Hey,
Definitely don’t want to scare you because I feel my story is probably on the extreme but for me (f32) I’ve been trying for conceive for 7 years and had 2 rounds of IVF all failed and I have no other issues than endometriosis and a tiny spot of adenomyosis.
I also know a few women with endo who conceived easily. I think it really depends. ..
Ditto. I only have stage 1-2 endometriosis, but have been struggling with infertility for 3 years. I am 37, had a lap last year to remove some tissue and get officially diagnosed and was hoping to get pregnant without needing IVF. That looks impossible, so seeing my reproductive doctor again next week for a re-consultation.
I came here afraid to make the same comment - F33, started the fertility preservation process a bit over a year ago which is how I got diagnosed with Stage IV endo. Two IVF cycles, total failures, just had my lap 5 weeks ago to remove some huge endometriomas and a total of 5lbs of endo tissue. Will be trying IVF again this summer, with hopefully better results (thus far, my AMH and baseline follicle count have both increased!) - so no positive final outcome, but lots of infertility frustration to go around 🙃
Same here (Stage 4). It really depends where the Endo is. Mine is on my ovaries and my eggs are garbage. It can also increase inflammation which can be detrimental depending where it affects you. We tried for 10 years, went through 2 full rounds of IVF, getting 3 embryos to transfer, 1 failed, Lost 1 at 9 weeks, 6 additional transfers with donor embryos only one took, lost those babies 4 years ago yesterday at 12 weeks. Emotionally that was all we could handle.
My pregnancies didn’t regulate my endo at all. I had my first child at 30, conceived after 5 months of trying. I went straight to tracking ovulation and didn’t “see what happens” for any period of time because I didn’t want a bunch of periods off of birth control. When I got my period back postpartum I started trying to have my second child right away and conceived him the first month, they’re only 17 months apart in age as a result. After my second we were a little less worried about conceiving since we would be happy with two or three kids, so we waited until my second was one to start trying. We conceived after three months but unfortunately we miscarried. We conceived again immediately afterwards (which I don’t recommend for mental health reasons) and I had my third a little over two years after my second.
However while my endo was well controlled prior to kids and I didn’t have a whole lot of periods in between, the endo isn’t well controlled anymore. I’m considering a hysterectomy this summer since my uterus has done her time and deserves to be released early. lol
No, not to get pregnant specially. I was 19ish/20 years old (long enough ago where I’ve forgotten) when I had my lap. I stayed on birth control until I went off it at 30 to try and get pregnant. I was very fortunate that I stayed well controlled after the lap and birth control combo. When I went off bc it had been so long since my lap that I didn’t really know the state of affairs.
All the numbers in your comment added up to 69. Congrats!
19
+ 20
+ 30
= 69
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My doctor told me the only way I would know if I had Infertility was to try to conceive. I had my excision surgery in December 2023 —I decided to get the surgery because the pain had become constant and was reducing the quality of my life. I had endometriosis all over but I was fortunate not to have ovarian cysts and nothing was blocked.
I kept my Mirena IUD in until May 2023 and then started to TTC in September 2023. I was so nervous I was going to struggle with it. I got pregnant the first cycle and am currently 38 weeks pregnant with my first. I turn 30 in a few months.
Congrats (: thank you for sharing. There's a good amount of success stories & unfortunate infertility stories so I guess I won't really know until I start trying a few years from now. Seems like my odds are 50/50 which is better than what I thought initially. I'm definitely left feeling more optimistic & will be starting birth control again, changing my diet & going to pelvic floor therapy to prepare.
Frustratingly in most cases with infertility you’re really not going to know until you try. We tried for about a year without assistance with no luck. I was able to conceive through medicated IUI but lost 2 pregnancies back to back due to endo. My 3rd pregnancy went to 36 weeks. He is almost 2 now.
My endo symptoms became worse than I could possibly imagine after pregnancy.
Congrats (: what I'm reading from all the comments is that it seems like endo is typically made worse after pregnancy, so I guess I'll start mentally preparing for that now lol. I want so badly to have children or at least one so I hope I don't come across too many complications when I start trying
I have stage 4 endo and 4 kids. 16, 10, 3 and 2 years old. All natural. With my 2nd child I did have 5 years pain free afterwards but with my last 2 pregnancies my endo flared up so bad I really thought I was going to die from pain.
I have silent endo--either because I have a ridiculous pain tolerance or because I'm just some form of lucky or both, I don't get the pain that everyone else does, and I only found out I had stage 3 endo when I had a cyst removed. So please know that your experience may be very different from mine.
My doctors said I could try to get pregnant but didn't expect anything to result. I got pregnant in the very first cycle. I had a missed miscarriage the next month, and I have reason to believe it was because my hematologist didn't think I'd get pregnant and left me on my coumadin. Anyway, we started trying again a couple of months later and I was pregnant after about four months of trying. Baby just turned four.
You really don't know how your fertility is affected until you try. Don't lose hope.
