosis, and some other health problems. She had a tough time, but did have a child eventually.
Go ahead and consult about it, and maybe get some help...between the endo and the age factor, it could be time consuming to get success, and if you feel the baby urge that strongly, don't drag your feet about it, because it doesn't get easier with age.
Don't freak out---I don't mean it like that, and you are younger than I am. = ) I never personally had that desire/void, my stepsons are enough for me...but I have known other women who did feel as you feel, and who struggled. You can learn to accept that there is no guarantee of success, but it's most important that you don't look back later in life with regret, thinking you didn't try hard enough, or soon enough, that you gave up on your wish.
Discuss it with your husband---you don't want it to cause stress and conflict (that can make it harder, anyway). You sound basically happy, and whatever you do should build on that foundation of happiness, not come fear or desperation.

J.,

Given your age of 37, especially with the history of endometriosis, I would see a fertility specialist (reproductive endocrinologist, RE) as soon as possible. This is your best bet for getting what you want so badly, a baby. If you wait too long, it may not be possible. I myself, and many of my friends struggled with infertility and getting professional help will give you the best possible chance.

L. (internist MD, now with 2 children)

Seconding the get-you-to-a-doctor-pronto comments.
You are already 37.
And you are going on a long-ago doctor's comment.
Getting information doesn't commit you to anything, but if this is worrying you, find out now.
Btw, my sister had this and had many, many problems.
At the very least, update your knowledge of what is going on.

I have one friend that never got prenant and one that had surgery to scrape out the scar tissue that now has three sons so I would ck into that. Her gynocgologist was able to do that.

Hi J.! I have endometriosis and have had two surgerys to remove endometriomas. One at age 23 where my left ovary and tube were removed, and another at age 30 on the right side. My right ovary and tube were fine. I had a baby at age 27 right away. The second time around it took 14 months to get pregnant. I ended up getting pregnant 3 months after surgery to remove the second endometioma at age 30. Since you do not know how severe your endometriosis is, I would start trying for 6 months and then see a doctor who specializes in fertility after that. Good luck!

I am now 40 years old and I have endometriosis. I was diagnosed with endometriosis as age 32. I've had 2 surgeries and went thru several emotional years of fertility treatments before trying IVF. With IVF I finally have a beautiful baby boy who is now 2 years old. I have not been on any birth control since he was born and still not able to get pregant on my own.

I am very happy with my baby and wish we skipped all the other fertility treatments and went with IVF the first time around. The fertility treatments were so emotionally difficult for me that I had to take a break from it all and I actually considered not doing any more. I didn't want to wonder what if and have any regrets, so i gave it one more try and did the IVF, boy was I glad I never gave up hope. I look at my son every day and thank GOD for sucha wonderful gift. IVF was the best thing I have ever done.

So don't give up, your never too old and its not too late. With IVF the doctors can by pass all the scare tissue. Considering your age, I would see a fertility specialist as soon as possible and go with IVF. But the longer you wait, the lower the percentage of having a baby. GOOD LUCK.

Hi J.,

I would talk to a fertility doctor. There are several factors that will come into play: of course, the endometriosis, but also, for how long have you been trying (or, not having protected sex) and also, your age. If there is a problem, likely technology will have a solution but the sooner you start, the better your chance for success will be.
I wish you all the best! Part of getting pregnant is certainly not stressing too much so relax in the meantime and keep trying! =)

Hi, I am a nutritional consultant and I work with endometriosis and the foundational causes. There are several things you can do to bring your body into a healing mode for a healthy pregnancy. All natural and safe.. and can be taken while pregnant.. having great benefits for the baby too!

I would encourage you to watch www.sharethecause.com/live
This is a 9 minute documentary that begins to outline the issues women are facing today.

There are many foundational issues to endometriosis and I would be happy to assist you. You can reach me via the comments section of the documentary or cal me at ###-###-####.

Greetings J.: Having raised several foster children let me say that you do not have to give birth to a child to love and cherish it.
That being said my daughter has the same problem and she has gone to the depths of hell to give birth. This is something that has been her hearts desire -to be a wife and mother since I can remember and nothing else has compensated for it in her working world. So search out the medical help that you will need and be prepared to adore the 2 step daughters that you have & the fact that without their mother you would not have even that experiance. I wish you well in all that you will learn about yourself in the process. Nana G

I have endometriosis and I do have 2 sons. I got pregnant the first time 3 months after surgery but lost that pregnancy. Many women with endo have immune issues. They have an over active immune system. I did. I went thru a lot to get pregnant again and have a successful pregnancy. A Pregnancy itself can then right an immune system. My second successful pregnancy was surprise and a gift. If you have dificulty getting pregnant then make sure that you have a specialist that is open to immune issues. My beloved immunology doctor(Dr. Beer) has since died but there is still a practice there in Los Gatos, CA that does his work http://repro-med.net/about.php He did the immunology work and Dr Trobough did the IUIs that worked.
I wish you the best!
J.

