Laparoscopy

[FebruaryJuly]

I know this isn't exactly to do with pregnancy, but I think that there may be some who are pregnant with experience.

We have a 4 year old son and since having him, over the past 3-4 years, I have grown many growing symptoms to lead doctors to believe I have endometriosis. I am also prone to ovarian cysts but they have always disappeared on their own and never needed removing.

We have been trying for our second now for 8 months, and whilst I know that isn't the usual 12 months of trying, my symptoms (aside from not falling pregnant) still lead us to believe that I could well have endometriosis. Obviously the only way to find out 100% is a laparoscopy.

The doctors offered a laparoscopy before we started TTC about a year ago but we said no, knowing we were TTC very soon. The doctor has now said I can have a laparoscopy once we hit the 12 month mark of TTC but every month up to now is the same pattern. I spot extremely lightly for 4-5 days before my period is due (convince myself it may be implantation) and then come on very heavily for about 4-5 days. I don't see any hop or light at the end of my tunnel.

I am inclined to just say I want to go for the laparoscopy now rather than wait but the doctor said, although a laparoscopy can make you very fertile and fall pregnant straight after it, it can also make you fully infertile.

Does anybody have experience of having a laparoscopy and either suddenly being able to fall pregnant after having it OR having scars from the laparoscopy that meant that you definitely couldn't fall pregnant?

We were trying since January 2018 for our first. I had relatively regular cycles with spotting that could start around 4-5dpo. Periods were pretty light. After a year I had various investigations which came back ‘normal’ apart from polycystic ovaries (not syndrome) and something that could have been a haemorrhagic cyst or an endometrioma. But they didn’t raise this as a concern and didn’t tell me an endometrioma was a form of endometriosis. It wasn’t until several months later when I asked some people on here about it that I realised and, putting a few other symptoms together (Not the normal extreme pain and heavy periods at all) I felt fairly certain I had it. My GP was happy to refer me to gynae, separate to the fertility stuff. The consultant I saw in November was lovely and I didn’t even have to ask for a laparoscopy, he referred me straight away. I had this in February - they found 2 endometrioma cysts on my right ovary and it was stuck to my pelvic wall. I found out I’m pregnant 4 weeks ago. I’m 7+4 and a complete nervous wreck but I’m certain I wouldn’t have gotten this far without the surgery. Sorry for the long ramble!

@pinacollama Thank you for the reply and congratulation!!!

Can I please ask how long after the laparoscopy did you manage to fall pregnant? I am nervous to say yes to it in case it ruins our chances for a second altogether, although I am quickly beginning to believe that there is most definitely something stopping us, particularly with the endometriosis symptoms, and we may not even get a second child without it. X

Thank you! I’m keeping everything crossed.

I had the surgery on 17th Feb and conceived the beginning of July, so about 5 cycles. We had just been added to the IVF waiting list.

Are they saying it could affect fertility if something went wrong in surgery? Or for other reasons? They did warn me of the (low) risk of needing to remove an ovary. Thankfully all was okay. I just had a gut instinct that I needed to have this surgery.

@pinacollama the doctor basically said that whilst a laparoscopy it can increase fertility, it can also cause lesions that will cause infertility. This is why she doesn't want to do it u TIL I get to 12 months of TTC in case I get pregnant before 12 months. We are going into 9 months now and every single month has been the same 😭. I just know that there is a problem and don't want to put more time on to it all if I am going to end up doing a laparoscopy at the 12 month mark anyway. Xx

Hey,

I have a history of ovarian cysts. I was TTC for 3 and a half years with 3 miscarriages when an ovarian cyst was found. I had the laparoscopy in August due to a suspected endometriom. Endometriosis was found, a lot of scar tissue, but no reason for recurrent miscarriage. I found out I was pregnant in December last year and due any day now.

Usually there are long waiting lists for a laparoscopy, if they are not deemed as urgent surgery. Although saying that a year of TTC is usually when doctors will begin investigations. In my area, it's around a year. So looking into the surgery privately might be an option for you, if you can afford it and you want it urgently. Surgery is around £4k privately.

I wish you the best of luck.

@London91 thank you!

I was offered it over a year ago without TTC based on symptoms but said no to it. Now that we are failing TTC, I know I want it xx

@FebruaryJuly Mine was done based on the endometrioma being found- the consultant was pretty sure it was endometriosis before I had the op but was not based on me TTC. The whole referral process took quite a while. It's likely I'll need op in the future to manage pain and if we decide to TTC again. In which case I think I would pay for the op privately, so I can have it done when I want it. Although I'm not sure if the op had any impact on me getting pregnant/sustaining a pregnancy.

I had a laparoscopy with dye put through tubes after around 9 months of trying (suspected endometriosis).
We had also not been very careful for several years before. I got pregnant a couple of months after and conceived very quickly two more times. For me there was some blockage in the tubes and it seemed to have shifted it. There was no endo found despite symptoms.

I had a laparoscopy last year to diagnose and treat Endometriosis. I also have PCOS but have never had any treatment for that.

I'm currently 14 weeks pregnant and I fell pregnant 7 months after the laparoscopy. We had been trying for over a year before that and I honestly don't think I'd have fallen pregnant without having the laparoscopy.

If you've got endometriosis or suspected endo then it's definitely worth having as in my opinion that's what helped me to finally fall pregnant.

Good luck

I had a laparoscopy about 4 years ago in order to diagnose my endometriosis. I was diagnosed with mild to moderate. I saw a brilliant gynaecologist and he always said that women who are trying to get pregnant should 'go for it' after the laparoscopy before the endometriosis occurs and the scar tissue imbeds itself. He never said anything about getting pregnant straight after can lead to infertility - I don't understand why that would be? in fact he said the opposite - especially for those with pretty aggressive forms of endometriosis as the scar tissue can start forming as soon as your next period and in those more severe cases you have a small window to try it.

endometriosis affects fertility depending on where the scar tissue forms - its generally those who have scar tissue that has formed inside the Fallopian tubes who tend to have fertility issue - there are loads of places it can occur - mine was sort of everywhere and even on my stomach lining.

I was given the mirena coil after my laparoscopy which lasts for 5 years - I didn't have the laparoscopy for fertility reasons at the time more so because of the chronic pain I was experiencing (although I was concerned that when the time came it would be a problem for me so I convinced myself I was infertile for a long time). since having coil removed I'm not expecting - had I not had the laparoscopy and then the mirena (which stop my periods completely) then perhaps I would not be pregnant now.

hope that helped

best of luck x

*reoccurs

*now expecting

excuse all the typos!

@strawberrycheesecake1989 thank you! I went through chronic pain, only ever in my left side around my ovary area from about 10 months after having my son onwards (he is four now). I was given the marina coil (for contraception as well as relieving pain), they said that the hormones help to subside the endometriosis symptoms. I got that out back in January and was told that I would be back to normal fertility as soon as it was out. Since getting it out, the pain has come back, not only in my left side, but in my right side as well!

The reason the doctor said about there being a chance of infertility after the laparoscopy is only if the surgery caused any unwanted lesions (obviously that wouldn't happen in a successful surgery but she said there is always the chance). After reading the comments above, I am going to push to go onto the laparoscopy list as soon as the doctor calls me with my blood results (I had bloods taken to check if I am ovulating last week).

Thank you! X