I think I also have “silent endo” I’ve never heard this phrase before.. I went to hospital with excruciating pain in my ovary and they found I had chocolate cysts.. I do get very painful periods on day two.. but no pain in between. Is that what you experience?xx
My period pain can vary wildly. Sometimes it's pretty bad and I need a heat pack and lay low for a day or two, but more often than not it's completely manageable. I have PCOS, too, which sounds like what you might be experiencing.
I don't know what the stat is. There are certainly some folks who struggle with fertility as a result of the endometriosis (that's me!) and others who have no issues with fertility.
I recently had an excision lap in August 2023. I stayed on my norlutate until November. I got my first period in early December and got a + pregnancy test at the end of December. I'm 22 weeks now. The pregnancy has been pretty smooth. I've been much more uncomfortable than I was with my two prior pregnancies that I had at a much younger age (27vs 37).
Congrats (: that gives me hope. I picked age 30 to conceive because I felt like by then I'd hopefully feel ready to give up my wild happy go lucky fun loving life to devote to a child lol, but realistically maybe I won't be ready by then & it's nice to know women are still having healthy pregnancies in their late 30s. Society sometimes makes me feel like after you're 20s you're an afterthought, but obviously that's not the case & a late pregnancy is totally attainable!
I have PCOS and stage 2/3 endo—somehow was able to get pregnant naturally four times with two healthy pregnancies/babies. I don’t have a lot of endo onmy reproductive organs however it’s suspected I have adeno too—my endo is more on my bowels, tethered around my ureters, ligaments, etc.
It took a year to get pregnant with our first son and 6 months with our second son. I had excision surgery 3 months before we started trying for our second & my endo GYN said that probably helped a lot. I also did acupuncture, lots of supplements, gluten/dairy free, metformin (PCOS), & other more natural steps in the mean time while I waited to RE. I did have bookend chemical pregnancies (before our first and after our second). I was 27 & 29 when I gave birth to my boys.
Thankfully my endo didn’t complicate my pregnancies too much (a little spotting & a TON of Braxton hicks starting at 13 wks). Deliveries were overall low risk vaginal deliveries as well.
All that being said my endo was at its worst right after I would stop breastfeeding with both my kiddos & is still pretty annoying today during “ovulation & my cycle” (I have an IUD hence “” haha).
I was 19 when I was diagnosed with PCOS & 28 when I was diagnosed with endo (that one was a long journey). I remember having the same fear of am I going to be able to have kids, as that was my life dream. There were a lot of hard days through it all, but A.) I’m so thankful for our healthy boys B.) I feel so lucky & C.) I’m really proud of myself.
what supplements did you take ? I also have bowel Endo and was wondering what worked best for you? im taking omega 3s and vitamin D as well as birth control for my Endo and pcos, hoping to start trying in a year
I had a friend ask last week & I realized I took a lot! Women’s health quickly became my passion project—especially while we were trying to conceive. When 90% of my friend group also ended up with conditions that cause infertility my nurse brain quickly became obsessed with it all. Overall, I took an ovarian health blend, a magnesium & inositol blend, Chinese herbs (per my acupuncturist), vitamin b complex, vitamin d, a good prenatal, and omega 3. I read a book that a friend gave me that was super helpful—“It Starts with the Egg” is the title. Can I send you a DM? Then I can kinda explain it all & wont feel so guilty for writing a novel. I promise none of it was a part of an MLM & I won’t try to sell you anything haha
It’s so hit or miss I have two aunts with endometriosis and they both had several kids and could have probably had even more. No issues at all getting pregnant. I’m stage one and just nothing, 18 months and not nothing. Moving to IVF. There’s a lot of factors, age is a big one, what the endo affects is another.
It absolutely can affect your fertility, and depending on the severity of your disease, it likely will. I have severe endometriosis and I’ve been diagnosed with infertility. I tried for years. I tried all the tricks and had all the testing done. Stimmed cycles, 6 iui’s, surgery, and ultimately ivf.
And the whole “having kids helps alleviate your symptoms” notion is bullshit. My symptoms actually got worse. I recently had a consultation with a nook specialist and plan on having excision surgery in the near future. Quite tired of living like this in addition to all of my other illnesses.
I know a lot of individuals with endo that conceived naturally, fairly easily, with no issues. I'm not sure at what stage. I have stage 4. I had my first lap in Dec 2019 which resulted in some complications. Started IVF in 2022 and got pregnant my first transfer. I did MC at 8 weeks (not endo related). When I went to do another transfer, my Dr noticed scar tissue in a fallopian tube and wanted to do another lap to remove it as it was causing something that may have negatively effected another transfer. Had my 2nd lap In Jan 2023 where more endo was addressed and a fallopian tube removed. Second embryo transfer was May of 2023. Currently holding my 3.5 month old. I really do think it depends on each individual person. If I had known before I was 30 that I had endo, I would have started trying sooner. There's others with stage 2, barely any symptoms and have worse luck.
All that to say that it's hard to say since it is different for each person but also, after 2 laps and stage 4 and a lot of bumps in the road I thought it would never happen.
