Fertility Help

I know an accupuncturist, Becky Allen in Northeast, MD who has helped other women get pregnant. If it works you've saved yourself some money. You already know you can get pregnant, perhaps you just need a little "needling" to get your body back into balance and get pregnant again.
Best of Luck,
L. S

Hi B.,

I too was diagnosed with Stage 4 endometriosis. We did one failed IUI. Due to the integrity of my tubes, we decided to move forward with IVF. However, just after making that decision I got pregnant on my own??!!

Don't be afraid to try clomid and perhaps a few IUIs before heading to IVF. By your previous pregnancy you have already proven that your reproductive system is amenable to conception. At least one of your tubes is viable and functioned appropriately.

IVF is emotionally, physically and financially very taxing but would probably yield the fastest results. If you are in a big hurry to have children (i.e. if you are older or if you have a high FSH level) then perhaps consider it. Any way you look at it, try not to get yourself too stressed out (easier said than done).

Meanwhile, my thoughts and prayers are with you. People like us with endo are usually good candidates for IVF! So if the other options don't yield the desired results, you can always go down that path. Best of luck!

I tried for 2 years to get pregnant. We went to a fertiliy specialist and all tests came back normal. The doctor recommended that my husband and I both go on a high protein diet. She said that carbs make your blood sugar go up and down and that could cause problems with getting pregnant. We cut out most carbs and were pregnant within two months. Nine months later I gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Not sure if it was just coincidence or not but it is worth a try. I did not have endometriosis though.

Personally, I would get a second opinion! I had infertility issues and only used clomid. As a result i have to Beautiful Girl only 15 months apart.
Could of had more but by choice that was my limit.
K. B

Hi B.,
IUI and IVF are really very different treatment options. I would be concerned about your doctor if he/she gave you that choice without fully explaining what each option would do for you and how they related to your endometriosis.

Some fertility docs. have a standard path that they push you through and they all seem to love to jump to IVF. Especially if you have a good chance of becoming pregnant (and you do) then you will boost their statistics of successful IVF pregnancies. The stats. are very important to attracting new clients to their practice.

You have already gotten pregnant once which is fabulous in terms of your future chances. I would encourage you to take these 2 months to get better educated about the different treatment options and seek a 2nd opinion from another doctor. Personally, I recommend contacting Resolve ( www.resolve.org ) for treatment info. and Dr. Check at the Cooper Center for Reproductive Hormonal Disorders for a 2nd opinion ( http://www.ccivf.com/staff/check.html ).

Be your own advocate. Get as many opinions as you have to so that you feel comfortable. I am very lucky to have over come the fertiliy battle. It is something I will never forget. I have two children, they are six years apart. I had eight miscarriages in the process. Did many months of clomid, IUI's and IVF. The doctors could not give me reasons for getting pregnant on my own or with clomid only to miscarry, and not have any luck with all the fancy expensive stuff. Keep in mind that once you start IUI's and IVF that the doctors do not want to let you try clomid. I would start there even with the endo problems for a few months. Clomid is easy to use and not as costly as injectables. I got pg with my daugher who is now 1 on clomid after all the fancy stuff. The reproductive specialist I was seeing at the time would not give me the drug again they said it would not work, and that it could harm me. My OB gave me the Rx after my eight miscarry. He felt it was worth a try I had gotten pg on my own and with clomid all of the other times. I was scared to take it, so I did see another Re who felt it would not harm me. I also was lucky to be able to talk to someone who worked on ovarian cancer research. After that brief conversation with them and one month of clomid and I was pg. Still to this day I can't believe it. Best of luck, I know it is not an easy journey.

B.,
I think the answer varies with each person.
I have endo and PCOS. I took Gonal F shots (we had excellent coverage that covered my fertility treatments) and conceived my son back in 1999 and he was born 4/2000. I used Clomid for my daughter and she was born in 8/2005. Once ovulation was regulated with the drugs, I got a HcG shot in the office to bring on ovulation and conceived the old fashioned way!! LOL I guess I just need the drugs to pinpoint ovulation.
I knew we were trying again for my daughter so I had the laproscopy done in 10/04 to have everything cleaned out and then she was conceived in 12/04.
I have an excellent fertility doctor that I would recommend to anyone! If you are in the Philly area and want to go for a 2nd opinion, send me a note and I will send you his info.

~C.

Get an ovulation kit to help, I had to use them once and 2nd month was pregnant.

Can go for 2nd opinion and that way get someone's else's point of view. Worth it in long run as the costs can add up quickly and be emotionally and physically draining.

Hi B.,
It seems like more and more people are having fertility issues these days and more and more women are doing the IVF. Many people I know have been trying less than a year and all tests come back normal and the docs still want to do IVF! This does not make sense! I definitely would like to see if these people have the insurance coverage and that's why the doctors push for it.

Anyway, I also have stage 4 endometriosis and tried to conceive for 7 years with a multitude of surgeries, HSG's, post coital tests, biopsies, lupron, clomid 5 times, IUI 2 times, acupunture and finally IVF - which resulted in my beautiful twins. However, you did get pregnant on your own - which is a feat in itself! Perhaps after you get this laparoscopy, they can clear everything out and you'll get pregnant on your own. I agree with getting an ovulation kit so you can pinpoint ovulation a little better. Try not to, key word try, get too caught up in it all. I often had to take a few months off when I was doing everything because I felt like a scientific experiment gone bad. The good news is after I had the twins, I got pregnant nine months later on my own - this was a huge shock and we were not even trying! I can tell you that around the time I got pregnant on my own that I was working out 3x week and totally changed my diet (michael thurman diet) and lost 20 pounds. Then boom, pregnant. Enough about me, I wish you the best and if I were you, I would wait just a little longer before going through IVF.

