Experiences with Provera

[MrsRothers]

Hi all. I have today been prescribed Provera; 50mg to be taken daily for two months to see if it eases my constant pelvic pain.

I have had a laparoscopy to rule out Endometriosis and cysts, both of which I don't have. I do however have "multiple adhesions" in my abdominal area; my Gyne was unable to view my pelvic region due to the severity of my adhesions. I have been told that they can treat my adhesions but this would be quite complex and would only have a 50% chance of reducing my pain.

My husband and I are currently trying to conceive and the pain I'm in is currently preventing that, but I've been lead to believe the Provera would also stop me conceiving. Has anyone else ever taken Provera to help with their symptoms? I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place as if the meds don't work, it's surgery that might not stop my pain but if they do, they stop me getting pregnant.

Any advise and/or experiences would help me greatly.

Many thanks, Sarah x

[Hopeful15]

Hi Mrs Rothers, bless you - I know exactly where you are coming from. I was in exactly the same place as you barely 3 months ago. I have diagnosed chronic pain in pelvic area due to multiple adhesions from 2 surgeries. I had a multiple myomectomy and then 6 months later a Laparoscopy with which they were able to sort the adhesions on the abdominal wall but that identified severe adhesion of uterus to large bowel that could not be touched with open surgery again. Agony. We'd been trying for a baby for 10 years!! Only discovering the massive fybroid on inside with an MRI scan 18 months ago. My consultant and I discussed the op in detail and decided the risk of further damage was too high to proceed. The pain at times is unbearable, causing me to gasp and sit down. I could go 5-6 days in no pain then 5-6 days where I could hardly walk. As I'm nearly 40 I was told my best bet was to rush me through IVF and then seek a more "definitive" answer - ie hysterectomy. We fell apart. That was the lowest moment of my life. We gave up on having our own kids. Ever. Mentally I couldn't go through any more evasive proceedures. I couldn't face IVF. Sex was so painful we'd practically given up. My hubby couldn't relax because he knew I'd put up with the pain to try and conceive. I tried to carry on as normal. I went to work but in the end my boss signed me off work, took my laptop away from me and told me to go home and get well. I was so angry but in hindsight I needed that shock. My husband and I attended a Relate session - we'd been going at each other hammer and tongs - and after one session it was obvious that we had stopped talking - properly communicating and listening - it was another needed shock to the system. We discovered that we had to change the way we approached sex because my body had changed. Sounds so simple now, but with care, patience and open communication we were able to find a position, a solution to our predicament. Hope this isn't tmi but I couldn't believe how ignorant I'd been - pillows, lube, relaxing massage etc, taking our time - actually reduced the pain of intercourse and made it possible. I've had to change my diet as well - lots more fibre and no nasty fat - by listening to my body I was able to quickly identify a correlation. I found a creative therapist who specialised in fertility issues - someone just for me - someone to whom I could learn to talk with again without all the noise and advice from others. My consultant also recommended accupuncture. This is amazing! My pain has subsided up 70% between sessions. Coupled with starting studying mindful meditation for pain relief (loads of audiobooks on net available), I am changing the way I perceive the pain and remaining a lot calmer - stress and anxiety being another major trigger for pain in that core area. Practical adaptions - I only wear flat shoes now and avoid carrying heavy bags - high heels pushed my pelvis forward and impacted on pain and I reassessed situations where I have to carry things - getting the supermarket to deliver shopping was so obvious once I'd tried it! I think us women are so used to coping, with putting a brave face on things and soldiering on we forget or don't even identify ways to make our lives simpler. Any way, on 12th June I discovered that I was pregnant. I found out the day the IVF appointment came through. I am now 10 wks. Beanie is growing strong and has a healthy heartbeat. I can't begin to describe the surprise. We did 6 tests before we believed it was true! Then EPC rushed us in as the pelvic pain is akin to eptopic and we saw the heartbeat on the monitor, our bean happily settled in his little sack. I didn't get prescribed any drugs by my consultant so I'm unsure what the effects would be. I think what I'm trying to say is that there are loads of things you can do to make your situation better without having to rely 100% on medication and surgery for pain relief. For me it appears that once I'd found harmony in my own skin and had accepted my new reality that little Beanie just popped on in there. I just wanted to let you know, that even at the lowest moment there is hope for everyone. The key is to love yourself and do everything you can to make you happy.

[MrsRothers in reply to Hopeful15]

Wowsers! Huge huge congrats on Beanie! Amazing news after what sounds like something so awful for you and Hubby and for you to suffer for such a long time as well!

I think I'm going to try changing my diet; I pretty much eat what I want but still with plenty of fresh meat, fruit and veg. I'm willing to try anything if I'm honest lol I'm just concerned that I'm going to get something in place with my Consultant but with NHS waiting times, we'll be out of the country and I'm back to square one (we move to Germany in November)

I've been left feeling a little like my Lap was a waste of time, as they didn't look there so how can the say what kind of surgery, if any, I need. Hubby had the snip done before we got together so I haven't used any form of contraception in five of the six years we've been together, and now I'm stopping my ovulation. I also can't find any research relating to 50mg of Provera. It's more 30mg for 5-10 days not 50 for 60. The leaflet with the drug is for 100mg's plus as well so I've absolutely nothing to cross reference against. I'm only on day three of taking them and already my pains have changed; it's no longer constant but has moved and is so much more intense. I don't even know if this is normal lol

I am stressing out over all this a little more than I know I probably should so need to start looking into some sort of relaxation techniques.

My only real saving grace is my husband; he picks me up when I'm down and kicks my arse when I'm stressing/freaking out and biting his head off lol

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I will be making a few lifestyle changes to see that helps as well.

All the best with your Cooking and may the sleepless and dirty nappies be few : ) x

[Hopeful15 in reply to MrsRothers]

Good Luck. You might find a better Consultant in Germany!! You never know. Best wishes that you find your solution and if you need me or just want to moan, you know where I am. X

[ahall]

I had the surgery to remove adhesions 7 years ago. My colon was adhering to my uterus. Unfortunately this did not stop the pain but did lesson it. We figured out it was endometriosis because the severe pain came a week before my period like clockwork. The doctor told me if I got pregnant it would most likely stop the endometriosis. I was young and single so I had a hysterectomy instead. It got rid of the pain but I believe there was still some cells attached to my colon because the pain is returning although it's no where near as bad. Not sure this is helpful but maybe something here will give you an idea.

[PPSN_JudyB Pelvic Pain Support Netwo]

Adhesions can prevent conception depending on where they are. Provera won't help adhesions and it will prevent you conceiving. It sounds to me as though it would be worth consulting an experienced gyne surgeon. Have you got copies of your medical reports which should describe where the adhesions are and what type of adhesions they are ( filmy or dense ) ?