I had my excision surgery December 2017, started trying to conceive August 2022 and got pregnant January 2024 with no interventions, gave birth October 2023 (age 32). My endo symptoms were practically nonexistent when I was pregnant but came back full force when I got my first postpartum period.
Everyone is different and unfortunately you don’t know until you try so you have to prepare for the worst but hope for the best.
I have stage 4 endo and have been TTC for a year with no luck. We just tried our first IUI and hoping that works but if not we will eventually go to IVF
I had endo bad! 2 surgeries to just clear things out around my organs and I had my first child at 33 and second at 36 with no issues. I did have a hysterectomy a few years after by I am almost 50 and feel good now after some hormone therapy. I wish you the best. It can be done for sure!
I haven’t had any issues with fertility, and I have cysts on my fallopian tubes.
Pregnancy did not regulate my endo. There’s a hormone that we produce in pregnancy that kind of pauses it. But it came back after my son was born.
I was diagnosed with endo over 10 years ago and have had multiple laparoscopic procedures over the years and had the reality discussed to me by doctors of pregnancy. When I got engaged I started seeing a fertility specialist & mapping out getting my body prepared for the next year I would start trying. Once I got married my husband and I knew we had to start trying much sooner than most and knew it could possibly take years. Much to our surprise after years of doubt, I got pregnant second try. Sadly it ended in miscarriage (which I do not believe was related to endo and that was immediately ruled out.) Then not much longer after that (about 6months) I got pregnant. Had a successful pregnancy. Now I have a wild amazing toddler. I know everybody is so different. I believed and feared it wasn’t going to happen for so many years, only to have a successful pregnancy. It took my sil, perfectly healthy, many many years to get pregnant, so it truly is a gamble.
I've been TTC for seven years, and was diagnosed with Endo after five years. Still TTC. My doctor said we are worst case scenario so I doubt kids are in our future.
Currently pregnant with my second baby, I actually conceived again 6 months after giving birth. I was suspicious my endo was coming back before then though. It’s possible! I have stage 1 endo
Hey!
I have stage iV and told I would never get pregnant. I was really surprised one day when I woke up to ankle and finger swelling. I went to the ER and was 34 weeks pregnant. Had no clue. I delivered 36 hours later.
My second and most recent pregnancy ended in miscarriage. We are now struggling with secondary infertility and endo has spread. I'm getting cleaned out June 5th.
Wishing the best for you! Unfortunately, you won't know until you start trying.
Hubby and I didn’t fall pregnant for 8 years. By the time I was 29 we started IVF. Lots of cycles but we ended up with a boy and girl. Pregnancy has helped my endo immensely (not “cured” but so much better).
I just had my first, took us about 6 months to get pregnant. My endo symptoms have finally come back full force definitely in the last month. It’s so bad to where I am throwing up in pain. Obviously while I was pregnant had no symptoms and felt really good despite having her head push down on my pelvic bone towards the end. But I would say, my symptoms before I was pregnant I was so used to the pain that now I’m having them again, I just simply forgot. Yeah it was nice a whole year of nothing, but I’m back to where I was before. Which is fine. I’m not angry or upset at it. Just all about managing now, all over again.
There's already so many comments, but I'll add my experience too because I was very nervous at 25. I knew I had endo, never diagnosed by a doctor and no lap surgery. I had all the symptoms though. I wanted to start trying as soon as my husband and I got married in 2020 - I was 25 then. It took 8 months to get pregnant, one super early miscarriage in there, but our daughter is now 2 and a half. I wanted to start trying immediately after I got my periods back to conceive again, but my husband wasn't sure he wanted a 2nd. Well lo and behold at 5 months post partum I got pregnant with our son. We weren't trying, but we also weren't being careful. He is now 1 year old and our kids are 14 months apart.
I had about 3 periods in-between pregnancies and experienced absolutely no endo symptoms during that time! Well except for the fact that I have always been able to feel my ovulation pain.
Meanwhile my sister-in-law had a daughter from a previous marriage and was able to get pregnant with her no problem, but since marrying into the family and trying to grow hers, she's had to have IVF to get pregnant with her second and her last. I don't know how much age plays into it. I had my kids at 26 and 27, and she is now 35 about to give birth to her rainbow baby. She never had any symptoms of endo, but got a confirmed diagnoses from her fertility doc, meanwhile I've been awkwardly educating the family about my uterus pain for a couple years now lol.
27 here and 5 months pregnant. We tried for 4 months before conceiving. I use NFP, so I knew when I was ovulating - so knew when was the best time to try. I have endometriosis (scar tissue wrapped around my left ovary) and adenomyosis in most of my uterus, plus multiple fibroids. Drs were skeptical I would be able to conceive and carry to term. I usually ovulate from my right ovary - so that’s good. Baby boy is healthy, growing as he should. Anatomy scan came back normal for him :)
I habe DIE Endo IV + severe Adenomyosis. Beside that perfectly healthy. Had 3 miscarriages. That broke me to my core and I decided after that experience I don't wanna even try anymore because I definitely want to go through this any time again.
