https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 02 May 2026 04:47:09 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/endometriosis-questions#post-1357509 Fri, 17 Jan 2014 18:36:24 +0000 Cole 1357509@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thank you all so much, I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. I am really anxious about this whole process and may even try to move up my appointment since I have a day off in two weeks as opposed to waiting four. I am having pain now from what I am guessing is a cyst? But no matter how I slice it, something is going on and I just need to get it resolved so I can move on. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/endometriosis-questions#post-1356926 Fri, 17 Jan 2014 14:20:42 +0000 raintreebee 1356926@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Did you see your gynecologist or a re? Do you recommend one over the other? I saw an RE. My gyno never caught my endo symptoms, but my RE saw a stuck ovary on the ultrasound that led to my diagnosis.</p> <p>Did you have an hsg? In my mind an hsg and maybe clomid or femara right after would be a good alternative to a lap? I had an hsg and my tubes were clear. The infertility mechanism for endo is really complicated though--some thing that it creates a hostile environment for the embryo even if everything is okay structurally.</p> <p>Did/Do you chart? I found an abstract yesterday saying that but in women with endo stays high during menses which is true for me. Did you notice this? Did you spot before your period or have a short luteal phase? Yes, my temp stayed high during menses (interesting I've never head that before)&gt; Yes, I spotted. My LP was around 12 days.</p> <p>Did you have a family history? My mother once told me she had it, but now she claims she never did!</p> <p>Anything I can pay attention to or notes I can make over the next few weeks that might help my doctor? I would read up about IVF v. laps. My RE was of the opinion that laps were kind of old school for endo since they rarely increase fertility, do not help the success rates for IVF, and have risks (like damage to ovaries). He felt that they were best used for pain relief. I read several studies, which seemed to comport with what he said. Of course, it's a tough decision when insurance pays for a lap but not IVF! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/endometriosis-questions#post-1356532 Fri, 17 Jan 2014 11:43:57 +0000 mrswin 1356532@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cole: My story is also in the link that HappyGal posted. My RE doesn't believe that it will necessarily improve fertility because there haven't been any conclusive studies in this regard. I had it done because I understood that it could improve the pain I was dealing with since being off BCP.</p> <p>My diagnosis was a multi step approach and was first mentioned after reviewing my family history (my mom and my paternal grandmother both suspect they have it). Then I had a CA125 test, which is fairly new and my elevated levels were another clue that it was likely endo. Finally I had the lap which confirmed it. We are still not pregnant but we are dealing with other IF issues as well. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/endometriosis-questions#post-1356406 Fri, 17 Jan 2014 11:07:33 +0000 Happygal 1356406@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cole: I realized I didn't answer all your questions. Again, I haven't been officially diagnosed b/c I haven't had the surgery, but I'm happy to share what I've discussed with my RE.</p> <p>1. "I am a nanny so I feel badly taking off but it also seems like lifting and dealing with tantrums or what have you might be really hard even a few days out."</p> <p>Yes, based on what my RE says, you'll need to take time off not to be lifting things. You might be just fine in a day or so, but you should plan for not doing that kind of lifting for 5.</p> <p>2. "Did you see your gynecologist or a re? Do you recommend one over the other?"</p> <p>I would recommend going to the RE for many reasons: my RE does multiple lap surgeries a week and is up to date on the all the endo info, they are accommodating with scheduling, and they can look for other things that might be going on as well. I think it's important to be closely monitored on meds, and it doesn't seem like most OBs do this.</p> <p>3. "Did you have an hsg? In my mind an hsg and maybe clomid or femara right after would be a good alternative to a lap?"</p> <p>I did have an hsg and it was clear. Here's something that I just learned from my RE: endo can cause problems b/c of blockages. But it causes inflammation, and that inflammation is harmful to both egg and sperm, so it's not just a "let's clear things out" type of issue. Endo can also be causing an adhesion in an area that a HSG wouldn't clear out anyway. </p> <p>4. "Did/Do you chart? I found an abstract yesterday saying that but in women with endo stays high during menses which is true for me. Did you notice this? Did you spot before your period or have a short luteal phase?"</p> <p>I did chart, and my temp drops. My luteal phase is normally fine, although I have had a few that were 11 or less. I sometimes spot before, but not always. </p> <p>5. "Did you have a family history? My grandmother had endo and one aunt has unexplained infertility and never had a live birth."</p> <p>Yes, my mom and both her sisters had a lot of endo, and that's just the women I know of for sure. My RE said that based on family history alone, I have about a 60% chance of having it myself. </p> <p>I know it feels like a big decision as it's one I may be facing myself. Have you had any other testing done? If not, I would start with the usual fertility testing: hsg, bloodwork, SA, before looking at a lap. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/endometriosis-questions#post-1356309 Fri, 17 Jan 2014 10:45:25 +0000 Mrs. Jump Rope 1356309@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cole: I had painful periods from the start and my gyne suspected endo when I was about 15. I finally saw a specialist when I was 18 and did Lupron injections when I was 19. It was the only pain free three months id ever had! He wanted to do a lap so we set that up, and I chickened out and cancelled it the night before :/ I remember being told it was a non-invasive procedure but I'd feel full and possibly have some shoulder pain afterward. I didn't have the lap, though, so I can't comment on the actual procedure or recovery.</p> <p>I do have a strong family history of infertility. Three of my moms sisters have PCOS, and one of them was never able to conceive with ivf.