If you have ever had a polyp...

alchris

...would you have had it removed even if you weren't actively TTC?  What if it were a very small polyp and you weren't TTC?

I had an SHG this morning, and as I've suspected for months, I have a small polyp.  We of course are actively TTC and that obviously raises its own questions, esp. in light of my c/ps, but I'm wondering if it's something I might have to have removed *anyway*.

Would I have to find out if its pre-cancerous at SOME point, even a year from now?

It is .5 - 1 cm long and is at the very top of my uterus.

It would cost me about $2000 or so OOP to have removed.

Thank you!!!

alchris

OMG, in the time it took me to type that, poop got spread ALL over our fabric-covered dining room chair.

alison43

alchris:

OMG, in the time it took me to type that, poop got spread ALL over our fabric-covered dining room chair.

this made me LOL.

sorry about the polyp.  i'm not sure if i would have it removed if i wasn't TTC--but i'm not familiar with polyps and what they could mean.  could it be precancerous?  if so i guess i'd bite the bullet.

if i were TTC though i think it would come out no questions asked, bc can't that interfere with implantation? 

DavezWife

you sure they couldn't code it different to get it covered under insurance? if not, they will often charge you less if you are indeed OOP. (unless it's IF codes)

I'd get it snipped. who knows what it's doing to that egg coming down.

sorry hon.  climb in the boat, Al's serving up martooni's ;-)

malloryo85

So sorry about the poop! That is awful! I had 5 polyps but didn't find out about them until I was already seeing the RE. I personally would have still had mine removed given some family history of problems, but that is just me. Mine was not covered by insurance and we paid $2500 OOP. It was a very easy surgery with a great recovery. 

samk213

I have a polyp in my right tube, a small one, but nevertheless probably what caused my ectopic in that tube a couple years ago.  I didn't have it removed based on my RE's recommendation that it would likely cause scar tissue and that tube still wouldn't be good as new, or the risk of losing my tube altogether.  This is what prompted us to go forward with IVF.  I really don't have any plans to have it removed, it is non-cancerous.  I suppose down the road, I'd have it removed if medically necessary, but all future children will be IVF unless a surprise.  Since yours is in your uterus, it may be an entirely different scenario.

MrsJeffsWife2B

I really think you want to get it removed.. I had one in the same place, and though my primary RE didn't think it was a big deal, my second opinion RE thought it was a huge deal!

I have a (very old, from before jasper was conceived) blog post about it here: 

https://www.becoming-mom.net/2007/11/15/a-polyp-2-res-and-an-accupuncturist/

But NO ONE ever mentioned to me that it might have any correlation to cancer or anything like that (like say a polyp in your colon etc).. is that true???

alchris

Thank you for you thoughts, everyone!  Sorry...I've been cleaning up.

And the $2000 estimate is *after* insurance.  It's the same deal the HSG would have been today -- it's considered hospital outpatient and my insurance for anything hospital-related is next to nothing.  I have a call into the insurance gal to ask her for a more exact number.

BTW, DW, my RE called it a D&C too.

MrsJeffsWife2B:

I really think you want to get it removed.. I had one in the same place, and though my primary RE didn't think it was a big deal, my second opinion RE thought it was a huge deal!

I have a (very old, from before jasper was conceived) blog post about it here: 

https://www.becoming-mom.net/2007/11/15/a-polyp-2-res-and-an-accupuncturist/

But NO ONE ever mentioned to me that it might have any correlation to cancer or anything like that (like say a polyp in your colon etc).. is that true???

OMG, A!  "He also pointed out that mine was on the top of my uterus which is 90% of the time where the embryos want to implant, making it of further concern" -- CRAP!!!

My RE said it was small enough that it "shouldn't" be a problem, but he said the same thing 4 months ago and this is the first we've looked into it (despite my asking, but he said it really wasn't necessary until now....).  In the meantime I've had 1 1/2 chemical pgs (last week it was *super* early so I'm calling it a 1/2 c/p, LOL) and I can't help but wonder if there's connection, even though *that* wasn't his concern.  He seemed to be less concerned because of its size, thinking that a little one wouldn't be very likely to try to implant in that exact spot.

And yes, he mentioned precancerous possibilities -- not likely of course, but a possibility.  The importance of having it removed regardless is my #1 question for him...and now # 2 is about common implantation location!!!

Your post was 1 week exactly before DD was born.

