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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Can you get pregnant still with bad endometriosis?

40 replies

ihateendometriosis · 19/06/2022 23:38

Long story short... can I still get pregnant with chronic endometriosis?

I'm 30 and childless. Only just diagnosed with endometriosis and I'm petrified I won't be able to get pregnant naturally or with ivf. Am I completely being unreasonable or is there genuinely hope?

Only have one tube as other is blocked and destroyed from the endo. Endo is in pouch of Douglas too.

If anyone can advise and comfort me that would be so appreciated 😭

OP posts:

Nat6999 · 29/06/2022 19:23

I got pregnant at 44 with endometriosis, sadly I lost my baby at 16 weeks.

monicaandchandler · 29/06/2022 19:28

I had awful endo resulting in a full hysterectomy at 33 but I have 2 children 1 was actually conceived while on contraception :)

jefficake · 29/06/2022 19:50

Im sorry OP. Endo is awful. But I wanted to add another good news story. I have stage 4 endo including in pouch of Douglas (which was obliterated by it) and in bladder bowel and elsewhere

it took over 3 years to conceive BUT I conceived 3 months after a laparoscopy (naturally not thru IVF) which removed vast amounts of endo. The surgery clearly helped and made the difference to conceive. I did also conceive and have a miscarriage earlier on in that 3 years.

I now have a nearly 9 month old baby. I feel both very lucky / like she’s a bit of a miracle and very angry at how badly endo is treated and how much it is ignored!

I hope you aren’t waiting for ages for your surgery. And don’t Google too much. Yes endo can be linked to problems conceiving but so can lots and lots of things. At least you know what the problem is and have a potential solution to it. For me this was slightly easier to get my head round than if I had been unable to conceive but had no obvious reason for it.

good luck and sending fortitude!

Mrschristmasqueen · 29/06/2022 19:56

I have endo (pouch of Douglas too), adenomyosis and PCOS. I had a laparoscopy and my son was born 9 months and 4 days later! With our second I had to have clomid. Conceived on our second round.

Original poster

ihateendometriosis · 30/06/2022 11:58

Honestly, I can't thank you all enough for the positivity. I'm in such a dark, horrid place (that I'm sure you've all been in) so to hear so much positivity helps me to breathe again x

OP posts:

Original poster

ihateendometriosis · 30/06/2022 12:01

@jefficake

Thank you so much.
I'm so pleased you have got your baby 🤍

Google has been my worst best friend through all of this and it is so hard not to Google every single thought I have. Google always lets me know how disastrous my situation is too ☹️

Hopefully my surgery comes through soon and it is only the one tube that has to be removed and I can get pregnant quickly afterwards!! X

OP posts:

Original poster

ihateendometriosis · 30/06/2022 12:02

@Mrschristmasqueen

Thank you so much.

I'd never even heard of a pouch of Douglas before all of this!!

I'm so pleased you've got your babies 🤍

OP posts:

VestaTilley · 30/06/2022 12:20

My late DNana had 5 children while living with Endo. However, she never used contraception, had the first child 14 years before the last, and had her first aged just turned 21.

Her Endo apparently worsened, so she had a hysterectomy in her 40s/50s. It may be the damage wasn’t as bad in her early twenties. When she told the surgeon who operated on her that she’d had five children he nearly passed out from shock.

kikisparks · 30/06/2022 12:28

I have endometriosis diagnosed by laparoscopy including in pouch of Douglas, I got pregnant three times, once naturally (early miscarriage) and twice with ivf (one early miscarriage and one wonderful DD now 8 months old). Statistically it can be harder to get pregnant with it but it’s unclear why as there’s not a lot of research. I have a friend who has it and she had 2 kids conceived naturally.

Change123today · 30/06/2022 12:28

I fell pregnant after surgery both times. First time was around 9 months later second time within year. I do have a 6 year age gap though :) I’ve had further surgery since but now have a mirena coil which has helped me with the prevention/treatment of endometriosis.

One tube scar damaged & the other side is where I’ve had two ovarian cysts over the years! Treatment for the first was how I found out I had endo!

Lanareyrey · 30/06/2022 12:34

I conceived naturally not knowing I had endometriosis/adenomyosis at the time. I was very very lucky. I ended up with a hysterectomy eventually as it got progressively worse.

Original poster

ihateendometriosis · 30/06/2022 12:44

@Change123today

Thank you! So many people have endo but I feel like I've not met many who've had it destroy a tube! I'm kicking myself for not getting treatment for the endo years ago but I was always lead to believe it's normal! So I unfortunately haven't been on any birth control for many years. I only lasted on the pill for about a year as I had breakthrough bleeding so just didn't see the point!

Did you have a lot of pain with your endo? Xx

OP posts:

Change123today · 30/06/2022 13:01

@ihateendometriosis

Yes! I was lucky in a way as I found out when I was 21 so not had to fight for treatment as diagnosed young.

Pain was awful - back ache stomach swelling the works! But it was the bleeding for me - I was so heavy for at least 3 days! And this would be every 3 weeks at least! I had been to my doctors pre the ovarian cyst as I was on the pill but still suffered! And they never really took it serous until the cyst and was diagnosed. I’ve had 4 operations roughly every 5 years! But I’ve had the mirena for nearly 7 years and has been life changing! No operations needed for the first time in 20 years!!

The scaring makes it worse in a way as it gives a nice sticky place for the endo to grow!!

I remember at 20 thinking will it affect me having children! I had my first at 25 and she was a surprise! I wasn’t on birth control , when I wanted a second it just didn’t happen until I had my operation to treat it all and was pregnant again within the year!

Original poster

ihateendometriosis · 30/06/2022 13:05

@Change123today

This gives me so much hope 🤍

My situation is actually a bit different. I had bad pain for years - could barely walk with it, bleeding quite heavily, horrendous endo bloat belly etc.

But fast forward to a couple of years ago and my pain has almost gone. I do still get a dodgy period here and there but it's never at the pain it used to be. I always used to joke that when (lol) I get pregnant it will be a doddle as the contractions I get with a period can't be much less than labour. But now the pain is so much better - without surgery! Sometimes I don't even need to take standard painkillers! So it's really confusing for me, but the damage has clearly been done ☹️

OP posts:

OhForGoodnessSake1 · 02/07/2022 15:41

I had endo. Finally confirmed when we struggled to conceive (despite being assured by doctor it wasn't endo ... usual long story). The consultant recommended trying as soon as possible after the laparoscopy to clear the endo. I was pregnant a week after the op :). When periods returned, so did the endo, so I didn't wait long before trying for number 2 - managed to conceive him before the endo glued everything up again. It sounds like mind was not a badly placed as yours, but even with one tube you still have a chance :)

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