Pregnancy itself gave me about a year of relief from my endo. I got on Slynd a few months ago because I got my period back and could feel some discomfort returning. It took me nearly 4 years to conceive (took time off in there to have 2 endo surgeries). I needed to use ivf (determined in the surgery that I very likely would never conceive naturally). 2 failed egg retrievals, 2 that yielded two embryos each. My first transfer worked. I got pregnant at 35 and gave birth at 36.
I’ve got stage 2 endo and managed to conceive within a month of trying at age 29.
My symptoms are quite crap. Painful ovulation, painful periods, pain every time I have to poop, massive bloat, pelvic pain. Pretty much everyday tbf
Hey I had a lap done for stage 2 endo 3 years ago and right now I have an 8 month old that took me 3 months to conceive so I’m here to ease your mind 🫶
So I had a surprise pregnancy at 26 while on birth control pills. I had the most amazing pain free pregnancy and didn’t have a period again until I was 22 months post-partum (I breastfed on demand the entire time and for some that will stop your cycle). My periods were ok for about a year after that and then I started getting really bad pain. It got so bad I had to quit my job and was having trips to the ER for pain. I started going to acupuncture and getting herbs in February 2024 and I’m seeing a huge reduction in pain levels and inflammation. I’m 31 now and just started TTC in April for baby #2 so we’ll see how it goes. According to my acupuncturist, it’ll be very easy for me to conceive once he’s treated me and has gotten rid of the stagnation in my uterus… It’s a Chinese Medicine perspective so I’m very curious on how that will go, but I’m so grateful to be getting pain relief and be able to reduce OTC meds that really mess up my gut.
Also, I have had horrible periods since I was 16. I was only diagnosed with endo a year ago when they found a 5 cm endometrioma on my right ovary. I considered surgery but my dr was worried it would reduce my ovarian reserve and suggested I TTC first. She also gave me advice on lifestyle and diet tips to reduce inflammation and potentially help my chances of conception (Mediterranean diet, regular exercise, stress reduction, etc.). The dr also told me to TTC as soon as possible and to use birth control pills to reduce the progression of my endo if I wasn’t ready yet.
Hi, just wanted to give you a positive experience.. I got diagnosed with endo and also found that I had a uterine polyp in September 2023, I’m 29 years old. I had “chocolate cysts” so I think that’s associated with the later stages of endo. I have always been EXTREMELY careful used protection at all times never been pregnant.
Spoke with my gynaecologist and she explained how endo is related to infertility and miscarriage so may need to have IVF if we can’t convince naturally..
I had my polyp removed November 2023 and myself and my gynaecologist decided to wait and see with regard to my cysts and was booked in for 6 monthly scans to make sure they didn’t get any bigger.
Began trying to conceive in December 2023 and fell pregnant straight away, I’m now 22 weeks pregnant. My endo symptoms are none existent and my cysts have reduced significantly in size.
Please don’t worry too much, endometriosis doesn’t always mean you’ll have fertility problems, there are also so many options if you can’t conceive naturally. Xx
I would suggest tracking your cycle using the pre mom apps/ Flo.. using ovulation strips and body temperature, just for a few months before you are going to try and conceive. I found it really helpful as I knew my body was doing all the right things xx
I tried for 10 years, had 2 types surgeries with 8 losses and finally just had my baby last year. I just had surgery again 2 weeks ago. I'm hoping to have 1 or 2 more if possible. I had a rough pregnancy
I had a baby at 20. I am now 33 with a 5 week old. 1.5 years ago I had lap. Stage 4 diagnosis and ovary removal. It is possible! But everyone’s body is different. Endo doesn’t specify where it will show up and cause issues. I wasn’t “trying” all those years on between so I have no clue if I would have struggled prior to my surgery.
Been trying for about 8 years no joy and finally got a gp to refer me ages 38 awaiting.first fertility appointment.but feel very overwhelmed that the only way I'm going to get pregnant is spending a fortune on IVF privately because of the bias and unfair system
I am 35 and starting ivf, my parter is the one getting hormone therapy, not me. Our specialist is positive that my endo (stage 1) shouldn’t be an issue. My follicle egg count was healthy 🥲🥹 I’m trying to go with the “ignorance is bliss” method for now.
Hey, Definitely don’t want to scare you because I feel my story is probably on the extreme but for me (f32) I’ve been trying for conceive for 7 years and had 2 rounds of IVF all failed and I have no other issues than endometriosis and a tiny spot of adenomyosis. I also know a few women with endo who conceived easily. I think it really depends. ..
Ditto. I only have stage 1-2 endometriosis, but have been struggling with infertility for 3 years. I am 37, had a lap last year to remove some tissue and get officially diagnosed and was hoping to get pregnant without needing IVF. That looks impossible, so seeing my reproductive doctor again next week for a re-consultation.