I have a grown 40-yr-old daughter who had stage 4 endometriosis and was never able to get pregnant. It would invade her entire abdominal cavity and she had repeated surgeries over the years. She was not able to try IVF because of the cost. I would encourage you to go to a fertililty specialist now and do everything you can possibly do to realize your dream of being a mom. I would say if my daughter had any regrets is that they didn't sell everything they had and beg, borrow, or steal in order to have the money to try other things. She ended up having her uterus removed 3 years ago and her ovaries removed last Dec. Don't ever give up!

Dear J.,
I really feel for you. I suffered so many years with endometriosis. I had so many surgeries, I literally lost count and had several very close calls with the likelihood of hysterectomy. I was scheduled to have a hysterectomy at 22 and it really messed with my mind. I was just heartbroken. A friend I worked with urged me to go to her doctor for another opinion first, so I did. I had a fairly bad case and had already lost a tube and ovary so he put me on birth control pills for a year. I never stopped taking them, meaning I didn't take the inert pills to have periods. He basically completely shut my system down for a year so I wouldn't ovulate at all and therefore none of the endometriosis had a chance to build up. My first baby was born a month before my 24th birthday, so it worked! Not long after she was born, my troubles came back. I remarried and my husband and I never used birth control. We weren't trying to get pregnant, but we weren't trying not to either. I just assumed I couldn't get pregnant, but I was so happy to have my daughter and he had two kids from his first marriage. I started feeling funny and I couldn't figure out what in the world was wrong with me. SURPRISE! I had a beautiful son. At 33 years old.
It really is true that there is no way to tell how easy or difficult it might be to get pregnant. You might want to see a doctor who specializes in these things to kind of help you along. Each situation is different. I know when I went to see Dr. Johansson at 22 he said, "Honey, if you want a baby, we're going to get you one." For the first time, I felt hope and I trusted him. A year seemed like such a long time, but every day when I took those birth control pills it was like another day down...
No offense, but you're not getting any younger. 37 is by no means too old, but having someone go over your history, explain things to you and be proactive now would be a really good idea. That way you know what you're working with and if you need some type of treatment that may take a while first you can get that started.

I wish you the very best and I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers!

I would strongly recommend seeing a fertility doctor now. The good news is that it's possible--I have two daughters to prove it. But since you are 37, you know you don't have a lot of time to wait, and it took us 8 years to have the first child. Best of luck to you, and remember, as well, that if you are not able to conceive, there are lots of other very powerful ways to be part of the life of babies, whether it's through adoption, fostering, or volunteering at a hospital or crisis nursery. I know it's not the same, but if you set your sights on just this one thing making your life complete or happy, you are setting both yourself and your family up for stress, pressure, and potential disappointment. I will keep you and your family in my prayers!

Get a consult! Also make sure you go to a clinic or doctor specializing in infertility treatments. I suffered from endo for many years. Had a successful pregnancy at 22, attempted to get pregnant with my second husband at age 30 with no luck. I was under the care of two doctors for 10 years and finally at age 40 sought consultation with a new doctor. After running more tests discovered I also had fibroids requiring major surgery that carried no guarantees for pregnancy. We decided to give up and ultimately I ended up with a hysterectomy at age 50. The longer you wait the harder it gets. Ironically, endometriosis can keep you from getting pregnant, but getting pregnant usually gets rid of the endo. Fibroids, however are another matter and are common in women with endo. I wish you the best of luck and success.

J...didn"t finish reading it..but I went through 2 1/2 years of fertility treatments......I married later on..when I found Mr. Right.....major rule of thumb...don't care how old you are......if you have tried for 6 months to get pregnant and you haven't succeeded..>RUN< RUN RUN..to a fertility doctor....there are things that they know more about than your obgyn.......and they deal with your case of endometriosis all the time..this was not my problme..for me...I just had old eggs..I had missed my time...but I could become pregnant with either fertilized egg or egg fertilized by my husband.....

I just typed this same advice just days ago..about someone who was trying for years..and cannot believe they did not go to a specialist....it will help you go through the motions of either getting pregnant or dealing with moving on

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to call me..
You might want to get the book..taking charge of your fertility..it helped me in my first 6 months to see we were getting no where...

Though I did not give birth to my two beautiful girls....they are mine through thick and thin....and are bond is very very tight...sometimes people think I'm crazy that I say that they are adopted...but they are....we received them when they were 3 months and 2 yrs old....I would not have it any other way and do not regret not having children naturally...but I had to work through those feelings..it just didn't happen over night....but this is my story and every woman who deals with infertility has thier own special journey.

Who knows....you could walk in there....they say, oh yes..there is a new proceedure now that is 95% effective in pregnancy..and bam..you are pregnant the next month.....this is something you would not get at your obgyn.....

Bests.

Hi J.,

Go to a fertility MD now and get it looked at. Do NOT waste anymore time, you will stress yourself out even more.

Also go see an Acupuncturist. I know a wonderful one in Mtn View if you are local. He has helped many "infertile" couples conceive naturally, even after several tries of IVF. Email me if you want his name.

Good luck !!