Endometriosis and fertility

[NancyFrank]

I was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2013 and have currently had 2 excision surgeries, the last was May 2016. At my consultant appointment in November I mentioned that I was getting married in July, the doctor (not my usual one) assumed we would be trying for a baby soon after but although I'm 25 we're not really ready and I'm going to be starting a degree in September. She seemed pretty certain that the best time for another surgery would be before trying for a baby, my question is, if that's not going to be for several years but my symptoms are back should I ask for another surgery in the mean time? Or is having more surgeries risky in terms of scar tissue? I would hate to damage my fertility further and having children is really very important to me. I'd love to hear from anyone with advice or just your experiences with ttc with endometriosis

Where is your endometriosis and are you on any other treatment apart from surgeries?

Hi Lucky as far as I remember from the last lap it is mostly in the recto-vaginal space and more bowel area and one of my ovaries, I'm sure they said that currently my Fallopian tubes looked clear. I've been on the combined pill more or less for 9 years, I tried the mirena but didn't get on with it at all.

Have the surgeries and the pill been good at controlling your endo?

I was on the mini-pill then took myself off it and successfully treated my endo holistically, mainly with dietary changes, stress reduction, lifestyle changes, traditional Chinese meds and acupuncture. I also at some points took a supplement called DIM +. I then didn't have a problem getting pregnant, and my baby was born six months ago.

Are you thinking that you'd ideally have a surgery before your symptoms come back, rather than wait to see if they do return? It's quite a scary prospect thinking about all that pain and discomfort returning, I don't blame you wanting to schedule pre-emptive surgery.

If you do want to take a different approach, perhaps in the meantime, rather than scheduling a surgery, you could think about looking into Chinese meds and acupuncture alongside the combined pill, and then when you do come off the pill, stick with the Chinese meds and acupuncture as those may help you get pregnant anyway. If you feel your symptoms returning, you could reassess?

Here are some questions to ask your doctor about Endometriosis:

• What causes it ?
• How will looking at it and scraping it help me get better ?
• What can I do to stop it recurring ?
• Do I have too much Estrogen or other hormones in my body ?
• Could my illness be caused by things that I eat, or don't eat ?
• What can I change about my diet and lifestyle to help my body repair itself ?

You may find this very surprising, but what if your Endometriosis is caused by things that you eat, or don't eat ?

Search online for "anti-inflammatory diet"
Here is an example: Vitamonk - Anti Inflammation Food Guide

This and the suggestions below may help you to reduce your pain

Maybe search for 10 local Nutritional Therapists who have had success advising about Endometriosis before choosing which one you would like to work with

• in the UK search for "BANT"

Here are 3 well-proven natural ways to reduce the Inflammation that causes the pain of Endometriosis

• Increase your Vitamin D
• Increase your Omega-3
• Reduce your Omega-6

Search for more about Endometriosis here:

• Vitamin D Wiki - Search for Endometriosis
• Authority Nutrition - Optimise Omega-6/3 Ratio
• Chris Kresser - How much Omega-3 ?
• Dr Axe 15 - Omega-3 Foods
• GreenVits - Blog: What to Do About Inflammation ?
• ExpertOmega3 - Studies: Inflammation

Some people have reported that eating specific foods like meat or dairy gives them an instant flare-up

Do you know of foods that make your Endometriosis worse and those that help ?

.

Are you experiencing symptoms at the moment. In the 6 months following a lap your fertility is increased.

Hi, thank you for your responses and advice. The symptoms have already returned which is why I'm quite stressed about it, the surgeries definitely help and I think the pill does as well some what. I'm definitely open to trying alternative approaches and diet, I did mention diet to my Dr and she was pretty dismissive to be honest but as I said she wasn't my usual consultant and I generally fine him much more helpful!

Would it help if you were able to talk your concerns through with your usual consultant?

Hi Nancy,

Sorry to hear you've had such a stressful time. I think there's no problem with exploring holistic options at the same time as staying on the pill. You need to find the right approach for you, which might not be what has worked for other people!

What part of the country are you based in?

Xx

I think it would help to speak to him but my last two appointments have been at his clinic but I've just seen one of his registrars. I'm based in the west midlands Jelly x

Does your consultant do private work? If you could afford it one private appointment may give you the time with hin to talk things throgh.