Natural birth stories with stage 4 Endometriosis

[RoseWinter]

Newbie here on mumsnet here 🤗

I have stage 4 endometriosis, which was removed by expert excision surgery around 6 months ago and I feel great since having it done.

My partner and I are now trying to conceive and I'm curious if a safe natural vaginal birth is possible with endometriosis? I have a friend that used to be a nurse and she's gotten into my head a little and said anyone with endometriosis cannot have a natural birth. Is this really the case?

Would love to hear any positive birth stories of those warriors with stage 4 endometriosis.

Thanks in advance.

It’s a long time ago now but I luckily had two natural births with endometriosis, no problems whatsoever. Not sure why your friend thinks otherwise 🤷‍♀️. I later found out the endometriosis was stage 4.
Good luck.

@Pegsmum this is really comforting to know. Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I think my friend means welo, but she is a bit of a "know it all". Though she used to be a nurse, she never worked on maternity ward so not sure where she got her information from.

Hi, congratulations on your pregnancy.

I had excision surgery for stage 4 endometriosis in 2020 and had my son in 2023. I had similar concerns to you and discussed it with my midwife who referred it higher and they came back to say it was fine. I had a natural birth with just gas and air. It didn’t take long to recover either.

Hey @Gillyyy ,

Not currently pregnant but we are trying to conceive so was just curious and hoping for positive natural birth stories. Lovely to hear yours too thank you so much for sharing and congratulations on the birth of your son x

I'm also wondering if because of endometriosis, I'll not be offered a waterbirth or to sit in the birthing pool. Again, I'm TTC so just scoping out what others with stage 4 endo experienced x

Hi! I had stage 4 excision surgery eight months ago and am now four months pregnant. My surgeon told me (in the post-op appointment, before I was pregnant), that I would still be able to deliver vaginally. I replied that actually I would want a CS, and he replied, ‘ah, that would actually be safer.’ I’m not sure if he meant safer for me or safer in general for the baby.

Anyway, I am definitely going to have a CS because quite apart from the endo, the stats/research on what could go wrong with vaginal births in terms of injury to the child and mother, horrify me!

Best of luck with TTC 😊

.My two oldest children were born safe and natural vaginal births.
One born at home and one born at the hospital (supposed to be breech but wasn't).

The youngest was an emergency caesarean section after 20 hours in labour. Because of baby's weight and baby's posture not because of endometriosis.

Your doctor and midwifes will be able to give advice. Endometriosis have f*cked up at lot for me but childbirth hasn't been the biggest mess up.

I'm so pleased to hear of your surgery success and now pregnancy. It's a lot to go through isn't it and hoping it allows you to conceive after. Hope it's all going well and congratulations.

If I were to be able to conceive (fingers crossed I can), I'm in two minds if I do have the option, as I've read that the scar tissue caused by a CS can cause endometriosis tissue to attach to it... It's all such a minefield.

I know how it feels. I almost grieved my previous life before diagnosis of endometriosis, it was so overwhelming learning about it and how it may affect having a baby or even the ability to do so in future. It's definitely effed up a lot and taken a lot away from me, I really am paying that I'm able to conceive and have a healthy baby, whichever way that may be 🙏