Referred here...Success after Lap Surgery?

elucas2011

Hello! I did my intro a couple months back and normally post to TTTC and Infertility board. I was referred here for possible answers/advice.

I had a HSG done last month. RE determined both tubes are in fact blocked (right tube looks healthier than left tube) and both have Hydrosalpinx (not much though). Unfortunately, I developed an infection in my right tube after my HSG which landed me in the hospital for 4 days. I had my f/u appt with my RE a week after being discharged, he has recommended Lap Surgery for initial treatment option to open tube(s). He wants my body to rest and return to normal routine after all of the antibiotics I had to take while in hospital and after being discharged, so my next appt is not until April 16.  Since my appt is almost another month away, we didn't really have an in-depth discussion regarding the surgery. He did mention that depending on severity of my left tube, that it may have to be removed and he only focus on opening my right tube. I am aware that (1) I would be at risk to possibly have an ectopic pregnancy, (2) My tube(s) could be opened successfully but I may/may not conceive, (3) My tube(s) may become re-blocked after surgery. Some other uses have suggested that I jump straight to IVF but I still haven't been able to make the decision of which to do. If I were to go ahead with the surgery, there is that possibility that it could work for us. It will only put me $200 OOP versus $1000s for IVF (ART is NOT covered at all by my insurance). 

Has anyone had Lap surgery to open blocked tube(s)? Was it successful/unsuccessful? Any and all experiences and stories welcome. Thanks for taking time to read my lengthy post. Have a blessed day!

jlr96

I had lap surgery but it was more to check for endo for a possible IF diagnosis, not for blocked tubes.  After 2 failed IUI's my RE suggested lap to see if endo was the issue.  They did find stage II endo & it was removed, but I still went on to have 3 more unsuccessful IUI's.  I then moved to IVF & got a BFP on my first cycle.  Not sure if this helps you at all but lap was not the "answer" to my issues.  Good luck in whatever you decide!

Aurora1181

I had a lap, but we did not get pregnant until a year and a half (and two IVFs) later. If tubal blockage is your only issue - I'm on mobile and can't see siggys- then I would definitely consider IVF! Maybe give it a couple months after the lap and see what happens, save money, and then pursue IVF (if needed!!) in the winter.

Ylvelill

My doctor attempted to fix my right tube which had a hydrosalpinx. It was unsuccessful and the tube was removed by my ivf ob. My left tube supposedly works but I am old and we had been trying naturally for 3 years at that point so we went ahead with ivf. It took first time

twistsandturnsto2

I'm sorry you find yourself here, I know too well how hard your DX can be.

In case you are mobile and can't see siggys..... I've had 2 laps but never attempted to fully unblock my tubes, but I will say that what finally worked was to just disconnect one of my tubes. During my HSG about 2 years ago it was discovered that my left tube was open and my right had a blockage somewhere in the middle, we didn't know what the DX was at that point. We followed that with several unsuccessful IUI's as long as I could O on the left(seemingly) unblocked side. After months of that not working we went in for the first lap and they found lots of scar tissue. So much so that it was impossible for me to have gotten KU on my own. They removed what they could and try to clear up the blockage in the right, but couldn't.
We moved to IVF and over the course of the next year cycled 3 times only to result in chemical pregnancies 2 of the 3 times. It wasn't until one of the REs spotted a hydro now in the right and I had a lap to disconnect the tube, that we were able to finally find success.
I know it's not a rosey picture, but with dealing with tubal issues there is not really a good way for them to fix issues. It's almost easier to just go around the problem and use IVF. You may well find success after they do a lap and clear things up a bit, but hydros often will just fill back up and it's my understanding that it's the fluid and inflammation it causes that prevents implantation of an embryo. It seems that was our issue.

Sorry for the novel, but take some time to really let it sink in. There is only the answer that you are comfortable with, but hindsight being 20/20 I wish I could have gone back 2 years ago and saved ourselves all the stress of wasted cycles and just disconnected the tube. That's what seemed to work for me. A lap will definitely give you some concrete answers as to why both of your tubes are diseased. Start there, but know that IVF may very well be your best option at this point. (((Hugs)))

elucas2011

Thank you ladies so much! Y'all have been very helpful. One thing not mentioned in my original post, that you may not have seen in my siggy due to mobile, is that I did have a Lap Surgery back in Nov 2013 to remove 2 cysts that developed after my first (and only) round of Clomid in Aug 2013. During the Lap, my ObGyn did insert dye (a procedure called chromotubation), at that time,it spilled out of my right tube but not my left. There was quite a bit of scar tissue removed from my left side that was most likely a result from cysts I had over the past years (I had alot  issues with cysts when I was 15-18). My ObGyn did not find any Endo. My RE seems to be pushing for us to go through with the Lap before jumping straight to IVF (and I am sure one reason is due to cost on my end). He has done this procedure before on other patients and it be successful (I guess that's why I am holding on to the thought of going through with Lap first [even though every women is diff]). If we do decide to through with Lap and it does not work for us, then our only option left will be IVF. And yes, this is entirely too much to take in all at once. I know ultimately it is up to DH and I to make the decision but sometimes I'm just worried I wont be making the right one. I really appreciate yall taking the time to respond to my post. Hopefully, DH and I will be able to make the decision soon. I do have my little notebook of ?s that I will taking with me to my appt. Thanks again.  

4legsRbest

I have had a lap to resect endo.I have stage II and a good portion of it is on my tubes. We didn't know this until my RE was in there and he felt it was more harmful than good to try and do too much to my tubes. We tried and IUI after the lap anyway, which he said was going to be a BFN, and it was, we went straight to IVF after that and I have my DS from my first IVF cycle. I am 100% OOP, so I do feel for you there

As with any surgery there is a chance for complications. Worst case scenarios neither are repairable and you are now recovering from a lap and still looking at IVF. You already know your chances for an ectopic pg are higher with any amount of tube blockage, so you and your SO just need to decide if it is worth it to go through with the lap and just keep your fingers crossed, or to just move to IVF for a chance to conceive, and it sounds like you would have a good chance with IVF. If you end up with IVF anyway, you may as well skip the lap (it was awful, IMO, and I will never do that again).

GL to you in whatever you decide!