The good bit that came from this appt. is that after many communication difficulties via the nurse over the months -- and I was sobbing on the floor last night because it was cd5 and I *still* hadn't heard back about meds, not to mention the HSG/SHG confusion for today -- I finally expressed my frustration today, and he gave me his cell # and said he's available 24/7.  He's going to Orlando for 10 days beginning tomorrow but he said not to worry, and he'll personally call me back about my AMH, etc. next week.  As of the time I walked out the door, the plan was to remove the polyp at this point next cycle, but by the time I got to my car I realized I had follow-up questions so I'm posting now to get my ducks in a row before calling him tonight.  Phew!!!  Oh, and I no longer have a PCOS diagnosis, even though it was as clear as could be 3-4 years ago.  Weird.

MrsJeffsWife2B

alchris:

Thank you for you thoughts, everyone!  Sorry...I've been cleaning up.

And the $2000 estimate is *after* insurance.  It's the same deal the HSG would have been today -- it's considered hospital outpatient and my insurance for anything hospital-related is next to nothing.  I have a call into the insurance gal to ask her for a more exact number.

BTW, DW, my RE called it a D&C too.

MrsJeffsWife2B:

I really think you want to get it removed.. I had one in the same place, and though my primary RE didn't think it was a big deal, my second opinion RE thought it was a huge deal!

I have a (very old, from before jasper was conceived) blog post about it here: 

https://www.becoming-mom.net/2007/11/15/a-polyp-2-res-and-an-accupuncturist/

But NO ONE ever mentioned to me that it might have any correlation to cancer or anything like that (like say a polyp in your colon etc).. is that true???

OMG, A!  "He also pointed out that mine was on the top of my uterus which is 90% of the time where the embryos want to implant, making it of further concern" -- CRAP!!!

My RE said it was small enough that it "shouldn't" be a problem, but he said the same thing 4 months ago and this is the first we've looked into it (despite my asking, but he said it really wasn't necessary until now....).  In the meantime I've had 1 1/2 chemical pgs (last week it was *super* early so I'm calling it a 1/2 c/p, LOL) and I can't help but wonder if there's connection, even though *that* wasn't his concern.  He seemed to be less concerned because of its size, thinking that a little one wouldn't be very likely to try to implant in that exact spot.

And yes, he mentioned precancerous possibilities -- not likely of course, but a possibility.  The importance of having it removed regardless is my #1 question for him...and now # 2 is about common implantation location!!!

Your post was 1 week exactly before DD was born.

The good bit that came from this appt. is that after many communication difficulties via the nurse over the months -- and I was sobbing on the floor last night because it was cd5 and I *still* hadn't heard back about meds, not to mention the HSG/SHG confusion for today -- I finally expressed my frustration today, and he gave me his cell # and said he's available 24/7.  He's going to Orlando for 10 days beginning tomorrow but he said not to worry, and he'll personally call me back about my AMH, etc. next week.  As of the time I walked out the door, the plan was to remove the polyp at this point next cycle, but by the time I got to my car I realized I had follow-up questions so I'm posting now to get my ducks in a row before calling him tonight.  Phew!!!

Well we both learned something, b/c now I'm going to make an appointment with a GYN to talk about getting mine removed for health reasons! I was so concerned about the TTC implications and like I said no one ever mentioned about the health implications!! God, I don't even know where those HSG films are anymore, but regardless, mine was large enough to be visible via "the wand" alone.. so mine was pretty large.

The other thing to consider is that polyps can contribute to very heavy periods and bleeding which I have suffered from for the last 7 years or so but NEVER before that, probably coinciding with when it appeared.

So anyway, my point is that if you have those too, you may also get some relief through the surgery.. I have only had two really light Postpartum periods so far, but if mine get to what they were like before I'm definitely having it removed!

Good luck, keep me posted K?

alchris

MrsJeffsWife, did you not have yours removed before and you were (obviously) OK to continue TTC?  I just read that day's blog entry and it sounded like removal was going to be your next step.   I'll go back and read further.

FWIW, I don't have very heavy periods.  And my 2 periods following my c/p cycles were very light.

It was big enough to be seen on a standard u/s around Thanksgiving, but not on any u/s since then.  It's definitely less than 1 cm long.

It's interesting that your polyp was found via an HSG (after the fact!) given that as of a couple days ago my procedure was changed from an SHG today to an HSG, but for insurance reasons I changed it back...at 8:30 this morning.   I had an HSG 3 years ago, and however many u/s back then, and all looked good in my uterus and tubes.  (I might as well have a totally different body now given that my PCOS ovaries are no longer polycystic whatsoever!)

I was concerned about the TTC implications, not to mention the pg implications, a few months ago when we first saw this, but all along he's said that it's so small that it shouldn't matter.  We revisited it today just to be sure.  It's why the plan as of a few hours ago was to wait another month, esp. given that he will be OOT for the next 10 days.  But if it's wise to do it sooner for TTC reasons, I'll beg to get in with a different RE ASAP since I'm already on cd6.

