conceiving after surgery

[Regblue]

I’m wondering for any stories from people who have endo and have had laparoscopic excision of endo. Did you try to conceive / did you conceive naturally? Did you need any support? I’ve read online that there is some research to show excision of endo can improve fertility but then others say assisted conception is often needed such as IVF.

[LemonDessertLover93]

Hi I had my lap with excision last week so would be great to also hear others experience conceiving after surgery.

My gynaecologist has said we can start ttc from my next cycle, i’m planning to have pelvic baseline scans redone and have scheduled an appointment with a fertility specialist to discuss my options.

Wishing you all the best on your journey x

[Regblue in reply to LemonDessertLover93]

I had my surgery last week too! Hope yours went ok and that you’re recovering well. My consultant said same info to me really about ttc. That’s interesting you’re having pelvic scans redone and have a fertility appt - are these both private or NHS if you don’t mind me asking? I’ve literally got nothing lined up! Feel a bit hopeless. Thanks for your well wishes and for your reply x

[LemonDessertLover93 in reply to Regblue]

Recovery is going well thanks just tired and a little sore when I over do it. How is your recovery going ? Sorry to hear about your miscarriage earlier this year.

I was referred to fertility and gynae services via NHS in September, I went private for my lap as the wait time was long and the pain was getting worse. The consultant I saw privately will be the same one I see with the NHS referral I’ve been sent my first letter regarding fertility assessments and it’s for a pre appointment blood tests and also to book my partner in for semen analysis which can take 8 weeks in my area (luckily i had been told at the time of my referral in September to get my GP to request the semen analysis and we had that last week Wednesday (so it did take a while for the appointment to come through).

I have been told the process for nhs fertility approval for IVF treatment can take a while, we have already been ttc for 19+ months and this was prior to the surgery, I had a private consultation for IVF a few weeks ago and had done the tests for myself like AMH & Pelvic baseline, the doctor asked that I re do my baseline scans next cycle as we could potentially start treatment in January, prior to surgery I had a 4cm ebdometrioma in the left ovary and 6 observed antral follicles, the right ovary had 12 follicles I guess they want to see if there are any changes before they confirm the protocol I will follow. I have arranged a follow up consultation with the private fertility specialist to discuss the surgery findings and outcomes one of the things that came up during the dye test I had during my lap was that my left tube although now patent is hydrosalpinx shaped which can also cause issues when ttc but I think that’s mainly where a blockage still exists.

Have you been referred for a fertility appointments by your GP or consultant already ?

[Regblue in reply to LemonDessertLover93]

Same as you. Recovery going well overall but definitely if I overdo it or overestimate myself then I feel the effects! Definitely still trying to rest as much as possible. Wow sounds like you’ve had quite a journey so far. Sorry to hear the difficulties. We’ve been TTC for similar length of time to you.

Glad to hear you’ve had some appts and gained some clarity on some fertility tests!

No I’ve had no onward referrals. I did mention it to my consultant in October and he said to do the lap surgery first. He said he reviews me in 4 months now. So I suppose it’s just a waiting game. Maybe I’ll get my husband to go to the Gp to get his side of things rolling though in the meantime. X

[Hannah27]

I had my first lap in January 2018, I had a follow up appointment in Feb 2018 and was told to try for a baby then as my endo was extensive and advised that trying to conceive once endo was removed was the best chance. We immediately started trying, we'd only just bought our house and weren't planning on babies straight away. We were lucky, I fell pregnant in the may that year and our daughter arrived march 2019. We had an appointment in July 2018 to discuss IVF but I was luckily already pregnant by that time. I think it's so difficult to estimate how it will go with fertility etc, but I was advised to try immediately after my op. Id had 1 miscarriage previous to surgery. Wishing you the best of luck and hope recovery goes ok for you too x

[Regblue in reply to Hannah27]

Thanks for your reply! Yeah my surgery was last week and my consultant said to ttc as soon as I am recovered. It’s so hard to navigate. I had a miscarriage earlier this year. Sorry to hear about your previous miscarriage. Were you referred for IVF purely because of your endo?? I’ve heard that the timelines for referral for assisted conception are shorter if you have endo e.g. they advise you to try for 6 months before seeking help rather than 12 ? X

[sunflowerpower]

Hi Regblue,

Hope you're recovering well from your surgery. I had laparoscopic excision in 2017 and found that it dramatically improved my symptoms. I was put on the pill to manage my symptoms but came off it in January this year to start trying for a baby. I conceived naturally in May and am now 7 months pregnant! Thankfully I didn't need any interventions or support as I believe my surgery worked really well in clearing me out and being on the pill prevented endo from building up again too. I was really anxious about coming off it and was worried about whether I would be able to conceive naturally or not, but I want to encourage you and reassure you and others that it is possible! Wishing you all the best x

[Regblue in reply to sunflowerpower]

Thanks for your response! Lovely to hear a success story following surgery! Congratulations on your pregnancy and I wish you all the best xx

[veeq]

Hello, I have had a laparoscopy in May this year with endo tissue being removed and several endometriomas drained, the doctor said to start trying for a baby or get on the pill. I conceived exactly two weeks post laparoscopy and I’m 30 weeks pregnant now 😊

[Regblue in reply to veeq]

Wow congratulations on your quick conception after surgery. Happy for you! Wishing you all the best in the remaining weeks to come for your pregnancy.

[MD54999]

Hey I had a laparoscopy and then conceived via IVF after surgery, it helped improve my IVF results. My Endo was very widespread (endometriomas on both ovaries, and DIE on the bowel and appendix) so I was advised to go straight for IVF rather than trying to conceive naturally. I did try to conceive naturally between IVF cycles but had no success. The laparoscopy was aimed at improving my IVF results and I also had my left tube removed as it was blocked and stuck to a cyst. My full history is on my bio but after 4 rounds of IVF (2 pre laparoscopy and 2 post laparoscopy) I'm now 26 weeks pregnant.

[Regblue in reply to MD54999]

Thanks for sharing. Congratulations on your pregnancy but sorry to hear about the difficult journey you’ve had. Do you mind me asking did your same team look after you for your IVF and your gynae surgery or did you have to have separate referrals for fertility stuff?

[MD54999 in reply to Regblue]

Hey sorry for the delay. I'm based in Ireland so it's slightly different here but I went to a fertility clinic directly for the IVF (after speaking to my GP) and then they did refer me for the gynae surgery but I actually ended up getting a second referral through my GP to a different surgeon for the gynae surgery as my first referral had a really long waiting list.