I was in a similair situation. I would advise you to look at your insurance options and to ask your doctor some tough questions. Clomid will make you produce eggs, but if they can't get down your tubes, that won't do you any good. IVF bypasses the tubes and puts the embryo where it needs to be. I had stage 4 endo and my doc said that my tubes were really damaged- even after lapo, but We tried IUI anyways because my insurance paid half and we really didn't think we could afford the IVF. We had to pay for most of the drugs and that was about $2000 each try, plus our half of the IUI. After three tries, my insurance wouldn't even pay half anymore so we took out loans and went to IVF. Sounds crazy, huh?
If I could do it again, I would go straight to IVF, because the money i spent on the 3 IUI's would have paid for an IVF and I would have had a better chance. My doctor had a program where I paid for 2 IVF's and would get a third IVF free if I didn't get pregnant on the first 2. I had to pay for all drugs - and a pregnancy that lasted 8 weeks was considered a successful pregnancy and negated the third free cycle. I got pregnant on the second IVF and have a 2 year old daughter. It was a long road for me - 3 years and about $40,000. Not to mention hundreds of shots that I learned to give to myself. Read some books, ask around, but don't give up! 6 months after my daughter was born, I was pregnant again, without any fertility help. Totally out of the blue! Now i have a 1 year old son, too! Many people that travel your road find themselves suddenly, explainably pregnant, and many others don't. Some go to adoption. Good luck and god bless!

I went to Shady Grove Fertility in Frederick and I was able to conceive with Clomid and IUI after a few months. (we now have a 3month old) I would highly recommend Dr. Esposito she was wonderful and very understanding of the patients situation. I had trouble ovulating and they were very thorough with their treatment. If you have any questions about them or how it worked out for us you can always send me a message! Good luck!

Hi B.,
My sister did clomid and got pregnant the second round. It stimulates ovulation. She became pregnant with twins but lost one early on. She now has a beatuful 17 mth old. But I would strongly suggest you getting in contact with a creighton method specialist. Its a natural family planning approach to achieving or avoiding pregnancy and most women become pregnant within the first 3 months of using it. Many women become pregnant after failed attempts with IVF and IVI through this program. I can't say enough good things about it. I don't know where you live but in Bucks County, Liz Parrish teaches it. Her email is ____@____.com and her # is ###-###-####. It would be much cheaper than other scientific approaches and puts both you and your husband needs at mind. Good luck

B., I am so sorry to hear about your fertility issues, it's never an easy thing to go through, but try to stay positive! I went through many years of fertility, however I did not have endometriosis. I have PCOS which is a different fertility issue. The bottom line is that you have to do what you feel comfortable with and go to a good fertility specialist. Who are you seeing now? I went to Main Line Fertility and loved them! Every woman has different issues, so it's hard to comment on what is best with you, a fertility Dr would be the best to give you the course of action to work for you. I used Clomid, injectible fertility medication and was close to doing IVF, and somehow got pregnant on my own. Clomid will produce eggs, but the little I know about endometriosis, I'm not sure if that is the cause of the infertility, so it may not help. I think nowadays so many people jump to IVF very quickly, but it is not an inexpensive option, so I would get a second opinion and explore all your options before jumping to IVF. It may work out that IVF makes the most sense for your condition, but you need to feel comfortable with what your Dr. is recommending. I also remember my Dr not wanting me to do Clomid or the injectibles for too long, b/c of the potential risks associated with them. He had a course of action I was comfortable with and I even took breaks (months off not trying) when I needed them. Spending years focused on trying to have a baby impacts how you feel and it was during one of these "breaks" of not trying, that I ended up pregnant. My advice, get a second opinion and find a Dr that you feel comfortable with and just listen to what they recommend. Stay positive and when you need a break, take it, a month or two won't make a difference if is preserves your mental health. Good luck and if you'd like to talk, please feel free to email me!

Honestly, you may as well go right to IVF. Why fool around with things that aren't as effective? IVF still isn't guaranteed, but it really will give you the best odds. You also won't go through as many months of disappointment. Good luck!

B.,
Unfortunately from what I know about fertility drugs and endometriosis is that it can worsen the endometriosis.
My suggestion is get another opinion from another fertility specialist group. Good Luck,
PS: with less stress conceiving is easier, be sure to schedule Weekend rendevous w/ hubby that dont center on just trying to get pregnant. Remember why you married each other, have fun together.
take care.
C.

I've heard tons of good things about acupuncture and acupressure in relation to fertility. You really have nothing to lose. At minimal, you'll get some personal care you deserve! If interested, I can dig up some local resources.

Best Wishes!

It sounds as though your fertility issues are related to the endometriosis. Clomid is generally used to stimulate ovulation. Do you have a regular cycle?
We conceived our daughter doing IUI, in combination with FSH (to help me ovulate). We didn't go the IVF route, because success rates aren't that high and most insurances won't cover it. We would have spent over $10,000 for the first cycle and about $8,000 for future cycles. I would try IUI for a little while.
If you want to start with IVF, you can sometimes take part in a study that will help with the costs.
If you live in the Philadelphia area, I highly recommend Abington Reproductive Medicine.