Endometriosis --Next Steps??

Hi, I'm W.! Please don't do it. I had the lupron injections and it put me through menopause and i was only 23 years old. If you have any more questions contact me at ____@____.com. I'm new at this website so i wouldn't know how to get in contact with you.

Read "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" by Toni Weschler. I think it should be required reading for all females before their 16th birthdays. It's very helpful on a lot of levels and it changed my life times two. I'd also consider seeking a referral to a fertility specialist rather than the OB/GYN alone.

My best advice..........go to a Fertility specialist and don't waste your emotions/time/money with with your OB. We used Reproductive Biology Assoc. in Atlanta. We used Dr. Mitchell-Leef. She was wonderful.......I now have 2 1/2 year old twin boys. If you're not near Atlanta, search out a specialist near you.

I have a very similar situation myself. I had surgery for tune up as well: endometriosis, polycystic ovaries, cleaning out the falopian tubes and uprighting a retroverted uterous. I also have a 4 almost 5 year old. I was taking clomid and glucophage after the surgery to help me get pregnant and we were successful after a little over 6 months. If you have not already tried these meds, ask the doc. If so, try going on GOOD relaxing vacation it worked for us (both times). Good luck.

I did Lupron. It didn't work for me, but I had other issues that Lupron couldn't solve, so my husband and I adopted the most wonderful baby in the entire world. But that's not to say it won't work for you. The side effects just about killed me, though. Every single joint in my body suddenly became severely arthritic. Every motion I had to talk my body into performing. It was hell on my job because I work with Deaf children and sign all day long. Sometimes I just couldn't get my fingers to move without a LOT of pain. However, I think this is a rather rare side effect. My suggestion is to go to a fertility doctor (Dr. Servy in Augusta is wonderful)and take the Lupron if it's recommended. And if it doesn't work, adoption is always an great option.
Good luck!

I don't understand why your doctor would suggest Lupron when you are trying to get pregnant. That doesn't make any sense to me at all. The drug has severe side effects and is used to treat endometriosis but it is not good for trying to get pregnant. As a matter of fact it would be a dangerous drug to use when trying to conceive. Every woman I know who has used the drug has had severe menoupause like symptoms like hot flashes etc.

I would first start with getting an ovulation kit to see if/when you are ovulating. Because you also had ovarian cysts you may not be ovulating regularly. You may need help with inducing ovulation. Many doctors go with Clomid. I refused Clomid and opted for using natural progesterone and my doctor was receptive to this method although not his common route. I know your frustrations. It took me two years and a few surgeries to get my son. I am pregnant now and using the progesterone it only took me three months to get pregnant. You are going to have to find out why you aren't getting pregnant before you can fix it though. I would assume since you aren't getting pregnant and having miscairrages that you are not ovulating.

C.
www.purelybalanced.com

Understand one thing my sista, what God has for you is for you. Maybe it is not God's plan for you to have more children. Be sure that you are doing what you have to do with the gift for the one he has given you. Stop all the "trying to have a baby treatments". Obviously, it is not meant to be and I am not at all trying to be cruel, but God's timing in not ours. I am a true believer in the Father and if you believe in him too, then, just wait. You will get pregnant just at the moment you never thought or imagined.

Go to RBA of atlanta.... or another GRS.
A real fertility clinic... not just your obgyn.

My Obgyn told me to just keep trying... I was 33.
I now have twin girls (from the great doctor's at RBA- Invitro .. since my regular obgyn didn't even know I had endometrisis... )
They (RBA) get you in and out.. figure out the problem and get you pregnant. My husband loved it too!

Let me point you to a web site...
www.ovusoft.com

This site will help you learn about your body and fertility. The forum is a rich enviroment of loving and supportive women. No matter your needs or questions these women from around the world have been in your shoes. I was a part of a forum for christian women wanting to concieve. They offered prayers and every type of medical knowledge from those once standing and still standing in the same position. I highly reccomend this site. I ordered the computer program that charts your cycle and after 3 years of infertility....I charted 3 months and had my little one. My second only took 2 months of charting....Please look this up!!!

