Bowel endo and prolapse

[Siothew12]

Hello

I wondered if anyone knows who I go to about this. I have stage 4 endometriosis. It’s impacted my bowel. I have a 5cm mass in my bowel. My last colonoscopy said I have a partial bowel mucosa prolapse. I don’t have any symptoms of prolapse yet.

I’m currently 32 weeks pregnant through IVF. I’ve to decide between natural birth and c section. The one thing that’s putting me off natural birth is if I have an increased risk of prolapse. I don’t want to incur another health condition I could’ve avoided by having a c section. The endometriosis and having gone through IVF is enough. I spoke to my consultant and he said he cannot comment on the risk of prolapse for me.

Is there anyone I could speak to who could advise me on this?

Many thanks

S x

[16yearsofpainsofar]

Hi I gave birth a few months ago (vaginally and by induction which was fine and no complications). I had symptoms of prolapse whilst I was pregnant and symptoms worsened closer to my due date. I have uterine and rectocele prolapse and I'm only in my 20s and low weight, which meant that I was low risk of having a prolapse!

C-sections don't prevent prolapses unfortunately. Also if you've had abdominal surgery before then I imagine there'll be more risks having a c section? Worth discussing with a gynae. Good luck and enjoy the gas and air!

[BryonyB]

Hi S,

I am 34 weeks and have had three laparoscopies to remove my endo. I’ve been given differing opinions from two consultants about c section vs vaginal so I’ve asked to see another consultant. Sometimes you have to be a bit pushy and advocate for yourself but if you’re feeling like you’d like more information like I was then ask to see another doc. Both the consultants were pretty vague on my risk of haemorrhage and couldn’t give any evidence which was disheartening. Good luck!! I’ve found this a really scary time so hope you’re doing ok x

[Siothew12 in reply to BryonyB]

Hey

Have you decided what to do at all? Was your risk of haemorrhage due to endo? I’ve had four surgeries also. It’s been a bit of a mixed bag. On one side my consultant is like vaginal delivery is generally safer and you’ve had so much surgery, you’re higher risk than the average person for c section but then when I asked about prolapse he won’t comment so you’re probably right. I need a second opinion xx

[BryonyB]

I’m seeing another consultant but that’s at 37 weeks and in the meantime just sort of trying to prep for both in my mind. The risk of haemorrhage is due to the scar tissue from the previous surgeries. My endo is rectovaginal so the consultant was hopeful that a vaginal delivery would be less risky but that wasn’t really based on any evidence which was a shame! I also find the vaginal birth option pretty scary because at all my NCT classes it’s all about trusting your body but I feel like I can’t trust that bit of my body because of everything I’ve been through already. Trying to remain positive! Xx

[Siothew12 in reply to BryonyB]

Interesting. I also have rectovaginal! Yes it seems they make these sweeping statements and don’t actually look at the individuals notes and assess the risks to them personally! I’ve got the NCT classes starting Saturday with the first one being birth. I totally get what you mean re trusting your body. I’m not sure I trust mine either. It’s a difficult decision as to what to do for the best xx

[BryonyB]

yes definitely! It’s all a bit stressful at a time when you’d like to be relaxed 😝hope the NCT classes are good! Mine spoke a lot about home birth which got me a bit annoyed but they have been really informative and great way to make friends. I hope that as I get further towards due date I have more midwife / docs appointment and hopefully will feel more positive about it all. It’s probably very scary even if you haven’t had previous surgeries / endo! Xx

[Siothew12 in reply to BryonyB]

Hope it goes well for you. If it’s any consolation, I have 3 friends that have endo and all 3 had natural birth and all were fine during labour. In fact they were basically like it doesn’t hurt as much as people say because we’re used to pain. All three say they’d rather have child birth each month than endometriosis pain so I’ve always found that interesting. Everyone is different though. One has got bowel prolapse post birth and two said post birth their endo came back with a vengeances but one hasn’t had any symptoms since. Fingers crossed all will be fine for both of us and babies whichever route we go down xx

[Lindle]

Are you under a specialist centre?

[Siothew12 in reply to Lindle]

Hello,

I was under a specialist endo hospital when I had my left blocked Fallopian tube removed January 2023. I have since moved area and am just under my local hospital for birth. My consultant has experience with endo but I don’t know if it is a specialist hospital for that. I wrote to my old consultant for advice and got a one line letter saying endometriosis doesn’t impact birth so have whatever birth you choose.

[Jade2006]

hi I’m in the same position , was wondering if you had your baby yet ? Or made a decision xx

[Siothew12 in reply to Jade2006]

Hey

I made the decision to have a c section. I had a scan at 36 weeks and my placenta was between 1.6-2.3cm from my cervix. The nhs consultant said to me did I have a preference for birth. I also took a second private opinion and they said unless the baby is in the prime position for birth and the placenta is higher, it is not worth taking the risk of a natural birth and ending up with more problems or an emergency c section. Private consultant advised that if I ended up in an emergency c section, the right team may not be there and the cut would be in a rush to get the baby out which isn’t ideal. My husband and I had a big chat and weighed up the pros and cons and we made a decision to go with a planned c section.

The c section went really well and all as planned and I have no regrets. Recovery is absolutely fine. Currently 10 days post birth with no pain etc but still taking it easy. Also saw the baby come out of the stomach as the consultant lowered the screen which was an amazing moment and made it feel more like a birth than a surgical experience. Of course I may however have had a no problem natural birth but we will never know and were happy with c section. All I can say is take as much advice as you can and make a decision you are comfortable with.

Best of luck!