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]]>IVF Process Can Differ for Women With Endometriosis:
How the IVF Process Can Differ for Women With Endometriosis, by Joanie Cox-Henry (Endometriosis Foundation of America).
March is Endometriosis Awareness Month. PregnancyBeyond has teamed up with EndoFound to raise awareness of this disorder. Also, fertility health issue that affects millions of women worldwide.
This article discusses the impact of endometriosis on IVF outcomes.
As The Blossom recently reported, having endometriosis and conceiving the old-fashioned way, can have its difficulties, but with a little help from in vitro fertilization, experts say endo women can have a higher success rate with conception.
However, the IVF process can differ from endometriosis present. Because doctors interviewed by The Blossom say they take care to not worsen the condition. With the introduction of additional hormones in the body.
Dr. Mark Surrey, co-founder and medical director of the Southern California Reproductive Center. Who specializes in fertility and reproductive medicine. Says that prior to beginning ovarian stimulation, which is necessary for egg retrieval. He advises women with endometriosis to undergo laparoscopic excision surgery to excise endometriomas. Or endometriosis-filled cysts, “three to four centimeters or larger.”
To start the IVF process in a woman without endo, Surrey says he typically gives Lupron and progesterone-based oral contraceptives to begin the follicle stimulation process. But for women with endometriosis, he instead administers Ganirelix or Cetrotide, which prevents premature ovulation ahead of egg retrieval, because, he says, it doesn’t have a “flare phase,” or cause an endo flair-up, and promotes adequate follicular development.
Dr. Jessica Chan, a fertility specialist in Obstetrics at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, says she, too, recommends a conservative laparoscopic excision surgery to remove endometriomas before beginning a cycle of IVF. If the cysts are under four centimeters, she says she typically leaves those alone and simply monitors them. “Egg quality and quantity decline with age,” Chan tells The Blossom. “Endometriomas can take over the architecture of the ovary. The sooner women can seek help, the better.” That’s not all Chan is mindful of. Once the IVF process begins, “it can increase levels of estrogen, which can cause endometriosis to flare,” Chan said. “However, it’s a short time that patients have to be on those protocols. I’m very careful about monitoring pain symptoms in patients with endometriosis during ovarian stimulation.”
SEE ALSO: ENDOMETRIOSIS AND CONCEPTION
Director of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Lenox Hill Hospital, Dr. Tomer Singer, has found that patients with endometriosis typically need double the number of cycles to achieve viable pregnancy through IVF. This is often due, he says, to diminished egg quality.
“We tend to monitor patients with endometriosis more frequently,” Singer said. “During ovarian stimulation in endometriosis patients, I typically use Letrozole, which reduces estrogen levels. I also use Lupron, which helps pelvic pain. Lupron is typically used 35 hours before egg retrieval.”
Singer recommends women check out Sartcorsonline.com/Predictor/Patient and enter some information to predict success rates with assisted reproductive technology. For women with endometriosis, the calculator also provides a specific box to check off. Despite the wonders of assisted reproductive technology, Singer admits that there’s no better savior in the face of endometriosis and fertility than time itself. “If you have endometriosis, we encourage freezing eggs at a younger age,” Singer adds. “If a patient freezes eggs at age 30,” he says, “they have a 50 percent IVF success rate.” (Article was first published here)
About EndoFound: The Endometriosis Foundation of America strives to increase disease recognition, provide advocacy, facilitate expert surgical training, and fund landmark endometriosis research. Engaged in a robust campaign to inform both the medical community and the public, the Endofound places particular emphasis on the critical importance of early diagnosis and effective intervention while simultaneously providing education to the next generation of medical professionals and their patients.
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Trying For A Baby? 5 Signs of Ovulating!
The best way to improve your chances of getting pregnant is to understand the optimal time to have unprotected intercourse. Listed below are things to look out for to determine when the body is preparing to move into the most fertile time of the month.
- Record your menstrual cycle
Keep a menstrual calendar for a few months so you can get an idea of when you will ovulate. Ovulation usually occurs around 12 to 14 days before your next period so you will need to know when your period usually start and stop.
2. Check your cervix
Check your cervix daily using one or two finger. At the height of ovulation, the cervix becomes so soft that it blends in with the vagina walls and rises so high that the finger cannot touch it. This is known as SHOW – soft, high, open and wet. This is your most fertile time as the uterine is open to allow sperm to enter in.
3. Check your cervical mucus
Cervical mucus is a fluid secreted by the cervix, the production of which is stimulated by the hormone estrogen. You are most fertile when your cervical mucus is “egg white”, as it allows sperm to swim easily into the cervix. Egg white cervical mucus (EWCM), is thin, clear and stretchy, you could pull it into a string long before it breaks.
4. Look out for backache or tummy pain
The pain can be a dull cramp or a sharp and sudden twinge and is felt on the right or left side, depending on which ovary is releasing an egg. Some women notice a little vaginal bleeding when it happens.
5. Increased Libido
As ovulation approaches, women often feel an increase in sex drive. Some people believe this is a biologically designed way to ensure reproduction.
In addition to these ovulation symptoms, some women may also notice an increase in basal metabolic temperature and spotting around this time of the month.
Also Read Breastfeeding Your Newborn: What To Expect
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