I also struggled with endometriosis and I did receive the Lupron injections. As soon as I was finished with them I was pregnant within 2 months. There is no guarantee but I would definitely try it as an option as you have nothing to lose. I will tell you that I did feel like I had PMS the whole time which was difficult. But the injections don't hurt at all. Anyway, I do suggest it because it really kills off any remaining endometriosis through the cessation of your cycle for that time. I wish you all the best as babies are such a blessing! :) (P.S. I am 7 weeks pregnant with my second child now :)

Check your hormones. You may need progesterone that helps with ovulating. I had the same problem and I did some research on my own in google and found out about progesterone so I went at the help shop and bought progesterone cream.I also got hormonal balancing pills.

Dear M.:
I hope someone else has better news for you than I have. But I had went thru the same situation as you and tried the shots and they did not work. I also tried IVF three times and that did not work either. My suggestion to you is to go to an Infertility Specialist to see what help they could offer you. I am sure ther are many advances that are offered now that they didn't have 6 years ago when I finally had to give up trying. I know what it feels like to yern for another baby especially since I lost 4 to miscarriage and 2 to still birth. But, I am blessed with having a child already just like you have been. There are some woman who never get to experience the joys of parenthood. I wish you all the best of luck!
Sincerely,
K.
The MOM Team
www.enhanceyourlifeonline.com

I have used Lupron a few times while undergoing fertility treatments. I would honestly read up on this drug before you decide to use it because it will shut your ovaries down & strip your system of estrogen. I didn't do any research at first & just trusted the doctor... not a good thing. The last doctor that I saw was telling me that Lupron should generally be used for an older patient (early 30s is NOT older) & you should be monitored closely by your doctor. We didn't use Lupron with my last fertility treatment & were able to get pregnant WITHOUT all of the emotional mood swings.
Be sure and do some of your own research & good luck to you...

My friend and her husband tried for 9 years to have a baby and even went through fertility treatments. It was not until she had an Ovarian Wedge Resection (Surgical removal of a pie-shaped wedge of a polycystic ovary in order to help ovulation) that they conceived 3 months later. You may want to talk to your doctor about this. Good luck

I have a 3-year-old daughter conceived through IUI, and i too have been trying for 2 1/2 years to get pregnant, to no avail. So take my advice with a grain of salt, but here it is. I have endometriosis and have had the "cleaning out" surgery twice - the first time with visible endometriosis and other disruptions, the second time with nothing visible. I took the injections and my body completely rejected them, sending me into a pain unlike anything I have ever felt (childbirth included). I ended up in the ER, and after hours of tests nothing came back wrong. i finally gave up and went back on the pill for six months. I am bc-free now, but after a lot of research I am going to try a more natural approach. It occurred to me that my daughter was conceived after six weeks on the South Beach Diet, and I have since done some reading in which a regime of that type can benefit fertility. So I am doing a modified version of that diet while also dropping gluten (which has been linked to infertility and short luteal phase). We shall see, I suppose. I feel like I've just wasted a bunch of space here, since I don't have the encouraging "do the shots and have a baby" response, but I guess I'm just trying to encourage you to do a lot of research first. :)

I highly recommend acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. This is how I conceived my second child.

I do not know what is available in this area, since I'm new here, but it is a powerful, effective, and safe way to address endometriosis and pcos, both of which i have.

I second that you read "taking charge of your fertility" and also recommend "the infertility cure" by randine lewis. my acupuncturist in texas did her internship with randine.

please look into acupuncture before you take lupron. good luck.

I took Lupron for 6 months after having my daughter. The side effects were pretty bothersome: hot flashes, low sex drive, mood swings, and headaches. After Lupron and now being on the Mirena for a little over a year, my endometriosis is not any better. I'm in search of a surgeon/specialist to completed clean out the endo and found the Center for Endometriosis Care, however, can not afford to pay the surgery out of pocket, as they are not in my network. If you're still having issues, you may want to consider them: http://www.centerforendo.com/.

http://endo-online.org/index.html

http://www.ivf.com/

These sites can help you link up with persons that have gone through the injections. It is an emotional and financial roller coaster ride and everyone's endo story is different. I wish you the best and will pray for a positive answer to your prayers. I can tell you that one of the ladies in my infertility adoption group got pregnant when she stopped trying to have a baby. You never know.

