Intro and questions about next steps

TRP85 · September 2015

Hi ladies,
I haven't posted on this board before but I used to post on TTGP when we first started TTC. We have been TTC for 13 months and I had an HSG at the six month mark which determined I have one blocked and another partially blocked tube. I had my first consult with an RE on Friday and am hoping I can learn a bit from your experiences. The RE said he can do a lacroscopy to confirm the extent of my tubal blockages and see if there is anything that can be done. The benefit to this is that I live in Canada so this procedure is covered by medical. The disadvantage is that I will likely have to wait until at least March to get it done and more importantly the RE thinks that, given my medical history, it is likely that the damage to my tubes is severe enough that he won't be able to repair it and even if he can our chances of pregnancy are still fairly low.
He recomended starting IVF and because we are otherwise very healthy he thinks we have a very high chance of success very quickly. If money was no object I would probably jump on this but I am very anxious about the cost, the procedure itself, and I am scared it won't work and we'll be out of options. I also I feel torn about skipping the lacroscopy in the off chance that it could be successful.
I am just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience, have you had a lacroscopy and was it successful? I know my hubby and I ultimately need to figure out what is best for us but I would love to have some insight from people who have had similar experiences. What should I do?
p.s. sorry this is so long winded!

riveridgional · September 2015

I don't have any experience from that. I have a friend whose uterus spasmed during the HSG showing she had blocked tubes. She did a lap so the doctor could confirm and repair. Turns out, her tubes were open but she did have some endometriosis the doctor was able to remove during the procedure. She eventually moved on to IVF and got pregnant. After the birth of her daughter she got pregnant with twins naturally the first time she had sex. They tried for nearly 3 years for the first. She's not sure how she got pregnant so easily the second time. It could have been the endometriosis that was hurting her.

Long story not so short, it's hard to say whether the lap will help and whether you'll have to do IVF anyway. If you have concerns about endometriosis, it may be a good idea to do the lap so you can knock 2 birds out wit one stone. Can you go ahead and make your appointment while you think about it and then cancel if you decide to just do IVF instead?

villacis811 · September 2015

Hi @TRP85

I also have a blocked tube. Since we also have some MIF issues we decided we are going to be starting IVF. My RE advised us that if we didn't remove the tube I would be cutting my chances in half of the IVF being successful Therefore I will be having it removed in two weeks. I was told the procedure would have to be done before the transfer which I'm hoping will be mid-late october. Did your RE say you could proceed with IVF without removing your tube? Also from what I understand if only one of your tubes is removed you could still get pregnant naturally. I'm not sure your will be able to make any decisions until you see if one or both are removed.

riveridgional · September 2015

@villacis811 Purely out of curiosity, did your doctor say why removing the tube would help or, rather, why failing to remove it would hurt your chances? My guess would have been since you are bypassing the tubes it wouldn't affect chances, so I'm really interested. I'm kinda a nerd with all this fertility stuff. Though I hate I and we are all here, I find the science behind it all fascinating and feel like I missed my calling!

villacis811 · September 2015

He did explain it to us because I really don't want to have the procedure due to the fact that the recovery doesn't seem like it will be that easy. Also many people live with a blocked tube. He said if we were not going the IVF route he wouldn't have advised the removal. I think without removing it he was concerned about having an ectopic pregnancy but I don't remember the exact answer he gave us. I know from these boards it seems like quite a few people had to have the surgery before having any treatment.

TRP85 · September 2015

Thanks for the responses.
@villacis811 one is completely blocked and the other is mostly blocked based on the hsg. Also, with my medical history it is likely that it's caused by a significant amount of scar tissue which is tough. Being that I haven't gotten pregnant they don't see me getting pregnant naturally which is why they suggested ivf. I am surprised to hear they recommended removing you tubes because my RE didn't mention that at all.

villacis811 · September 2015

Maybe in my case its different since I only have one tube blocked?? Not sure. DH and I were told the same thing but its also combined with the fact that he also has some fertility issues. They also told me that they think i have scar tissue but the RE said he wouldn't know for sure if its scar tissue until he actually does the procedure.

TRP85 · September 2015

@villacis811 that makes sense. I know my aunt had a tube removed and it seemed to help he fertility because the good one then took over entirely... If that makes sense!?! Best of luck with the surgery!

villacis811 · September 2015

@riveridgional i believe it's not going to help me by removing it but leaving it there would cut my chances by 50%

ColeM91 · September 2015

New here. I had both tubes blocked for years. Recently during a fem view I was told one was blocked and one was clear(miracle from God) . I just had surgery August 18. Laporoscopy didn't work and had to get a c section incision and overnight at the hospital. I was told by removing the clogged tube it will help with IVF & getting pregnant, (now I can try own our own as well) because the infected fluid that clogs the tube can leak out into the uterus and kill the embryo or egg. Just got my period and I am waiting to see what the next steps are. I hope this was helpful.

TRP85 · September 2015

Interesting, thanks all. I've set up an appointment for later this week to talk a bit more about a lap but we're really leaning towards IVF. I just have a hard time putting myself through yet another surgery ( I have had MANY in my life) if the chances of success are so low and it means we'll have to be TTC for so much longer. Argh. I hate this today.

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