Prioritising fertility

[MediocreMind]

Hi,

I have my next appointment with my consultant (who is also the lead of the infertility clinic) on Friday which I think and hope will be to discuss a plan of action. I let him know previously that fertility is my priority as we've been ttc for almost 2 years now, yet when I spoke to the endo nurse she said they'd want to deal with the endo before even starting to look at my fertility. So following different information from different medical professionals I ended up doing basic fertility testing through my GP who then sent off a referral to a different hospital. These tests showed I have raised TSH, I'm not immune to rubella and my husband has less than 1mil sperm count. Now we know we also have male factor fertility issues it seems likely we'll need to have ICSI.

I guess I have two questions, if they operate to remove the endometriomas from my ovaries, won't this risk my ovarian reserve? Secondly, as endometriosis can grow back very quickly, should we not be timing the surgery to be right before ICSI? I haven't been referred for ICSI yet and so will have a wait for funding approval and then a wait to be able to start at the IVF clinic, so I'm concerned it could all grow back before we even get started.

I'd really appreciate any advice or similar experiences.

Thanks,

MM

[Bobenhams3]

I had my last two laps alongside my treatment due to how quickly it all came back. The was the advise of the fertility clinic. They should only remove/treat just enough without compromising your fertility.

Good luck x

[MediocreMind in reply to Bobenhams3]

Thank you for replying, I want to make sure I'm as informed as possible before the appointment so it's really helpful to hear the process other people have followed. X

[jinka]

Wow your story is so like mine...made me cry a little! Think the questions here are... have you had children previously and if not what is your pain level at? Also you want to stop so many health professionals having a say in your treatment plan! This is your right... I was under 4 specialists in London... they do not communicate with each other!

The specialist will always try to get rid of the Endo first as it gives the ICSI a better chance to work...but your body is individual so each person takes different times to heal and also you have to consider if it’s on NHS waitlist or private.

I had five surgeries to remove my Endo none of which worked much so at the most perfect time between ops I had my ICSI treatment which failed. The Endo came back and the symptoms were so much worse after my treatment that I could no longer function. In the end the only way I could get out of pain was to have a full hysterectomy. I have been pain free since then but I have also been childless.

I was told at age 21 I would have significant problems conceiving naturally but I was never diagnosed with Endo.... it was known then but hard to diagnose. It was another problem in a woman’s mind that wasn’t real. I’m 41 now! And it’s very real and does so much damage not only to a woman’s health but also to her confidence and wellbeing

Xx