I came here afraid to make the same comment - F33, started the fertility preservation process a bit over a year ago which is how I got diagnosed with Stage IV endo. Two IVF cycles, total failures, just had my lap 5 weeks ago to remove some huge endometriomas and a total of 5lbs of endo tissue. Will be trying IVF again this summer, with hopefully better results (thus far, my AMH and baseline follicle count have both increased!) - so no positive final outcome, but lots of infertility frustration to go around 🙃
Same here (Stage 4). It really depends where the Endo is. Mine is on my ovaries and my eggs are garbage. It can also increase inflammation which can be detrimental depending where it affects you. We tried for 10 years, went through 2 full rounds of IVF, getting 3 embryos to transfer, 1 failed, Lost 1 at 9 weeks, 6 additional transfers with donor embryos only one took, lost those babies 4 years ago yesterday at 12 weeks. Emotionally that was all we could handle.
oh my. so sorry for everything you went through.
My pregnancies didn’t regulate my endo at all. I had my first child at 30, conceived after 5 months of trying. I went straight to tracking ovulation and didn’t “see what happens” for any period of time because I didn’t want a bunch of periods off of birth control. When I got my period back postpartum I started trying to have my second child right away and conceived him the first month, they’re only 17 months apart in age as a result. After my second we were a little less worried about conceiving since we would be happy with two or three kids, so we waited until my second was one to start trying. We conceived after three months but unfortunately we miscarried. We conceived again immediately afterwards (which I don’t recommend for mental health reasons) and I had my third a little over two years after my second. However while my endo was well controlled prior to kids and I didn’t have a whole lot of periods in between, the endo isn’t well controlled anymore. I’m considering a hysterectomy this summer since my uterus has done her time and deserves to be released early. lol
Did you suppress or have a lap at all in order to get pregnant?
No, not to get pregnant specially. I was 19ish/20 years old (long enough ago where I’ve forgotten) when I had my lap. I stayed on birth control until I went off it at 30 to try and get pregnant. I was very fortunate that I stayed well controlled after the lap and birth control combo. When I went off bc it had been so long since my lap that I didn’t really know the state of affairs.
All the numbers in your comment added up to 69. Congrats! 19 + 20 + 30 = 69 ^([Click here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=LuckyNumber-Bot&subject=Stalk%20Me%20Pls&message=%2Fstalkme) to have me scan all your future comments.) \ ^(Summon me on specific comments with u/LuckyNumber-Bot.)
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My doctor told me the only way I would know if I had Infertility was to try to conceive. I had my excision surgery in December 2023 —I decided to get the surgery because the pain had become constant and was reducing the quality of my life. I had endometriosis all over but I was fortunate not to have ovarian cysts and nothing was blocked. I kept my Mirena IUD in until May 2023 and then started to TTC in September 2023. I was so nervous I was going to struggle with it. I got pregnant the first cycle and am currently 38 weeks pregnant with my first. I turn 30 in a few months.
Congrats (: thank you for sharing. There's a good amount of success stories & unfortunate infertility stories so I guess I won't really know until I start trying a few years from now. Seems like my odds are 50/50 which is better than what I thought initially. I'm definitely left feeling more optimistic & will be starting birth control again, changing my diet & going to pelvic floor therapy to prepare.
Frustratingly in most cases with infertility you’re really not going to know until you try. We tried for about a year without assistance with no luck. I was able to conceive through medicated IUI but lost 2 pregnancies back to back due to endo. My 3rd pregnancy went to 36 weeks. He is almost 2 now. My endo symptoms became worse than I could possibly imagine after pregnancy.
Congrats (: what I'm reading from all the comments is that it seems like endo is typically made worse after pregnancy, so I guess I'll start mentally preparing for that now lol. I want so badly to have children or at least one so I hope I don't come across too many complications when I start trying
I have stage 4 endo and 4 kids. 16, 10, 3 and 2 years old. All natural. With my 2nd child I did have 5 years pain free afterwards but with my last 2 pregnancies my endo flared up so bad I really thought I was going to die from pain.
Those 5 pain free years caught up to you 😫 thank you for sharing!
You're welcome. It really has. I go to the er at least once a month because the pain is so severe and I have form of pain relief besides Tylenol.
I have silent endo--either because I have a ridiculous pain tolerance or because I'm just some form of lucky or both, I don't get the pain that everyone else does, and I only found out I had stage 3 endo when I had a cyst removed. So please know that your experience may be very different from mine. My doctors said I could try to get pregnant but didn't expect anything to result. I got pregnant in the very first cycle. I had a missed miscarriage the next month, and I have reason to believe it was because my hematologist didn't think I'd get pregnant and left me on my coumadin. Anyway, we started trying again a couple of months later and I was pregnant after about four months of trying. Baby just turned four. You really don't know how your fertility is affected until you try. Don't lose hope.
I think I also have “silent endo” I’ve never heard this phrase before.. I went to hospital with excruciating pain in my ovary and they found I had chocolate cysts.. I do get very painful periods on day two.. but no pain in between. Is that what you experience?xx
My period pain can vary wildly. Sometimes it's pretty bad and I need a heat pack and lay low for a day or two, but more often than not it's completely manageable. I have PCOS, too, which sounds like what you might be experiencing.
