Does prostap cause infertility?

[Becci86]

Hi, I'm really confused I had endo removed earlier this year and still in pain my gyno now suggests prostap injection, does it only temp stop your ovaries working? Doesn't stop all together? I asked him do they completely stop working and he said yes but I think he misunderstood me as I'm reading up different.

Thanks x

[Impatient]

Prostap can cause infertlity - completely shutting down both ovaries and they may not wake up again in a very small number of women.It is a known risk and is stated on the patient advice leaflet.

The way the drug works is to overload the body with hormones that causes the pituitary gland to overload and shut down. That is where lots of different hormones are manufactured in the body, not just the sex hormones.

It is when your body runs out of these various hormones and there is no more being made- that causes the majority of the unpleasant side effects as your body struggles to cope.

And how each of us copes is unique to us, so the experience in terms of side effects can vary so much from one patient to the next.

When you stop the drug it is not an automatic waking up of the pituitary.

The process is gradual - usually expect the more important hormones to get back in to production first - the process can take many months - even over a year in some cases.

For the sex hormones the average time take to get back in to full production is 6 months. That means half of women will be quicker and almost half take longer and in some rare cases unfortunately the pituitary may not get back in to production of sex hormones and this is going to mean you no longer ovulate at all.

Without ovulation you are not maturing and releasing an egg or ova which you need to then be fertilised by sperm in order to create a new human.

There are other risks of course - with all the other hormones suffering in a similar way.

Some may not get back to full production again and leave you with long lasting side effects.

There are a lot of men and women reporting long term side effects causing them to suffer greatly in the months and years after drug treatment has ceased.

Not just with Prostap but all the GnRH drugs - they all work the same way and no one knows for absolute certainty how their body will react and whether their pituitary will get back to full working order.

There are several websites dedicated to this problem.

The main one is the Lupron Victims Hub lupronvictimshub.com/

It collects all manner of data and reseach on the drug Prostap - which is the UK name, it is called Lupron or similar to Lupron in most other countries but is the exact same drug.

It has a shocking reputation as do all the GnRH drugs which probably accounts for why the drug manufacturer changed the name when the product launched in the UK.

It does have its uses - and I am sure for people with cancer and few other options - chemo drugs Like Lupron/Prostap may save lives or prolong lives.

The difficulty is with endo - it doesn't cure it, doesn't kill it off, and affects so many hormones when in fact you only want to shut down the sex hormones and put the ovaries and the uterus and endo to sleep for a few months.

Bit of a sledgehammer to crack a walnut situation.

In most patients it is a temporary menopause and most will find sex hormone are back in business in a few months and they are ovulating once again and the endo is reactivated once again.

For those few that don't have this happen - then they are put on HRT hormone replacement therapy to replace the missing hormones - just as they would have to do if they had a surgery to remove the ovaries putting them in to menopause earlier than nature intended.

To the best of my recollection only two ladies on the forum that I can remember - reported that their ovaries didn't wake up - and we have thousands of members -many of whom have been on the drugs.

When you add up all the ladies who are continuing to suffer long term from side effects -because one or more hormone did not get back to full business then the figures are a great deal higher.

In my own case it is cognitive impairment - loss of short term memory function that I am still struggling with 3 years after the drug I was on - which was Zoladex.

There is no cure for it, all I can hope for is that over time my brain adjusts and finds other ways to remember things- which is very hard work mentally.

Other ladies have reported problems with their thyroid glands suffering because of a lack of hormone thyroxin -leaving them struggling with hyperthyroidism side effects. Others might struggle with brittle bones and osteoarthritis from lack of growth hormone which we need to mend and grow bones, hair nails etc.

GnRH is a very big topic - and a complex one. You shouldn't just rely on what is written on the patient advice leaflet - that will be the minimum that the manufacturer must legally tell you about. the real picture is so much bigger than that. The lupron victims hub has so much info for you, but do use google search engine for yourself and check Lupron Side effects, Lupron law suits and that sort of thing - you will find hundreds if not thousands of first hand accounts from patients because almost everyone has side effects to some degree.

Some patients are very lucky and breeze through the drug without much interference in daily life and they can continue to work - others end up bed bound, unable to work and some suffer long after stopping the drug.

They are super powerful - not working like any drugs you will ever have had before. and once in the body there is no reversal. you have to cope whatever it does to you.

Don't rush to take it- be absolutely sure that this is something you are willing to risk - and not just you but discuss it with your carers - family, partner employer etc. They can all be affected by your decision to start the drug.

They have to cope when you cannot - they have to put up with your moods, anger, depression, inability to remember things, if you have pets or kids then they may need to be cared for if you find you cannot care for them because of side effects.

Give it a lot of homework before deciding and if you do not want it - and I can well understand why you wouldn't, then refuse it. It is not a drug you MUST have.

Don't be conned or coerced in to having it.

Medics are paid a bonus for prescribing it to you, it is in there interest financially to get you on the drug- they do not have to live with it and the side effects 24/7 or the long term risks either. It's you that has to live with consequences - whether they are good or bad.

It is your call - you won't know what it will do till you try it, and you might be one of the lucky ones, but there is a higher risk that it won't be a nice experience at all - quite horrid infact.