</p> <p>I was referred to an RE after a year of unsuccessful TTC, and she did an HSG and diagnosed me with PCOS. </p> <p>I delivered Chloe via c-section and did ask my OB if she saw any evidence of endo. She said none! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/endometriosis-questions#post-1356303 Fri, 17 Jan 2014 10:44:30 +0000 twodoghouse 1356303@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@septca: Interesting - I didn't know that endometriosis causes blocked tubes that often! I guess since my HSG was completed before I started seeing my RE and everything was clear, we didn't go into that in depth. My RE had a different explanation for why endometriosis causes infertility, but I think some of his theories are a little off the beaten track because I often find different things when I google. :) Oh well, IVF worked for us so I guess it doesn't matter too much if his ideas on some things are different! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/endometriosis-questions#post-1356245 Fri, 17 Jan 2014 10:28:43 +0000 septca 1356245@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cole: My very LONG story is in the thread @Happygal linked to (thanks!). I think I cover all of your questions there... but feel free to wall me or ask anything you want in the POAS thread.</p> <p>In my experience, the lap was good because it gave me a diagnosis and stopped some of my pain, but it was the HSG that really gave me answers and, ultimately, gave me DD. Most infertility related to endometriosis is caused by blocked tubes. If you have not had an HSG, I recommend doing that before you have surgery. It is much less invasive, hurts less, takes less time, and *may* give you the information you need. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/endometriosis-questions#post-1356211 Fri, 17 Jan 2014 10:19:09 +0000 twodoghouse 1356211@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My RE suspects I have endometriosis, but I did not have a lap so we can't be sure. He says he has found that lap helps endometriosis from a pain perspective and a diagnostic perspective, but doesn't necessarily make you more fertile, so we decided to skip it. (I don't think this is a very common perspective, though there is another HB user whose doctor believes the same thing. I have read a lot of anecdotal evidence that a lap alone can increase fertility though...). Anyway, I'll try to answer any of the questions you had above that I can help out with!</p> <p>1. I didn't have a lap, but my sister did. The actual healing of the incision wasn't bad (I saw her incisions when she was a week out and they looked great) but she was very uncomfortable for a few days. I think she took a couple days off work and worked from home a day or two.</p> <p>2. I worked with an RE who "diagnosed" me with endo (again, not a true diagnosis since I didn't do the lap). We were already at 2 years of TTC so we had moved beyond anything my regular OB would do (he stops at Clomid). Personally, one of my biggest regrets of our whole TTC journey was not going to an RE sooner, so I highly recommend it. </p> <p>3. I had an HSG and everything was clear. HSG and lap are very different, so I don't think they would accomplish the same thing. HSG pushes dye through your uterus and tubes, while a lap generally removes the tissue that is growing outside of your uterus. I guess endo does affect some people's tubes, but I think the tissue would not be easily cleared by pushing dye through the tubes. That's my understanding of the two procedures at least.</p> <p>4. I charted early on in my TTC journey but had given it up long before my endo diagnosis. My RE is not a big advocate of charting during IVF so I never picked it up once we were moving forward.</p> <p>5. Yes, I have a strong family history of endometriosis. My older sister had a lap and found pretty advanced endo. Two of my aunts had endo so bad that they both had hysterectomies before they were 40. I strongly suspect my younger sister has it as well, and possibly my mom (although she never had a problem conceiving, she has a lot of the other symptoms of endo). </p> <p>I hope some of this helps. If you have more questions, please let me know! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/endometriosis-questions#post-1355835 Fri, 17 Jan 2014 07:42:32 +0000 Happygal 1355835@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hi Cole. I think this thread will helpful: <a href="http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laparoscopy" rel="nofollow">http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/laparoscopy</a></p> <p>I haven't had a lap, but it's out on the table as an option. I have a strong family history and pain in one area. Periods are light and I have light cramping. RE said those things put me at at least 80% chance of having endo.</p> <p>It sounds like surgery is easy for some, but hard for others (trapped gas seems to be killer). My doctor said to count for being out of work for about 5 days, but that seems to be on the conservative side. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/endometriosis-questions#post-1355830 Fri, 17 Jan 2014 07:32:32 +0000 Cole 1355830@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My doctor and I are starting to think I have endometriosis and I have an appointment to meet with her after this cycle is over to start trying to figure out what is going on. We are TTC so obviously I am hoping to fix the problem and get pregnant as quickly as possible. Of course having such a big diagnosis hanging over my head is causing a lot of anxiety though and I was hoping maybe someone here could help with a few of my questions.</p> <p>Laparoscopy is the only way to diagnose, if they go in and find nothing is the surgery still a pretty big deal? It seems like people are taking a few days off work and are on major medications. I am a nanny so I feel badly taking off but it also seems like lifting and dealing with tantrums or what have you might be really hard even a few days out.</p> <p>Did you see your gynecologist or a re? Do you recommend one over the other?</p> <p>Did you have an hsg? In my mind an hsg and maybe clomid or femara right after would be a good alternative to a lap?</p> <p>Did/Do you chart? I found an abstract yesterday saying that but in women with endo stays high during menses which is true for me. Did you notice this? Did you spot before your period or have a short luteal phase?</p> <p>Did you have a family history? My grandmother had endo and one aunt has unexplained infertility and never had a live birth.</p> <p>Anything I can pay attention to or notes I can make over the next few weeks that might help my doctor?</p> <p>Thanks for your help, this is so overwhelming and there is just such a crazy range of experiences and symptoms online-it makes it hard to sort through. </p>