Trying to conceive but found out I have endometriosis and blocked tubes.

[Annon81]

Hi, I have been trying to conceive for almost 3 years. Myself and my partner were referred for fertility clinic. On Monday I had a lap and dye op and the results were found to be 'significant endometriosis and blocked tubes' i have been reffered back to the clinic but my appointment is not for another 4 weeks and I'm so scared that I won't be able to cincieve naturally OR assisted. They advised that a more invasive operation can be carried out but again I don't know much info on this or what the success rate is like or even if it's possible to 'unblock' my tubes. Has anyone else suffered this and managed to concieve? Any advice would be greatly relieved. I only had the lap and dye Monday so it's all very emotional at the moment and I can't help but think the worst case scenario.

Thank you

[Bobenhams3]

I also have endometriosis and blocked tubes. I've just booked my consultation to have my tubes either clipped or removed as that is the safer option for me. They believe this is one of the reasons why my IVF attempts haven't worked. Once I have recovered from this I can go for my frozen et

Bob x

[Annon81 in reply to Bobenhams3]

Can I ask why it has affected your chances of IVF? That was kind of the last hope we were clinging on to xx

[Bobenhams3]

Because the fluid could leak out and affect the embryo. By removing the tubes this won't happen, clipping leaves a small chance.

The bigger problem with me though was the NHS weren't putting the embryos back in the right place. So you might be ok and not need any surgery.

Help that helps. Try not to worry until you've spoken to your consultant. Everyone is different, I've just got loads wrong in there so it's a bit of a disaster zone but they haven't ruled out the possibility of me being able to conceive. If it wasn't possible they would have suggested egg donor (access is a big problem for me as my ovaries are kissing) or surrogate.

Bob x

[Sara2013]

I was in a similar situation to you 2 years ago. We had been trying to conceive and I had a lap and dye test and it showed severe endo. I was so emotional for a while, it really came as such a shock as we didn't think there were any problems. Looking back I realise my agonising periods and other symptoms were the endo I had just thought they were all normal. You are not alone feeling this way. So the answer is you can get pregnant naturally or with assisted conception when you have endo. If you have your tubes unblocked there's definitely a chance it could happen naturally. If you go down the ivf route it can also work. I have been advised that unless the endo is inside the uterus area then it shouldn't affect he ivf success. I have had recent surgery to remove some endo and cysts on my ovaries as they were growing and could potentially have made egg collection in ivf more difficult. It is scary but pregnancy can happen, honestly. Stay strong and message me if you want any other info. Sending you a big hug to get through this. X

[Annon81]

Thank you both. I am still kind of in shock to be honest and so desperate for answers but have to wait until 24th August to see the consultant. It's so nice to be able to speak with other people experiencing the same because you can relate to them better, as great as my family friends and partner are, they will never quite know how how hard it is trying to deal with the emotional side of it.

I never thought I had any endo signs either, I just thought my periods were bad but had nothing else to compare them to! If the endo is found in your uterus, what options have they given you?

Have you had the more invasive operation to remove the endo or was it through lapro? My surgeon told me that I would need a more invasive surgery that would put me out for around 6 weeks! This frightens the life out of me! Especially after doing research and it says it's not a cure just a temporary fix that could also harm your chances of getting pregnant just as much as it could assist! I hate the not knowing!

Thanks again, it's so nice to be able to speak to people that have a good understanding and know what options are available xxx

[Sara2013]

I completely understand, nobody really understands the emotional impact of endo and fertility problems unless you're going through it. And my husband has been amazing but even for him it's difficult to fully understand how I'm feeling. The shock of the diagnosis will ease over time and you will start to feel stronger. Don't forget you're still recovering from surgery and an anesthetic which takes a toll on your body physically and emotionally.

They didn't find endo inside my uterus. Sorry I didn't make myself clear. I meant that if the endo is in the uterus this can have an impact on embryo implantation so it would need to be treated. If you want to try and conceive naturally and your uterus is clear I would say you should have the tubes unblocked so that an egg can travel down the tube and conception can take place. If you want to try assisted conception then I believe treating the endo wouldn't be absolutely necessary. All you need is for the consultant to be able to get the follicles from the ovaries at egg collection and then transfer them to the uterus as embryo transfer stage.

It is true that treating endo with surgery doesn't necessarily help with getting pregnant. Although I have read a lot of stories of women having their tubes flushed and within a few months they are pregnant. Surgery can potentially cause more adhesions. The consultant I saw said he would only do necessary surgery which would help with conception ie removing the cysts from my ovaries and freeing up the ovaries. I have quite a bit of endo in the pouch of douglas (a weird name!) but this is quite common. My consultant didn't remove any endo from there as it would have been more invasive and not necessary for improving pregnancy success.

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any right or wrong answer. I had the surgery recently as I had had 2 rounds of IVF which didn't work and the endo cysts in my ovaries had grown and were going to make egg collection very difficult if we tried again. During the surgery, the consultant also removed some adhesions from my pelvic area and unstuck the ovaries so they are 'free'. He said there's a possibility that pregnancy would happen naturally but otherwise we should go for another round of IVF in a couple of months.

After I was first diagnosed with endo and was feeling a bit stronger I did go and see a specialist in endo privately. It was worth paying for as she had a lot of time and advice that sometimes you don't get on the NHS. There are endo accredited centres which can been seen at this link bsge.org.uk/ec-BSGE-accredi...

I do know that pregnancy can definitely happen either naturally or with assisted conception, don't lose hope.

For symptom relief (if you have symptoms from the endo) it's common to be advised to cut out wheat/gluten, dairy and soy. I started with wheat and although it's hard to start with I absolutely have noticed the difference. I now also hardly have any dairy and don't eat soy.

Any other questions, let me know. I know it's a lot to take in, you will start to feel stronger. xx

[Missy_22]

Hi I'm in exactly the same position as you. I have stage 4 endo and I had that confirmed in January this year and waiting for more invasive surgery end of August. Hopefully once I have that completed I can go for IVF. Stay strong I know it's hard but we are all here to support each other. Take care xxx

[KEndo16]

Read all your posts with interest, as I'm trying to conceive, had Endometriosis diagnosed in Jan 2016, which helped Endometriosis symptoms for a few months, then recently got checked again as periods were unmanageable. The conulstnat found a fibroid that was 2.5cm in January was now measuring 5.5cm in my uterus. I'm having this removed on Monday. Has anyone else had Endometriosis and fibroids? Have you gone on to conceive?

[Lenton34548644]

I have left tube blocked due to endometriosis rest all organs fine however I am unable to get pregnant even with right ovary. Currently I am on herbal medication fuyan pill for one months,i feel my endometriosis pain get some improvement ,my gyne told me the herbs can help me cure endometriosis and unblock tubal blockage to get prenant after 3-6 month treatment,which gives me some confidience now. God bless me !