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Post by lisa31 on Jul 12, 2006 14:51:12 GMT -5
Well, I just got back from the doctor....I can't stop crying. She said that she thinks I've pretty much done all I can and am out of options. She said that I really need to get married and try to get pregnant soon (I'm 31). She pressed toward the back of my uterus and I almost came up off the table...I screamed and started crying...she said she's sure I have endo. there behind the uterus. She wants me to have surgery and then try birth control pills non-stop to buy some time (she wants me to focus on getting married). She said that she thinks she may go ahead and refer me to a reproductive endocrinologist for the surgery (she said since I'm so complicated with my history of endo. and PCOS). Does that sound right...to see a repro. endo. when I'm not trying to get pregnant? Anyways, I'd appreciate any words of wisdom or advice. I told her the earliest I would consider surgery would be Christmas break (I'm a teacher). She wanted me to do it now, but I'm going to South Padre Sunday through Sunday and then will start back to school. What do you guys think of all this?
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Post by ouchy on Jul 12, 2006 15:08:27 GMT -5
Wow, Lisa! I'm so sorry! If you are not ready to have children let alone get married, don't let anyone pressure you, including a doctor! I don't think that you'd necessarily have to see a reproductive endocrinologist (RE) at this time if you are not wanting to get pregnant right away. I think that the main treatment for PCOS is birth control pills to suppress ovulation and shrink the cysts. I went with one of my friends w/ PCOS to a RE appointment (she did want kids); the first thing the RE wanted to do was a transvaginal ultrasound to see if there were any current polycysts on her ovaries. After seeing that there were, he put her on the pill. If you are concerned about your hormones, a regular doctor can request hormone level checks, though a gyneoclogist, endocronologist, or RE would know more with what to do to try to balance the hormones. I really don't know what to say. Sorry about your day and your experience. Best wishes.
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Post by erzulie on Jul 12, 2006 21:14:57 GMT -5
Geez, I'm sorry Lisa. I never cease to be amazed at the dumb things some doctors say. She's prescribing marriage and children to help your disease??? I don't think your parents even have the right to pressure you to get married and have kids. A doctor shouldn't even mention it! I jsut can't get over how wrong it is...so you're supposed to just forget about falling in love and marry the first bloke who'll take you up on the offer so you can get pregnant whether or not you're ready to take on the enormous task of raising a child??? I can't believe she's saying you've done all you can do, either. Of course you haven't. Taking alternative therapies such as accupuncture into account (which your doctor won't since she doesn't get paid for any of that), your options are pretty much limitless. I think most likely you'll be okay if you wait till break for the surgery, so long as you can put up with the pain that long. But geez...I had endometriosis behind my uterus, and on top of it, and on my tubes and ovaries and my uterosacral ligaments. I almost passed out during my exam, and I was near tears when the doctor pressed on my uterus. But she never lectured me about getting pregnant or anything like that! I can't beleive doctors are still doing that! Is she saying that because she's worried you won't be able to get pregnant if you wait, or does she think pregnancy will cure it? It's an old myth that it's a cure. Sometimes it helps for a while--it usually makes the disease regress for a year or so--but I've heard of some people who never even experienced the pain until after they had babies. I've heard of other people who said the entire pregnancy was painful due to snapping adhesions and stuff like that. It might not even help to get pregnant, and if it does it'll only help for a little while. So if she thinks it's a cure, she's behind the times!
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Post by lisa31 on Jul 12, 2006 21:30:26 GMT -5
I think she's saying it b/c she knows I want to have kids really bad and she was saying that complications arise once a healthy woman turns 35. Because I have endo., Lupus (causes miscarraige), and PCOS she's worried it will be a very difficult road for me...especially if I continue to wait. I've been so depressed since the appointment...crying on and off. In your experience is it better to have the ob/gyn do surgery or have a reproductive endocrinologist do it? She was saying that endo. and PCOS is really their specialty and since I'll have to have one when I try to get pregnant, she said maybe I should already see one. What do you think?
