Endo and IVF

[Frank85]

Hi all,
Very new to this... Havent turned to a chat group before but unfortunately none if my friends are trying to have a baby or are faced with IVF
I have endometriosis and one ovary... Im starting all the tests at the IVF clinic to hopefully proceed with treatment
Any anyone had similar problems and gone through IVF?

I had different fertility issues, but through support groups I know a lot of ladies who git pg with endo. The one ovary will reduce the number of eggs you can collect via ivf but that doesn't mean you won't have a good chance- I remember our ivf clinic nurse saying they had success even when they just got 3/4 eggs. It just might mean you don't have 'spare' to freeze afterwards. Wish you all the luck in the world!

Thank you!
How many eggs can they usually collect with 2 ovaries?
Im guessing may have to go through the egg retrieval process maybe a few times?

Hi frank, I'm currently 22 weeks pregnant following IVF (2nd frozen transfer) and have had endo for years so hopefully I can help...

I still had 2 ovaries at egg collection, but only just - one was pretty knackered after repeat removal of endometiomas, and had little ones (about 3cm each side) when undergoing IVF.

Standard protocol at my clinic was max dose of stimulation drugs to counter balance the endo but I ended up overstimulating - my good ovary had 25 follicles a few days in! they were doing regular scans and changed the regime so I didn't get too ill though - just moderate OHSS - but something to watch out for.

Endo wise, the pain stopped almost as soon as I fell pregnant, I just get the odd twinge. The cysts are still there but aren't getting any bigger or causing any problems.

Other than the usual pregnancy symptoms (nausea, sickness, constipation, tiredness) my first 20 weeks were pretty good - a wee bit of spotting but nothing to worry about. Ended up in hospital at 20+3 with heavy bleeding due to low placenta though, and haven't been 100% since. It's not directly related to IVF but is slightly more common, so again something to watch out for once you hit the half way mark.

I'd never used internet boards before IVF but they were an absolute godsend through the process - it's an emotional roller coaster and we didn't tell our families or colleagues etc, so having somewhere to share experiences with women in the same boat was great. I regularly use the fertility zone site, which has groups for each clinic, and was great for getting info about the clinic specific policies etc.

Anyway, all the best for your treatment and please feel free to ask if I can help with anything x

Ps, had 22 eggs collected (20 of which were from the good ovary) and 19 fertilised. 6 made it to day 5.

Different clinics will have different policies, but they generally don't do egg collection till you have at least 3 good sized follicles.

I've got stage IV endo (tho thankfully no symptoms). I had IVF last summer aged 40. The (NHS) hospital gave us a 13% chance of success. I responded poorly to the max dose of stimulation drugs, only produced 6 follicles and 6 eggs, of which only 3 fertilised.

But I'm now 29 weeks pregnant. I won't properly relax (if ever!) until she's here but I wanted to respond to say that there's always hope.

Best of luck

Thank you all for your replies
I feel very alone in all this, as I mentioned none of friends are having kids and I don't know anyone who has had IVF so all the posts are very helpful
I have first scan tomorrow and blood tests to find out if everything is ok to proceed
Hoping my one ovary is up 2 it!
Is there anything I can do that helps the success of IVF?

From what I've read on other forums women try various things to improve their chances (acupuncture, supplements etc) but I suspect this just piles on the pressure to do things 'right' and adds to an already stressful situation.

I didn't do anything save cut back on the booze (a bit...) and try to eat healthily which you'd probably do if you were trying to conceive naturally.

Second what Elsie said- I tried to do everything right for first round, including acupuncture immediately before and after transfer - it was pretty stressful trying to fit it in and doctors clearly didn't want the woman at the hospital (despite phoning in advance to ask) so wouldn't recommend that. I did have acupuncture for my endo years ago (the woman moved away) and it really helped after the first 5-6 months, so I'm normally a big fan of it - but starting around IVF time can be more stress than it's worth).

I gave up alcohol & caffeine years before (for other reasons) but was guilty of working late / eating dinner at 10pm / just having toast or similar so made sure I had healthy cooked meals at a decent hour in months leading up to second attempt. I also took up yoga and Pilates, to help blood flow to uterus and relax a bit - I'm sure walking or similar would have same effect but it rains 24/7 here, and having a class forced me out office! I also did caster oil wraps which was a bit of a faff initially but quite relaxing once I got the hang of it. (My uterus lining was much better for second attempt, so something above did some good!)

As for improving egg quality etc, a lot of women at my clinic swore by coQ10 / royal jelly / l- arginine but I didn't bother. Just took folic acid on top of usual meds, and ate a varied diet. Oh, and lots if water! The fertility drugs can make you feel pretty lousy, and I had thumping headaches till a nurse told me to up the water intake - it really does help. See what your initial tests come back with before you buy any expensive supplements / see what the doctors recommend - I think they're more beneficial if you have low ovarian reserve but don't quote me on it!

The other advice I was given was that hubby carries the baby for the first 3 months, so it's just as important he eats well etc till he hands the wee one over to you to carry for the other 9 months!

Hope all goes well with your scan and tests today x

Just had the day 2-5 scan so far so good, uterus looks good and have no cysts!
I have 15 eggs which apparently is good?
Mid cycle scan next week.... Fingers crossed

I have been taking folic acid for 6 months and eating super healthy!
Tried acupuncture years ago (dr lilly in camden is amazing fyi) cant seems to find somewhere whoes as good as her near where I live
Seems diet / lifestyle will help me more I think at this stage

I saw on another post ladies mentioning the price of the drugs and you can get the prescription from your clinic and get the drugs elsewhere
Did anyone else do that? Is this common?

Also please can I ask..... Do you get sedated during the egg retrieval? Im reading some clinics do and some put you to sleep?

Yes you do!

15 eggs is good ! I had twelve and three frozen blasts left. Worked first time for us .

I also have endo which blissfully is relieved during pregnancy but came back with a vengeance after dd.

Good luck!

Are you NHS or private?

Also I drank wheat grass but it maybe too late for that now

Thanks! Its private, I live in london and waiting list is very long in my area!
Ok 15 does sound ok considering there is only one ovary there, did u get put to sleep or sedated?

My doc said the best cure of endo is having a baby
Ironic isnt it