Hi, I know what you are going through with this. I had a complete hysterectomy in 94 because of the exact same thing. We tried to have another child and was not successful; however, I firmly believe if we had been where we needed to be with God, then it could had happen but at the time I was just in so much pain and having to go back and forth to the doctor and it was getting so frustrating I just gave up and had the hysterectomy but they have came along with medicine and the ability to correct this problem.

I will be praying for you that God's will to be done and may you be blessed beyond compare.

T.

I completely understand where you are right now. I was diagnosed with Endo back in 2000 and felt helpless and completely devastated. I was sure I would never be able to have children. My doc at the time wanted to put me on Lupron. I did research and turned it down cold. The drug basically puts your body into Menopause. That is how her explained it to me. I have read numerous horror stories about the drug and decided to get a second opinion. I found Dr. Albee. People travel from all over to come and see him. He is really wonderful. He uses a different procedure to remove the endo and has had great results. I couldn't get my husband to see a fertility doctor, but he was more than willing to go see Dr. Albee because he specializes in the treatment of endo. Just Google him and check him out. I now have two little girls...2 and 6. Good Luck

M.,

Let me explain how I know about the shots. I was 17 when I was diagnosed with endometriosis. It was only discovered because the emergency room doctor decided to do exploratory surgery and remove my appendix. I went through months of sever pain from my periods and the doctor didn’t do anything but give me pain meds. If he would have put me on birth control it may have stopped my endometriosis from getting as sever as it did. According to the nurse that happened to be an OBGYN surgical nurse I had three stages of endometriosis. The doctor removed what he could but because of where some of it was located he couldn’t remove it all. I started going to an OBGYN and ended up going through 6 months of Lupron shots. Basically it’s like going through menopause. It stops your body from producing Estrogen and Progesterone. I had every menopausal symptom, but remember you may not have any side effects from it. I did have 9 months of no period. I am now 29 yrs old and turn 30 in April. I have had 4 surgeries since then for cysts and other female problems. I do hope one day to get pregnant but know for me it’s not going to be an over night thing. I would find out how many treatments the doctor wants you to have and how long he thinks it will stay in your body. I would do your research on the shots and endometriosis. You may need to get another opinion. I know from personal experience you know your body better than any doctor does. I know that I was going to end up having surgery the 4 other times do to the pain and past experience. My doctor luckily listened to me. Thank goodness because my last surgery I found out that I had a slight form of gang green from a cyst on my ovary. I’m not saying any of this to scare you, only so you hear my truth and hope you do your research. Here is the web site for the lupron injections: http://www.lupron.com/
Here are a few other sites you may want to check out:
http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/hormones/a/lupron.htm
http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/pregnancy-risks-on-lu...
This is a site where women are talking about there experience with endometriosis:
http://stepforums.bethany.org/viewtopic.php?p=1060&si...
I don’t know if any of this will help you out or not. I wish you the best of luck and I’ll keep you in my prayers.

A.

I had a similar situation but my condition was considered worse than endometrisis. I had actually lose 30% of my uterus when tring to concieve my first child. I was losing more and more of it each month and my chances were very slim. I was only 24 at the time. I had tried EVERYTHING the medical profession had to offer me and nothing could explain what was going on or how to slow it down. It was my chiropractor who was able to able me thru adjustments and told me I should have my progesterone and estrogen hormone levels checked. I did this very inexpesivley thru ZRT labs, you can find them online an order a kit. It is done thru salvia and is far more accurate than blood work. I found that I was progesterone deficient and got on a natural prog.cream by KAL. (at first I went with a prescribtion one but it made me sick!) I had no problems with the natural one and after 1.5 months, I was pregnant:) It was truly amazing! I had multiple specalists telling me it would never happen. I had a very strong and healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby in the end. I would suggest to look to natural things to help your body out. If you need a ref. to some good chiropractors, just let me know. I really wish you the best. I know this must be very scary and frustrating for you!