Endo and pregnancy

[Neeks]

Hi. In 2010 I had my left ovary and tube removed due to endometriosis. Few days ago I've found out that my right ovary has endometriosis. I'm seeing the gyno dr. at the end of November. Because I do not have children I do not want to do the surgery. I am 37 years old and because I'm fat they don't want to give me IVF treatment. Please, if anyone can advice me what to do, I would really appreciate it. I'm stocked in a vicious circle. I feel lost. Thank you

[Impatient]

There is no point seeing a surgeon if you don't want surgery. There isn't much else they can do for you till you are ready for surgery.

Your age and weight are definitely the issue here. One you can do something about, the other you cannot.

IVF is something you can pay for privately without needing to qualify for the NHS free one. But to make it financially worth while either for the NHS or for you, then you need to be in the best shape you can be in to be in with a chance of that succeeding.

So your first priority - if this really is what you want - is to lose the overweight so that you are as close as you can get to a normal healthy weight for your height and age. You can do it - if you really want to you will do it. It is as simple a decision as that and something you can start on today.

Carrying extra tummy fat is no good for endo as it is where excess oestrogen is made and stored in a big warehouse just waiting to feed the endo. Keeping tummy fat specifically down is the priority.

If your weight is mostly round the bum and thighs and you still have a trim waist then it isn't such an issue and is less of a problem for surgery too.

It's the price to be paid for the 'chance' to be a mum.

Otherwise an alternative option is to skip the IVF and have surgery and then go down the fostering or adoption route if you still want to complete your family.

Or take the decision to come to terms with not having children and perhaps take on a pet or two as company.

We cannot all be mums, we cannot all afford IVF, we cannot all summon enough will power to battle the weight to improve our heath either. There are no magic bullets that will solve this dilemma.

You know what you need to do and it's your decision. If the chance to possibly have a baby is not incentive enough to work day in day out to lose the weight, then there's no one else can resolve that issue is there?

You might want to consider harvesting and freezing your eggs now just in case this takes longer than you anticipated rather than wasting any of the precious few remaining healthy ones while you do battle to get the excess weight down. It can be done privately -it won't be an option on the NHS.

However do be aware that the hormones to boost egg production for harvesting and freezing will also give any existing endo a super boost too. Egg freezing costs about £4000 per cycle.

Best of Luck however you decide to deal with this.

[Neeks in reply to Impatient]

thx for replay. i did not realised that is so expensive to freeze eggs. i have to look into it more

[Timothy31]

Hi Neeks,

I find that endo makes me much fatter than I was (I was a stick at one point, now I have huge boobs and everything!) I find that following the GI diet really helps me loose weight as its usually a nightmare that just doesnt seem to work. All ive done is cut out as many potatoes and white bread (I still have them a couple of times a week) and ive lost half a stone so far. So I think there's defo a connection- even my gyneo told me about it! I get what you mean about ivf, I really dont want to go through it either, that's why im trying for kids as soon as my partner is on side! Aha, wish you all the best and hopefully the diet works for you too!

[Neeks in reply to Timothy31]

thx for replay. ive never done the GI diet, i will try

[curlyjo]

If you really want a baby then go for it! You have a window of opportunity in your life now so why not take it? Don't live with regrets later. To encourage you, I decided to radically change my diet to reduce inflammation. I'm one month in and it's really not that bad. Your taste buds change over time and you start appreciating healthier options. It's a lifestyle choice which I'm hoping will enable me to avoid surgery. For you the lifestyle choice could bring a child in to the world. Even better! You can do this if you want; you just need to get your head right and get all the support you can. All the best!

[Neeks in reply to curlyjo]

thx for replay. how did you change your diet? what did you do?

[curlyjo in reply to Neeks]

Hi Neeks, I am following the Endo diet and have seen a specialist dietician in London. It wa recommended to me by someone on here. The author of the book 'take control of your endometriosis' explains the link with Endo and diet. You cut out gluten, wheat, dairy and sugar. The book has loads of recipes in it and when I saw the dietician I got some there too. Abel and cole give a free recipe book with their veggie orders so I picked up loads of ideas from there too. Delicious food like broccoli and feta cheese soup with walnuts. It's a radical step but was how our ancestors lived off the land before junk food, chemicals, preservatives and added sugar was put in our diets. All of which are enemies to the Endo sufferer as they feed its growth. I thoroughly recommend you read the book and then decide if you think this could help. To get my energy every day I was drinking far too much coffee and snacking on sugary things all day to keep me going. I've had a lot more energy since doing this diet though and in time, hope it will reduce my pain levels. The best thing psychologically for me has been doing something about my condition that is natural. And it's only the threat of surgery that is really motivating me. I don't think I would've bothering otherwise because I love sweet things so much. Anyway I hope this answers your question and good luck. Will pray you'll find the right path for you. Blessings x

[curlyjo in reply to Neeks]

Ps the book is by henrietta norton.