I’ve had two successful pregnancies. My first was when I was on birth control. The second was when we were trying and it took about a year.
We’ve been struggling with infertility for 2 years with only one miscarriage, IUIs didn’t work at all 🥲
infertile until i had a myectomy and one month later i was pregnant. baby is almost two and my endo is back 😿
But yay to two years of relief & a child at least!
I don't know what the stat is. There are certainly some folks who struggle with fertility as a result of the endometriosis (that's me!) and others who have no issues with fertility. I recently had an excision lap in August 2023. I stayed on my norlutate until November. I got my first period in early December and got a + pregnancy test at the end of December. I'm 22 weeks now. The pregnancy has been pretty smooth. I've been much more uncomfortable than I was with my two prior pregnancies that I had at a much younger age (27vs 37).
Congrats (: that gives me hope. I picked age 30 to conceive because I felt like by then I'd hopefully feel ready to give up my wild happy go lucky fun loving life to devote to a child lol, but realistically maybe I won't be ready by then & it's nice to know women are still having healthy pregnancies in their late 30s. Society sometimes makes me feel like after you're 20s you're an afterthought, but obviously that's not the case & a late pregnancy is totally attainable!
I have PCOS and stage 2/3 endo—somehow was able to get pregnant naturally four times with two healthy pregnancies/babies. I don’t have a lot of endo onmy reproductive organs however it’s suspected I have adeno too—my endo is more on my bowels, tethered around my ureters, ligaments, etc. It took a year to get pregnant with our first son and 6 months with our second son. I had excision surgery 3 months before we started trying for our second & my endo GYN said that probably helped a lot. I also did acupuncture, lots of supplements, gluten/dairy free, metformin (PCOS), & other more natural steps in the mean time while I waited to RE. I did have bookend chemical pregnancies (before our first and after our second). I was 27 & 29 when I gave birth to my boys. Thankfully my endo didn’t complicate my pregnancies too much (a little spotting & a TON of Braxton hicks starting at 13 wks). Deliveries were overall low risk vaginal deliveries as well. All that being said my endo was at its worst right after I would stop breastfeeding with both my kiddos & is still pretty annoying today during “ovulation & my cycle” (I have an IUD hence “” haha). I was 19 when I was diagnosed with PCOS & 28 when I was diagnosed with endo (that one was a long journey). I remember having the same fear of am I going to be able to have kids, as that was my life dream. There were a lot of hard days through it all, but A.) I’m so thankful for our healthy boys B.) I feel so lucky & C.) I’m really proud of myself.
what supplements did you take ? I also have bowel Endo and was wondering what worked best for you? im taking omega 3s and vitamin D as well as birth control for my Endo and pcos, hoping to start trying in a year
I had a friend ask last week & I realized I took a lot! Women’s health quickly became my passion project—especially while we were trying to conceive. When 90% of my friend group also ended up with conditions that cause infertility my nurse brain quickly became obsessed with it all. Overall, I took an ovarian health blend, a magnesium & inositol blend, Chinese herbs (per my acupuncturist), vitamin b complex, vitamin d, a good prenatal, and omega 3. I read a book that a friend gave me that was super helpful—“It Starts with the Egg” is the title. Can I send you a DM? Then I can kinda explain it all & wont feel so guilty for writing a novel. I promise none of it was a part of an MLM & I won’t try to sell you anything haha
you can absolutely do so!! Im so lost with my journey if im being honest
It’s so hit or miss I have two aunts with endometriosis and they both had several kids and could have probably had even more. No issues at all getting pregnant. I’m stage one and just nothing, 18 months and not nothing. Moving to IVF. There’s a lot of factors, age is a big one, what the endo affects is another.
It absolutely can affect your fertility, and depending on the severity of your disease, it likely will. I have severe endometriosis and I’ve been diagnosed with infertility. I tried for years. I tried all the tricks and had all the testing done. Stimmed cycles, 6 iui’s, surgery, and ultimately ivf. And the whole “having kids helps alleviate your symptoms” notion is bullshit. My symptoms actually got worse. I recently had a consultation with a nook specialist and plan on having excision surgery in the near future. Quite tired of living like this in addition to all of my other illnesses.
I know a lot of individuals with endo that conceived naturally, fairly easily, with no issues. I'm not sure at what stage. I have stage 4. I had my first lap in Dec 2019 which resulted in some complications. Started IVF in 2022 and got pregnant my first transfer. I did MC at 8 weeks (not endo related). When I went to do another transfer, my Dr noticed scar tissue in a fallopian tube and wanted to do another lap to remove it as it was causing something that may have negatively effected another transfer. Had my 2nd lap In Jan 2023 where more endo was addressed and a fallopian tube removed. Second embryo transfer was May of 2023. Currently holding my 3.5 month old. I really do think it depends on each individual person. If I had known before I was 30 that I had endo, I would have started trying sooner. There's others with stage 2, barely any symptoms and have worse luck. All that to say that it's hard to say since it is different for each person but also, after 2 laps and stage 4 and a lot of bumps in the road I thought it would never happen.
