Just been diagnosed with Endometriosis. Should i start trying for a baby now incase I have fertility problems in the future?

[averall23]

I am 31 and wasn't planning on trying for a baby until next year at the earliest for various different reasons. The doctor has told me that one of my tubes is blocked and the other is ok even though the good ovary is attached to my pelvis. I am worried that if I wait my condition may become worse over time and my other tube may also become blocked. Can the combined pill work to stop my endometriosis getting any worse? I don't take the pill at the moment and haven't regularly over my lifetime as it causes me to have an upset stomach. Although I would be willing to live with the upset stomach if it means that my fertility won't be affected. I am confused about the effect of the treatments for endometriosis and whether they can stop the condition getting any worse i.e. any new adhesions forming. Can anyone help? Thanks.

[Zolta]

My personal opinion, you should try for a baby now. I wouldn't have minded waiting until I was 30 but wanted to try for a baby earlier as God gave only one tube and ovary at birth and had medium sized endometrioma in ovary so did not want to wait any longer for kids, now pregnant at 29 it's the best thing in the world!

[Miwa]

I too would try for a baby sooner rather than later too. I took the pill for over 10 years and it didn't stop my endo progressing to advanced stage.I'm now in late 30s and having to try IVF. I was diagnosed with one blocked tube in early twenties and now I have both tubes blocked. Every time you have a bleed this can create new patches of endo. So the pill is only suppossed to work if you take it continously. I took a mixture of both continuous and intermittent use.

Best of luck

xx

[averall23]

Thanks zolta and miwa. I thought that new patches of endo were formed every time you bleed. Thats why I was confused as although I have seen the pill listed as one of the forms of treatment yet I thought it would'nt be that effective as you still bleed every month. Is there any forms of treatment that stop you from bleeding? Do GP's allow you to take the pill continuously? On one hand I would love to start trying for a baby straight away but I am in a lot of debt and I have my own business which has nearly gone bankrupt. I am having to put in alot of hours of physical work to save my business and pay my debts and I won't be able to do that when I'm pregnant. In about six months I should be ok to start trying then but this condition really scares me. Really confused. xxx

[BellaBG]

Hey my dear. I know it's really tough and very confusing, but I don't think you should feel under pressure to start trying to have a baby in case you can't later on. You should only have children when you feel ready and I don't mean that you need to be completely financially secure, but you should feel happy with the idea of bringing a baby into your life and that relies on a few things; not being in huge debt is only one of them.

Doctors like to say "oh you should get pregnant and that will solve your endometriosis problem", but it isn't always as simple as that. I'm in my late 30's and was told that countless times by doctors, nurses and consultants, but I know of two women who were diagnosed with endo after having their first child! I've had 3 laparoscopies in the last 10 years and the last one was in January and my partner and I decided to start trying for a baby after that. I'm now a few weeks pregnant and feeling pretty emotionally, physically and financially ready. We don't have a lot of money, but because of the endo I'd made a few changes in my life a couple of years ago (including a job close to home with flexible hours and regular acupuncture) to help get a good work-life balance and I think that's helped me get to the right place mentally and physically to start a family.

You obviously need to think long and hard about this and have a good talk with your partner about what you both feel, but if I could give you any advice, I'd tell you not to put yourself under pressure or let doctors do that to you either. You can definitely wait for a few months or a year to start trying. You should look forward to getting pregnant, not be worried about what it could mean.

Whatever you choose to do, I hope you feel happy about your decision and have a healthy and happy pregnancy when the time is right for you xxx

[Aquitaine]

First of all, I'm sorry to hear that you're having such a difficult and stressful time, and facing such a difficult decision.

Based on the experience of my friends, I'd say there's no such thing as a 'right' time to start a family - there's always something going on that makes thing difficult, but people often find a way to overcome it when they feel it's right for them. You and your partner just have to find your own way based on your personal circumstances and how you feel about having a family. But I think Tootingbelle is spot on when she says that pressure doesn't help at all.

In terms of the pill - you should ask your doctor. When I was taking the combined pill, my gynacologist let me take 3 packets toogether, and then take a break (tri-cycling), which meant I had fewer periods (four per year), which I found easier to deal with. You might ask your doctor if this would work for you.

The other thing that I found helpful was making various lifestyle changes (eg. diet). This will mean that you're in good shape whenever you decide to start your family. I've had friends who also said they benefited from yoga and acupuncture - partly for endometriosis relief, but also for stress relief too - so it might be worth looking into this as well.

Good luck, and I hope things get less stressful for you.

[Zolta]

Prostap stopped my periods all together so I didn't have a period for 4 and a half months and was on injections for 3 months. You can have injections for 6 months so maybe go on prostap to stop endo from growing in the meantime while trying to sort your business. xx

[averall23]

Thank you tootingbelle. I have been quite stressed because of this situation and I thought that because of that also it wasn't the best time to start trying for a baby. Luckily now I have been able to make a decision. I saw my GP yesterday and told him of my predicament so he suggested I take the pill continually for three months to stop my periods so hopefully stop any further damage by the endometriosis. This will buy me a bit of time to think this through and to put myself in a better position financially. Without that burden I'm sure it will make things clearer so I can better decide what to do.

Thanks for your help ladies and I wish you both my best wishes for your pregnancies and miwa hope your ivf goes well xxx

[averall23]

Hi zolta and aquitaine. Sorry I sent the reply above before seeing your messages. Thanks for your advice also. Luckily I am feeling better now for the moment as my GP has suggested tri-cycling. I nearly cancelled my appointment with him as I was sure he wouldn't be able to help but he did so I am relieved. Thanks very much for your help and advice.

[Zolta]

Np. Glad you feeling better. xx

[Victoria94]

Hey, yes why not endo can obviously cause troubles, as can age (no offence) and a year isnt really that big of a gap difference really, so why not try as it can take quite a long to to conceive with or without endo, most people conceive after a year of trying. Dont stress about it tho! My nan was a midwife, and saw a lot of cases of people pushing and pushing to concieve and it never worked, but once they had given up and just had fun they would conceive, so be careful, stress also makes it hard to conceive. on the topic no one can really tell you what to do, just follow your gut feeling xx