And yes, we'll have to keep each other posted!  THANK YOU for your feedback today!!!

ETA: I see you had your IUI just 3 days later -- no time for the polyp to come out!  And Jasper's little self didn't need to go to the top of your uterus, apparently...YAY for the adorable result!!!

epphd

I had two 7mm polyps removed before IVF #1.  I think it's probably worth it since they are estrogen sensitive and can grow during treatment/TTC. If you keep having chemicals you won't know if the polyp is acting like an IUD. Sorry to hear about it

ETA: to Alchris and MrsJeffswife: a polyp is a precancerous lesion in VERY VERY rare instances. They are almost always benign overgrowths and are sent for tissue typing just in case.  Don't even worry about the cancer "link" - if you were not TTC you'd never know it was there and it would probably never cause a concern.

 

alchris

epphd:

I had two 7mm polyps removed before IVF #1.  I think it's probably worth it since they are estrogen sensitive and can grow during treatment/TTC. If you keep having chemicals you won't know if the polyp is acting like an IUD. Sorry to hear about it

ETA: to Alchris and MrsJeffswife: a polyp is a precancerous lesion in VERY VERY rare instances. They are almost always benign overgrowths and are sent for tissue typing just in case.  Don't even worry about the cancer "link" - if you were not TTC you'd never know it was there and it would probably never cause a concern.

Thank you for this.  It's great food for thought.

As far as it needing to come out eventually, I just hung up the phone with my RE, and he said that yes, it would need to come out eventually.  He added that it's possible for it to come out during childbirth, however.  That's good news for you, MrsJeffsWife, esp. in light of epphd's expertise; of course it complicates the immediate decision for me.

And MrsJeffsWife, I'm sorry that I didn't recall that you responded to my initial question about this back on 12/1 -- thank you!  Indeed my RE did say that the top of the uterus is a common place for implantation.  I don't know why he didn't mention that before -- he told me multiple times earlier that it was small and thus the likelihood of it affecting anything TTC- or pg-related was small.  He somewhat laughed when I asked if the location may explain my c/ps...he has no idea.  But obviously it's not totally necessary to have it removed -- teensy Jasper made it by!

I'm just stuck as far as what to do.  I think my RE was already at the airport on his way to Orlando when he called -- he had to hang up really quickly.

JGirl2005

if you have to anyway, do it now because it can affect implantation...

they give you the results pretty quickly (less than a week regarding cancerous).  I had a few polyps that could have hurt my implantation.

skoorbnibor

why OOP, A?

and I would get it removed... I did.

alchris

Thanks SO much, JGirl and Skoorb.  DH and I have been going back and forth all night!

I wasn't able to get an exact $ amount but I should tomorrow.  It looks like it will be at least $2000 after insurance because it's considered a hospital procedure (even though it's next door in the same office building) rather than an office procedure; an office procedure has just a copay.  Even an HSG today would have cost me $1000+ after insurance; I'm so thankful they let me change it back to an SHG since that was in office rather than a whole 10 feet away and thus $1000 more.   It's officially the same insurance as I had 3-4 years go, but the numbers are totally different; that HSG (which was actually IN the hospital) cost me just $50-$75, IIRC.

Here's what I wrote out a bit ago in an e-mail...pardon the C & P:

"DH and I made out a pro and con list to removing it this cycle, and this is all if I can even get in in the next few days with a different RE as mine is now in Florida!

Pros: Getting it over with, may help implantation esp. since haven't had success yet, could take Femara as soon as next month if there's an egg quality issue

Cons (i.e. wait another month): It'd be at least $2000 (possibly $3000? I should know tomorrow), it's surgery, may not be necessary for implantation, polyp may come out on its own during childbirth (and it's probably not necessary to come out at all), still waiting to get egg reserve bloodwork back which may itself be the reason for c/ps (should know by early next week), I would have to wait at least two months to take Femara or other meds, my RE is gone and I'm not even sure I can get in with one of the other REs so quickly

 

I wouldn't have to take the full cycle off, but I can't take ovulatory meds until I have it removed.  (That's a little odd since Femara has come up every cycle with them and the polyp was first found on 12/1.)  Of course, ovulatory meds may not be necessary if it's not an egg quality issue.  I wish the b/w would get back, but that specific test has to get sent out.

My RE has no problem waiting a month or even two to remove it.  If I were facing IVF, no brainer I'd have it done first, but for me waiting a month isn't the end of the world.  I just don't know if I feel idiotic and cheap waiting on something that may help, but might be irrelevant as he'd been thinking for these last few months."

 

So, still undecided.  DH is leaning toward waiting and trying this cycle without having it done.

Everyone's feedback is SO helpful and I'm very appreciative.