Lurker from IF with no Tubes and a ?

mfarmer0811

Hi everyone! I'm a Lurker from IF and 3T...I tried finding a message board with my ? but couldn't.

I recently had both tubes removed. We go back to RE Friday to see what our next steps are.

My first ? is...how soon after tube removal could I start IVF? Everything else is normal. normal periods, good ovaries, good uteurs, etc.

My second ? is, (and it may sound crazy) but, has anyone ever gotten pregnant naturally without their tubes?

TIA for any responses, advice, or support!

IBackBevo

Welcome!  I hope to see you here soon. 

I don't know for sure the answer to the first question, but I would guess as soon as you are healed up from surgery.  I know from a SIL and friend who have had fibroids removed that they wanted them to wait 6 months for that surgery, but they were removing something from the actual uterus in those instances so I would not think it would be as long for you.

As for the second question, it would not be anatomically possible to get pregnant naturally without your tubes because the egg travels down your tubes from the ovaries to your uterus. 

mfarmer0811

I've "read" online that it can happen, I was just wondering if anyone here was so lucky! It's only about a 1-2% chance..which technically, is more than what it was before they removed my tubes...they were so blocked with Endo. I believe anything is possible, just not always probable.

IBackBevo

mfarmer0811:

I've "read" online that it can happen, I was just wondering if anyone here was so lucky! It's only about a 1-2% chance..which technically, is more than what it was before they removed my tubes...they were so blocked with Endo. I believe anything is possible, just not always probable.

If a person has had their tubes completely removed, there is no possible way for them to get pregnant unless they have IVF.  There is no way for the egg to travel from the ovaries to the uterus without fallopian tubes. 

My guess is what you are reading is the situation where someone has their "tubes tied" or a tubal ligation where only a very small section is removed.  In this instance, there is a very small chance of becoming pregnant because sometimes a small opening remains after healing in the tubes or a very small portion of the tube grows back.  However, it is my understanding (and I could be wrong), that this procedure is different from having your tubes completely removed.   It is my understanding that if you do not have fallopian tubes, you cannot get pregnant without IVF. Similarly, if you have had your ovaries removed, you could not get pregnant. 

My guess is that the 1-2 percent chance of pregnancy statistic relates to tubal ligations - not when a person has their tubes removed. 

I have not had this procedure so someone else is free to chime in and correct me, but to the best of my knowledge, it is not anatomically possible to get pregnant if you have no tubes.

Edit: Kept calling it litigation instead of ligation - I guess you know where my head is!  I need to quit bumping at work.

IBackBevo

Okay, so I looked it up because your post saying it was possible had me very curious. Certainly, I have heard of very strange things happening before. 

Unfortunately, I am pretty sure I am correct in what I was saying in my last post.  What it sounds like you had based on your description was a bilateral salpingectomy.  This is different from just having your tubes tied or a tubal ligation. A salpingectomy is usually done if the tubes are infected, due to an ectopic or tubal pregnancy or, as in your case, because of endometriosis.  If only one tube is removed, a woman can still become pregnant (obviously) from the other side.  However, if both tubes are compeltely removed (i.e. a salpingectomy), natural conception is not possible.

I am not your doctor.  I am just some stranger on an internet board. By all means, please ask your doctor if natural conception is possible, but based on what you are telling me I just don't see where it could be.  My guess is that the statistic you are referring to is based on tubal ligations. I also would guess that if someone is saying they got pregnant after having their tubes removed, then they actually only had a tubal ligation or only had one tube removed.

My advice to you would be to pursue IVF. Good luck!

Dragonfly1226

I am not sure how long after your surgery you have to wait to cycle, but your RE will definitely be able to tell you on Friday. My best guess would be at least three months, but it is just a guess. Without your tubes it would be impossible to conceive without IVF. The good news is that your chances are geat with IVF! I have a DS from an IVF cycle and twins on the way from a subsequent FET. Wishing you the very best of luck!

mfarmer0811

IBackBevo:

Okay, so I looked it up because your post saying it was possible had me very curious. Certainly, I have heard of very strange things happening before. 