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Post by heatherttc on Jul 14, 2006 12:08:59 GMT -5
Sorry you are dealing with all that! I would get things taken care of as soon as you can. Not only can some problems cause IF, but they can lead to other health problems as well (thyroid problems, endo can spread to other parts of the body, etc.). So, if anything pursue treatment for your overall health. Also, as you know, it can take anyone a while to get pregnant, no matter how young and healthy they are - or seem, so when you're ready to concentrate on getting pregnant it would be great to know you're healthy and everything's working right. I was 2.5 years into trying to conceive when I found out I had Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. I knew nothing about the thyroid. I also had a longtime infection I was unaware of (bully to sperm) that luckily was easily taken care of, but I wonder if that caused some of my possible scarring. I had had discharge for a long time but didn't realize it was BAD discharge Anyway, I would suggest to anyone trying to get pregnant or thinking about it to educate themselves on their body and conception. Get your health in good shape, take care of things (any little thing) before trying to get pregnant, take care of things right away regardless. Get ALL your hormones tested (FSH, Progesterone, etc.) including all thyroid levels (incl antibodies). Sometimes it can take a while to correct problems, so I would say it's a good idea to address things right away. Talk to the doctor and explore all your possibilities. Of course you'd want to try everything BEFORE any surgeries. Best wishes!!! ETA - Sorry I went off on a rant about trying to conceive in general I just don't want anyone to go through what I've gone through and a lot of others have. Anyway, I wouldn't let that doctor's comments scare you. Make an appt with a RE - talk to the RE about everything and ask if there's anything you can try before surgery, if you'd like. Don't be scared into surgery. If you end up needing it then you need it, the RE will guide you. They have much more expertise on endo, etc. and may have other treatments to try before surgery (things the regular doctor isn't aware of maybe). If you don't feel comfortable with the RE, find another. I didn't care for my first RE and didn't trust his judgment on a few things. My new RE found things on the ultrasound the last RE never saw, and performed tests the other one didn't. The other one wanted to go to IUI when my TSH was too high (said it was normal). I dropped him, got my TSH to a good level, and am getting antibody, bacterial testing, and an endo biopsy through the new RE.
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meka
Full Member
Posts: 164
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Post by meka on Jul 17, 2006 0:46:22 GMT -5
Hi, Lisa.
Sorry for everything you're going through. My doctors also said that it would be difficult for me to conceive. I've been crying about it off and on for months. Prepare yourself for the possibility that it may not happen for you. BUT live as if it definitely WILL happen.
I know nothing about reproductive endocrinologists. That being said, it seems to me that if you have the option to see a RE, then that would be a better option than a regular gynecologist. I would think that an RE would have lots more specialized experience with this condition. Also, they focus on reproduction, so you might feel more confident that they will try all they can do to make sure you are able to have children. . . whereas some regular gynecologists, strangely, aren't necessarily concerned with your future reproductive ability.
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meka
Full Member
Posts: 164
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Post by meka on Jul 17, 2006 0:53:53 GMT -5
I would suggest getting the surgery as soon as you can, but I don't think it will be too much different if you wait a month or so. Maybe you can do the surgery before the Christmas break, perhaps in October?
I'm a teacher, too. So, I know the start of the year will be a horrible time to take off from work. But, if you do it in October, you will be able to establish your class the way you need to, and you won't be letting the disease worsen as much as it might if you waited 4 more months.
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Post by Hillary on Jul 26, 2006 20:28:00 GMT -5
Lisa i am sorry to hear your news. I go on Monday to find out my results of my last tests, since Jan/06 i have had 2 surgeries a c-section type incision and one from above my belly button all the way down and again i am in doind tests 7 this short time later. The first surgery they took most of my right ovary and the second time the tests showed that the endo turned into ovarian cancer so they went in and took out the remainder right ovary and fallopian tube, but then it showed in the tests before the surgery that my left fallopian tube was swallen so my doctor told me that chances aare i won't be able to conceive a child on my own I would have to have invitro, which broke my heart something fierce, i cry everytime i think about it. So after the second surgery my specialist at Princess Margaret Hospital he told me that I have lots of egg on my one ovary which means that there is still a chance. But of course i don't know what is happening if the endo has grown back to much, i find out on Monday. I think that not being able to have children is the hardest thing for me to deal with at this point. I cry all the time. Luckily i have my new husband of 1 1/2 months now! he doesn't like to see me cry so for some reason i stay strong when he is around but when he is not i can cry at the top of a hat. Through all the pain that i have been through with the surgery. I will think that it is all worth it I have children. I do beleive in adoption and we will if i can't but having your own children i think is just a different experience. If anyone else is having a very hard time with issue please i would love to hear from you.
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