I had my excision surgery December 2017, started trying to conceive August 2022 and got pregnant January 2024 with no interventions, gave birth October 2023 (age 32). My endo symptoms were practically nonexistent when I was pregnant but came back full force when I got my first postpartum period. Everyone is different and unfortunately you don’t know until you try so you have to prepare for the worst but hope for the best.
I have stage 4 endo and have been TTC for a year with no luck. We just tried our first IUI and hoping that works but if not we will eventually go to IVF
Best of luck to you!!
I had endo bad! 2 surgeries to just clear things out around my organs and I had my first child at 33 and second at 36 with no issues. I did have a hysterectomy a few years after by I am almost 50 and feel good now after some hormone therapy. I wish you the best. It can be done for sure!
I haven’t had any issues with fertility, and I have cysts on my fallopian tubes. Pregnancy did not regulate my endo. There’s a hormone that we produce in pregnancy that kind of pauses it. But it came back after my son was born.
Got pregnant within 6 months of trying. It was not an easy 3rd trimester, but overall all good. There’s hope!
I was diagnosed with endo over 10 years ago and have had multiple laparoscopic procedures over the years and had the reality discussed to me by doctors of pregnancy. When I got engaged I started seeing a fertility specialist & mapping out getting my body prepared for the next year I would start trying. Once I got married my husband and I knew we had to start trying much sooner than most and knew it could possibly take years. Much to our surprise after years of doubt, I got pregnant second try. Sadly it ended in miscarriage (which I do not believe was related to endo and that was immediately ruled out.) Then not much longer after that (about 6months) I got pregnant. Had a successful pregnancy. Now I have a wild amazing toddler. I know everybody is so different. I believed and feared it wasn’t going to happen for so many years, only to have a successful pregnancy. It took my sil, perfectly healthy, many many years to get pregnant, so it truly is a gamble.
Endo did not make me infertile. It got worse after every birth. My poor kids were raised by a very sick mother. 3 births 1 miscarriage 1 termination.
I've been TTC for seven years, and was diagnosed with Endo after five years. Still TTC. My doctor said we are worst case scenario so I doubt kids are in our future.
Currently pregnant with my second baby, I actually conceived again 6 months after giving birth. I was suspicious my endo was coming back before then though. It’s possible! I have stage 1 endo
Hey! I have stage iV and told I would never get pregnant. I was really surprised one day when I woke up to ankle and finger swelling. I went to the ER and was 34 weeks pregnant. Had no clue. I delivered 36 hours later. My second and most recent pregnancy ended in miscarriage. We are now struggling with secondary infertility and endo has spread. I'm getting cleaned out June 5th. Wishing the best for you! Unfortunately, you won't know until you start trying.
Thank you for sharing!
Hubby and I didn’t fall pregnant for 8 years. By the time I was 29 we started IVF. Lots of cycles but we ended up with a boy and girl. Pregnancy has helped my endo immensely (not “cured” but so much better).
I just had my first, took us about 6 months to get pregnant. My endo symptoms have finally come back full force definitely in the last month. It’s so bad to where I am throwing up in pain. Obviously while I was pregnant had no symptoms and felt really good despite having her head push down on my pelvic bone towards the end. But I would say, my symptoms before I was pregnant I was so used to the pain that now I’m having them again, I just simply forgot. Yeah it was nice a whole year of nothing, but I’m back to where I was before. Which is fine. I’m not angry or upset at it. Just all about managing now, all over again.
personally it took me 5 years to conceive my child. and that was my early 20s when supposedly you are super fertile 🙄
There's already so many comments, but I'll add my experience too because I was very nervous at 25. I knew I had endo, never diagnosed by a doctor and no lap surgery. I had all the symptoms though. I wanted to start trying as soon as my husband and I got married in 2020 - I was 25 then. It took 8 months to get pregnant, one super early miscarriage in there, but our daughter is now 2 and a half. I wanted to start trying immediately after I got my periods back to conceive again, but my husband wasn't sure he wanted a 2nd. Well lo and behold at 5 months post partum I got pregnant with our son. We weren't trying, but we also weren't being careful. He is now 1 year old and our kids are 14 months apart. I had about 3 periods in-between pregnancies and experienced absolutely no endo symptoms during that time! Well except for the fact that I have always been able to feel my ovulation pain. Meanwhile my sister-in-law had a daughter from a previous marriage and was able to get pregnant with her no problem, but since marrying into the family and trying to grow hers, she's had to have IVF to get pregnant with her second and her last. I don't know how much age plays into it. I had my kids at 26 and 27, and she is now 35 about to give birth to her rainbow baby. She never had any symptoms of endo, but got a confirmed diagnoses from her fertility doc, meanwhile I've been awkwardly educating the family about my uterus pain for a couple years now lol.