Unfortunately, I am pretty sure I am correct in what I was saying in my last post.  What it sounds like you had based on your description was a bilateral salpingectomy.  This is different from just having your tubes tied or a tubal ligation. A salpingectomy is usually done if the tubes are infected, due to an ectopic or tubal pregnancy or, as in your case, because of endometriosis.  If only one tube is removed, a woman can still become pregnant (obviously) from the other side.  However, if both tubes are compeltely removed (i.e. a salpingectomy), natural conception is not possible.

I am not your doctor.  I am just some stranger on an internet board. By all means, please ask your doctor if natural conception is possible, but based on what you are telling me I just don't see where it could be.  My guess is that the statistic you are referring to is based on tubal ligations. I also would guess that if someone is saying they got pregnant after having their tubes removed, then they actually only had a tubal ligation or only had one tube removed.

My advice to you would be to pursue IVF. Good luck!

Thank you! I had heard this from my DH, and I wanted to look it up myself, I only checked a couple of websites, and I guess I didn't know the exact term of my procedure. But, what you are saying does make sense! I guess a woman with even a small portion of the tube still there, there is a possible, not probable chance of having a natural conception. I guess I'm still in denial that I'm 28 years old, and have no Fallopian tubes. It's been less than 2 weeks since I had the surgery, and so I was trying to cling to a hope that just isn't there. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this. Thanks again for taking the time to look this up, and clarify it for me! It truly means a lot!

IBackBevo

mfarmer0811:

IBackBevo:

Okay, so I looked it up because your post saying it was possible had me very curious. Certainly, I have heard of very strange things happening before. 

Unfortunately, I am pretty sure I am correct in what I was saying in my last post.  What it sounds like you had based on your description was a bilateral salpingectomy.  This is different from just having your tubes tied or a tubal ligation. A salpingectomy is usually done if the tubes are infected, due to an ectopic or tubal pregnancy or, as in your case, because of endometriosis.  If only one tube is removed, a woman can still become pregnant (obviously) from the other side.  However, if both tubes are compeltely removed (i.e. a salpingectomy), natural conception is not possible.

I am not your doctor.  I am just some stranger on an internet board. By all means, please ask your doctor if natural conception is possible, but based on what you are telling me I just don't see where it could be.  My guess is that the statistic you are referring to is based on tubal ligations. I also would guess that if someone is saying they got pregnant after having their tubes removed, then they actually only had a tubal ligation or only had one tube removed.

My advice to you would be to pursue IVF. Good luck!

Thank you! I had heard this from my DH, and I wanted to look it up myself, I only checked a couple of websites, and I guess I didn't know the exact term of my procedure. But, what you are saying does make sense! I guess a woman with even a small portion of the tube still there, there is a possible, not probable chance of having a natural conception. I guess I'm still in denial that I'm 28 years old, and have no Fallopian tubes. It's been less than 2 weeks since I had the surgery, and so I was trying to cling to a hope that just isn't there. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this. Thanks again for taking the time to look this up, and clarify it for me! It truly means a lot!

I am so sorry you are having to go through this!  It sucks. I'm glad I could help even if it wasn't what you wanted to hear.

I don't know exactly what you are going through since "natural" conception for me is not zero chance, but I was, like you, young (barely 31) when I got my DOR diagnosis and basically found out that I had the egg reserve and hormone levels of a woman in her late 40's.  I was devastated.  I had to go through ART (artificial reproduction) to have a baby, but I was able to have one.

I know it is hard to look on the bright side of things, but like above posters said, the good news is that with IVF, you will probably have an excellent chance of having success.  You will no doubt have to grieve the loss of the ability of a having a child the old fashioned way, but the good news is that you can most likely still have a child through modern medicine.  Again, I'm sorry you are going through this and I wish you the best of luck!

As an aside, I think there is a women on the "Infertility" board who has had her tubes removed, too.  I can not remember her name and I don't know for sure if she still posts over there, but I know I have seen someone before who had their tubes removed and was doing IVF. (Unfortunately, I may also be remembering something from 1.5 years ago.) You might trying asking over there, though, just in case she is still around.  There are also alot of women on the IF board who can be very supportive and give you great information and, while they may have slightly different conception-related obstacles to overcome, they still more or less know what you are going through.  They were a great source of both information and support when I got my diagnosis and went through IF.

Good luck!

missjul61

I had to wait 3 months after my tube was removed to retry IVF. Good luck! ETA: i agree that you have a great chance at success with IVF if your tubes were the only obstacle. Dont be discouraged. Keep us posted!