Laparoscopy - one tube gone, now what?

[LemonSqueezy0]

Hi - just wondering if anyone is in similar position, or has been and has any words of advice they can share..
After many years of unexplained infertility I've had a laparoscopy and lost a tube and an ovary. I know you can still be fertile with one but we have been advised that I am at risk of an eptopic pregnancy if I did get pregnant naturally so at this stage I think it's time we moved towards IVF.
Has anyone got any experiences or advice please? Do I try naturally for a couple of months, or just get booked in for ivf at the earliest opportunity? Part of me feels relieved to know what it is that's caused the infertility, as they've been so many possibilities before the consultant found my notes had been mis-read and My tubes were pretty much covered in cysts and were completely blocked. One has now been cleaned but no way to know how effective it will be...

first of all op so sorry to hear of your loss.
I had similar problems, ectopic, tubes removed, devastating. Get on with IVF asap is my advice. I went ahead 6 months after my ectopic and have a precious DD as a result. Just go for it, don't overthink it, i spent too long pissing about and now regret not moving faster as procrastinating is the worst thing we can do. Time is not on our side sadly. Concentrate on moving forward with ivf, get yourself ready - no fags or booze, good diet with lots of protein, acupuncture to increase blood flow to ovary and uterus (good for nourishing and preparing body for pregnancy), take Q-10 for egg quality, visit some ivf clinic info evenings and research who can give you the best result within your budget. How old are you? (if u don't mind my asking). if you are in your late 30's or above, best get on with it x

Weedance, thank you.
I read this reply yesterday and was thinking about it all night. Had a few tears, and honest thoughts and You are absolutely right. I don't know what was holding Me back, I guess I didn't want to take what feels like such a huge step... Which In fact, isn't that large a step really, not after the hundreds of little steps we've had to take over the past few years. I have the clinic picked out, it's just a case of having my checkup from this Op, and getting the all clear to start Ivf.

Thank you for sharing your story too - you have a happy ending, which is wonderful sorry to hear about your journey to get there though, I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
I am late 30s so off to meal plan, get my fitbit back out, call the clinic, and to order some Q10
genuinely Thank You.

No worries, your story sounded so much like mine I had to respond.The journey is arduous and we had been trying for 3 years before my ectopic. Such a crushing blow after waiting so long for that BFP. It was literally devastating for us both, I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I also found that people were quite unsympathetic, I had a lot of comments like "well at least you know you can get pregnant". I wanted that baby so much it hurt and throw away comments like that, however well-meaning, really twisted the knife.

I didn't want to accept that we couldn't achieve pregnancy naturally for a long time and kept hoping for a miracle even with one tube gone and a blockage in the other. I finally got rid of my second tube after DD was born. I figured it was no use to me and there was no point in keeping something inside my body which might negatively effect the outcome of any future IVF as tubal blockage can reduce your chances by 50%. Now we are trying for no.2 but after 4 natural ivf's last year its not looking hopeful, although I'm finding it hard to call it a day! At 41 I'm considered old though so don't let my experience put you off :-)
I do try and practice gratitude, especially for having my little one and especially after everything we went through to have her.

Its hard to accept that things haven't turned out the way you'd always imagined. I agree its not a huge step at all really, just the next one. You can still try naturally while you are waiting to start IVF, just don't delay beginning treatment. Its all about maternal age and once your over 40 your chances of success are massively reduced. At 41 I've been given a 10% chance of success whereas when I had dd at 37, the chances were 35%. Wishing you all the luck in the world and if you have anymore questions I'm happy to help

You're very wise! Have you decided how many more tries at IVF you are going to have? When you start looking at the percentages and how they reduce it really focuses your mind! I wish you all the luck in the world. People do say the most inappropriate things, I'd try to assume it's foot in mouth, rather than malicious- that being said, it still cuts deep. You had a loss, and saying oh at least you can pregnant is so dismissive of that. Overall, the toll it takes is immense, physically and mentally, how do you think you've coped with that?

I'm late thirties, so definitely at the upper end of the scale. I've ordered the tablets and started those which feels positive. Also started looking into IVF as a procedure, as I kind of avoided the details for all the reasons you've alluded to - it kind of felt that we'd randomly get lucky, after 4 years of trying and cysts etc! I've buried my head in the sand as you can tell! The consultant said my 1 remaining tube had been cleared but wasn't great, so I need to understand what that means now I'm focused on ivf bearing in mind what you said about getting rid of your tube to increase your chances.. She had said she'd clip or remove the tubes If she deemed it necessary as she'd realised that they were in a bad way looking at the scan and the next step was ivf...

I did get lucky with ivf with one buggered tube still in place so it can happen, but it was against my consultants advice who advised removal to improve chances. i just instinctively wasn't ready to remove it. I got rid of the second one after DD birth as I got a tubal infection. After a hospital stay and intravenous antibiotics I just thought it was time to get rid. Every month I was terrified of another ectopic. It is a major decision though as obviously once you've no tubes, there's no chance of natural pregnancy. Sometimes, in my darker moments, I wonder if I should've kept the tube as at least I might've had the hope of a natural miracle. I try not to dwell in that place for long though otherwise i might never come up for air!

So for now I will plough on with my 10% chance until I'm ready to stop. Which I'm not yet 😁 I'm stubborn.

You get used to it really, it just becomes part of the norm, going for consultations, scans, bloods, etc. If anything, i'd say the most important thing is to keep communicating with your partner, share your feelings and have fun together when you can. In between cycling we ensure we go out together and with friends, have a drink and a laugh. Enjoy ourselves and try not to be completely consumed by it. Easier said than done I know! Will you be having an ivf consultation soon do you think, or giving it more time? Either way, I'm rooting for you!

Hi There,

I’m just looking for some positive stories, I had an ectopic pregnancy in 2016 and lost my right tube. My partner and I have been trying for 2.5 years but have decided to try IVF in January 2021 as I will be turning 32 in January and I don’t want to lose any more time. We have been diagnosed with unexplained infertility but getting nowhere. We have to pay for the IVF as my partner has children to a previous relationship so I’m just looking for stories of success on the first go of IVF

Thank you

I lost a tube six years ago and the other one a few months ago. I'm pondering weather to try ivf I guess if your going to do it you may as well just get on with it as time And aging is detrimental to the process x

@Nellie89 how did you get in in the end? I am in same position just had my right tube removed due to ectopic.