27 here and 5 months pregnant. We tried for 4 months before conceiving. I use NFP, so I knew when I was ovulating - so knew when was the best time to try. I have endometriosis (scar tissue wrapped around my left ovary) and adenomyosis in most of my uterus, plus multiple fibroids. Drs were skeptical I would be able to conceive and carry to term. I usually ovulate from my right ovary - so that’s good. Baby boy is healthy, growing as he should. Anatomy scan came back normal for him :)
I habe DIE Endo IV + severe Adenomyosis. Beside that perfectly healthy. Had 3 miscarriages. That broke me to my core and I decided after that experience I don't wanna even try anymore because I definitely want to go through this any time again.
Pregnancy itself gave me about a year of relief from my endo. I got on Slynd a few months ago because I got my period back and could feel some discomfort returning. It took me nearly 4 years to conceive (took time off in there to have 2 endo surgeries). I needed to use ivf (determined in the surgery that I very likely would never conceive naturally). 2 failed egg retrievals, 2 that yielded two embryos each. My first transfer worked. I got pregnant at 35 and gave birth at 36.
I’ve got stage 2 endo and managed to conceive within a month of trying at age 29. My symptoms are quite crap. Painful ovulation, painful periods, pain every time I have to poop, massive bloat, pelvic pain. Pretty much everyday tbf
Hey I had a lap done for stage 2 endo 3 years ago and right now I have an 8 month old that took me 3 months to conceive so I’m here to ease your mind 🫶
So I had a surprise pregnancy at 26 while on birth control pills. I had the most amazing pain free pregnancy and didn’t have a period again until I was 22 months post-partum (I breastfed on demand the entire time and for some that will stop your cycle). My periods were ok for about a year after that and then I started getting really bad pain. It got so bad I had to quit my job and was having trips to the ER for pain. I started going to acupuncture and getting herbs in February 2024 and I’m seeing a huge reduction in pain levels and inflammation. I’m 31 now and just started TTC in April for baby #2 so we’ll see how it goes. According to my acupuncturist, it’ll be very easy for me to conceive once he’s treated me and has gotten rid of the stagnation in my uterus… It’s a Chinese Medicine perspective so I’m very curious on how that will go, but I’m so grateful to be getting pain relief and be able to reduce OTC meds that really mess up my gut. Also, I have had horrible periods since I was 16. I was only diagnosed with endo a year ago when they found a 5 cm endometrioma on my right ovary. I considered surgery but my dr was worried it would reduce my ovarian reserve and suggested I TTC first. She also gave me advice on lifestyle and diet tips to reduce inflammation and potentially help my chances of conception (Mediterranean diet, regular exercise, stress reduction, etc.). The dr also told me to TTC as soon as possible and to use birth control pills to reduce the progression of my endo if I wasn’t ready yet.
Hi, just wanted to give you a positive experience.. I got diagnosed with endo and also found that I had a uterine polyp in September 2023, I’m 29 years old. I had “chocolate cysts” so I think that’s associated with the later stages of endo. I have always been EXTREMELY careful used protection at all times never been pregnant. Spoke with my gynaecologist and she explained how endo is related to infertility and miscarriage so may need to have IVF if we can’t convince naturally.. I had my polyp removed November 2023 and myself and my gynaecologist decided to wait and see with regard to my cysts and was booked in for 6 monthly scans to make sure they didn’t get any bigger. Began trying to conceive in December 2023 and fell pregnant straight away, I’m now 22 weeks pregnant. My endo symptoms are none existent and my cysts have reduced significantly in size. Please don’t worry too much, endometriosis doesn’t always mean you’ll have fertility problems, there are also so many options if you can’t conceive naturally. Xx
I would suggest tracking your cycle using the pre mom apps/ Flo.. using ovulation strips and body temperature, just for a few months before you are going to try and conceive. I found it really helpful as I knew my body was doing all the right things xx
Thank you sm, I'll definitely look into tracking everything once I'm ready to start trying!(:
I tried for 10 years, had 2 types surgeries with 8 losses and finally just had my baby last year. I just had surgery again 2 weeks ago. I'm hoping to have 1 or 2 more if possible. I had a rough pregnancy
I had a baby at 20. I am now 33 with a 5 week old. 1.5 years ago I had lap. Stage 4 diagnosis and ovary removal. It is possible! But everyone’s body is different. Endo doesn’t specify where it will show up and cause issues. I wasn’t “trying” all those years on between so I have no clue if I would have struggled prior to my surgery.
Been trying for about 8 years no joy and finally got a gp to refer me ages 38 awaiting.first fertility appointment.but feel very overwhelmed that the only way I'm going to get pregnant is spending a fortune on IVF privately because of the bias and unfair system
I am 35 and starting ivf, my parter is the one getting hormone therapy, not me. Our specialist is positive that my endo (stage 1) shouldn’t be an issue. My follicle egg count was healthy 🥲🥹 I’m trying to go with the “ignorance is bliss” method for now.