[Lvb85 in reply to curlyjo]

Hi Jo,

I am the opposite-I cannot keep weight on-is this book still helpful?

[curlyjo in reply to Lvb85]

Yes it's just good for getting the inflammation down but I'm guessing that if someone eats a lot of sugar they will probably lose weight on this. I'm not someone who puts on weight as it happens because I'm lucky. But I reckon on this diet you're eating healthily and that's what matters. My dr said it would protect you from lots of other illnesses because of ots high nutrient value and roughage. so I'd say give it a go and if you find you're getting too skinny see your doctor. Hope that helps.

[majandra]

Hello,

Your situation seems very similar to my best friend's.

She tried several things which didn't work: surgery, artificial menopause, hormonal treatments, etc

Like you, she has weight problems and her doctors didn't feel it was worth trying IVF.

She inquired about possibilities abroad and found that some European countries (Spain and Check Republic) offered private solutions.

She decided to go for the hospital in Check Republic as they seemed to have a better process and better guarantees. It cost her a few grand, but they look for an egg donor which is very close to the mother and they freeze any viable eggs which haven't been used in case the used ones fail or if the parents want another child a few years later.

We're still at very early stages (she had the IVF done at the beginning of the month), but she had her first pregnancy test today and it was positive! However she will have to be very careful the next few months to give this baby as much chances as possible.

If you would like more information on that hospital, I can ask her.

Good luck anyways!

[Neeks in reply to majandra]

thx for replay. i can't afford an ivf treatment. im lost

[weesie3]

I have stage 4 endo and am currently trying to get my weight down to qualify for IVF/ICSI (we also have male factor infertility). It's taken a year but I've lost over a stone and now only have 4lbs to go. It's not that they don't want to give you IVF because you're fat, it's just that being overweight greatly reduces the chance of it working.

[Neeks in reply to weesie3]

thx for the replay. i have to find the right diet for me

[weesie3 in reply to Neeks]

I didn't 'diet' but made lifestyle changes. I get my meat from a farm shop so it's better quality (and I eat less because of the price). I swapped normal spuds for sweet potatoes, cut out takeaways, cut down on tea (and therefore sugar), and have at least one fish dinner per week. Exercise is hard because of the pain and fatigue. I also have ME! I bought a second hand wii fit that I use when I can. It's not very often but even a little bit helps. Tai chi is good as it doesn't hurt me and relaxes my mind, same hoes for gentle water aerobics/swimming. Good luck!

[NoMorePain]

Hi Neeks,

I follow the posts on HealthUnlocked, but reluctant to reply because my way of thinking is outside of the box and often frowned upon by some. After reading your post I had to reply, because you sound as if you are in the same place I was.

I was diagnosed with Endo stage 4 (one ovary was glued to my spine muscles from all the adhesions and had to be cut free, along with my bowl and other areas), I’m 38 years old and weight has also been an issue for me. From years of being on HRT’s and chronic medication, my thyroid was under active and I bloated out like a blow fish. When my Endo was at a manageable place I was a size 12, by the time I reached breaking point, I was a size 18 going on 20. My system was just not functioning the way it should, therefore battled it out in the gym 3 days of the week to remaining the same weight. I must have looked quite a sight to others in my drugged out state, sweating it out and never losing any weight LOL. My diet was a balanced one with no junk food, sweets, or fizzy drinks. I ate proteins 3 times a week and fruit and veg with plenty of water each day. My down fall was far too much coffee and eating at the wrong time of the day, along with my system not functioning correctly.

I am now reaching 6 months in my pregnancy & my weight has been reduced to a size 14 (I did get into a size 12 jeans, but because of the bump I couldn’t sit down in them LOL). My gynae is tracking every step of the development, as she is amazed at how my body has changed and how the baby has developed. How this all came about was through using glyco nutritionals.

I’m willing to share more on how I turned my health around, but not prepared to do it on the open chatboard, where I may be ridiculed or be named for thinking outside of the box.

My message to you is DONT GIVE UP & REACH FOR YOUR DREAMS NO MATTER WHAT!

[Neeks in reply to NoMorePain]

thx. i would love to find out more. here is my email:[e-mail]

[Neeks in reply to Neeks]

sorry [e-mail]

[Omniya]

Hi Neeks, I would like to know about this diet you followed.