endometriosis

[Anonymous]

I have self-diagnosed endometriosis- although it was also suggested that was a possibility by doctors. I also have secondary infertility.

I had a HORRIBLE recovery from my C-section (in pains for months). Could this have caused it?

Is IVF the only cure for this sort of infertility as suggested by Shady Grove?

Clearly I am starting to investigate only but I would love thoughts.

[Anonymous]

I have a friend with severe endometriosis who got pregnant while using a condom more than one week after her usual fertile window. She thought she was likely infertile, too.

[Anonymous]

Endometriosis isn't really well understood. I have stage 4 and have had no trouble getting pregnant. When my ob saw it and the resulting scar tissue during my c-section, he couldn't believe it. I think the only thing you can do is try to get pregnant without intervention and see what happens.

[Anonymous]

Doubtful that your C-section is the cause. Some people with endometriosis have very few problems getting/staying pregnant and others have a terrible time. Count me as part of the latter group. You may have just gotten lucky the first time around. If you're in a hurry to conceive again, IVF may be worth pursuing.

Immune problems can also cause secondary infertility and tend to be correlated with endometriosis (although this is controversial and poorly understood by most doctors) but Shady Grove won't investigate the immune side of things.

[Anonymous]

Try pycnogonal(sp?). It's supposed to help reduce endo.

[Anonymous]

On whether IVF is necessary... as PPs indicated, it's so individual. Some women with endo get and stay pregnant without much trouble, while others don't. I don't think any of us can know whether it may be necessary for you or not.

For me, IVF is necessary. My severe endo was discovered when I had an emergency laparotomy for an ectopic after 1.5 years of TTC. I was told then that if I managed to get pregnant again another ectopic was likely, and another abdominal surgery would be dangerous. So we went the IVF route, and eventually had a baby. I always wondered, though, whether we truly needed the IVF or whether we could have had a healthy pregnancy on our own. In January I found out, when I had another ectopic pregnancy. I was lucky that one was easily resolved, unlike the first. We won't take any chances again.

As for the pain: I think it's hard to say. I had a very rough recovery from my laparotomy (but it was a pretty physically traumatic surgery) with pain for months, but after my c-section I had a super easy recovery. When my OB was stitching me up after the c-section he mentioned that my bowel is now fused to my abdominal wall. I asked whether that was adhesions from the endo or scar tissue from the previous surgery, and he said there was no way to know. And I guess it doesn't really matter. I have lots of scar tissue binding things up in there and causing pain, whatever the cause of it is.

Best of luck to you as you navigate the fertility treatment options. I hope you end up with the baby you desire.

[Anonymous]

THanks 2158. I also had an ectopic pregnancy. The doctor showed me pictures of the adheasions but never once mentioned anything about endo. He was a pretty horrid communicator in many ways through; I wonder if the tissue I had at the time indicated endo? Is there a reason when going in for a laproscopic removal of one tube/ectopic pregnacy they wouldnt check?

[Anonymous]

Maybe you have scar tissue? Have you had a recent hysteroscopy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe you have scar tissue? Have you had a recent hysteroscopy?

That's what the doctor said at the time- I had a hysteroscopy not long after the ectopic (a while ago) and it showed one tube cut (as it had been in surgery) and the other open...