TTC After Surgery For Stage Four Endometriosis

Dear Readers,

As the year draws to a close I want to wish all my readers near and far the very best in their lives as you move forward into 2014. I hope that the blessings of health and peace are with you all and for those of you who continue to struggle with infertility, I can only wish with all my heart that the journey will come to a positive conclusion for you in 2014.

Thank you for following my blog and God Bless.

Edward J. Ramirez, M.D.

 

Question:

Hello,

I was diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis in 2011 (26 yrs old) after a laparoscopy found a large endometrioma. I've never had painful periods prior so that diagnosis was surprising to me.I then grew back another large endometrioma and had my 2nd lap in June 2013. I am now 29 and have been TTC (trying to conceive) since my surgery in June. I was told to try naturally for the 1st 6 months. I am now on my 7th cycle and beginning to look into other options. I have seen that with stage 4 endo the treatment of choice is IVF over trying clomid / IUI. Can you explain why?  I understand surgery can affect ovarian reserve but am looking for better understanding.

What would you recommend my next steps be? How aggressive should I be in getting pregnant right away since I only had a two years between surgeries was regrowth or large endometriomas?  Thank you.

C. from California

Answer:

Hello C. from the U.S. (California),

Unfortunately, Stage 3 and 4 endometriosis have been found to significantly decrease fertility rates.  This is because endometriosis cause a chronic inflammation of the pelvis that recruits inflammatory cells and these cells attack and destroy the eggs when ovulation occurs (this of course is putting is very simply for ease of understanding).  In stage 4 endometriosis, severe adhesions or scar tissue formation occurs in the pelvis.  These adhesions are like spider webs so that when the egg exits the ovary and moves into the pelvis, prior to finding the tube, the eggs get caught in these spiker webs or the webs block the tubes so that the egg never gets into the tube where fertilization takes place.

Because of this, the only way to achieve pregnancy is to bypass the tubes, which you cannot do by natural means.  For that reason IVF is the only option.  Now, even I have had patients with stage 4 endometriosis get pregnant, and as a Catholic I believe in miracles, and so don't doubt that this can happen.  However, statistically speaking these cases are very, very few.

In terms of the recurrence of endometriosis or endometriomas, this is a chronic disease and new implants are continuously forming.  For that reason, you can form new endometriomas, despite the previous ones being removed.

Good Luck,

Dr. Edward J. Ramirez, M.D., FACOG
Executive Medical Director
The Fertility and Gynecology Center
Monterey Bay IVF Program
www.montereybayivf.com

Monterey, California, U.S.A.

Fertility At 40 After Having Had Children Earlier In Life: Is It Still Good?

Question:

Hello. I just turned 40 years old. I am healthy. I had 1 miscarriage in my early 30s. I waited a few years to conceive after that and conceived two children back to back in the first month of trying so I am hoping my fertility is still good. Obviously Im reproductively old and there is an issue of egg quality. Is it always better to try to conceive naturally. We are worried about chromosomal disorders. I had testing done at a fertility clinic. My AFC was 14, my FSH was 6 point something and my AMH was 5 point something. Can you help me interpret this? Again, is it always better to try to conceive naturally? Thanks!!! S. from the U.S.

Answer:

Hello S. from the U.S.,

Having had children previously does extend your fertility in my opinion so although you are "reproductively old", you may still be quite fertile.

The tests mentioned, AFC, FSH and AMH are all INDIRECT measures of ovarian function and NOT fertility or egg quality.  They give us an idea of how well the ovaries will respond to stimulation, which statistically can increase or decrease your chances of success.  In older women, the more eggs you get in an IVF cycle, the higher the chances of finding a good egg because there are fewer good eggs with increasing age.  That is all that those tests reveal.

In terms of what may be the best way to get pregnant, certainly trying natural has significant advantages: it is more fun and pleasurable, it costs less.  The disadvantages are: there is an increased risk of genetic disorders (based on your age), it may not work, and there is a higher risk of miscarriage.  So, in terms of whether to try naturally or go with a technological means, it depends completely on your personal preference and goals.  Unless you want to do something like genetic testing of embryos for normality or sex selection or want to increase your chance of pregnancy in the shortest possible period, then I would recommend that you try naturally for at least 6 months.   If not successful by that point, then I would recommend that you consider proceeding directly to IVF, which is the recommendation if you say yes to either of the previous criteria.  The downsides of IVF are: cost, not fun, unnatural and it's a medical procedure.  The upside is it is more efficient (higher chance of pregnancy per attempt, you can genetically test the embryos to minimize the risk of miscarriage or genetically abnormal child and you can achieve pregnancy faster.  Because your ovarian testing is so good (more like a 20 year old), you are a very good candidate for IVF and I would probably give you a high chance of success per attempt (50-60%) in a good IVF center.

 

Good Luck,

Edward J. Ramirez, M.D., F.A.C.O.G.
Executive Medical Director
The Fertility and Gynecology Center
Monterey Bay IVF Program
www.montereybayivf.com

Monterey, California, U.S.A.