To new member Pam

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the group my dear,

Wow, your story is incredible. I'm so glad to hear your daughter is doing

well. What a blessing she must be.

Many of us here are TTC. My husband and I are TTC for the first time since

we were married five years ago. We are only on month #1 since we have

gotten the go-ahead from my new doctor. I have had many fibroid surgeries

to save my uterus from the " inevitable " hysterectomy. We have no children

yet, and have hope I get pg this year.

I have the same worries you do about fibs creating difficulties or major

problems with a pg. I have one small intramural fib, and two tiny

submucosal fibs that do not cause any problems anymore. Prior to my recent

surgeries of last year I suffered from horrible fibroid side effects. My

life was drastically altered from the bleeding, anemia, and the pain. My

husband and I were finally told by my gyn to go see a fertility doctor

because we could not wait any longer.

This new doctor introduced me to a surgery called a hysteroscopic resection.

It is a minor surgery that removes submucosal fibroids (within the

endometrial cavity.) You can either be sedated by general or spinal

anesthesia. It was an amazingly easy surgery to recover from, I was back on

my feet the next day. Since it was a vaginal procedure there was no

incision or stretched muscles to mend.

I had three of these resection surgeries because there were so many fibs to

remove. If your doctor only finds one fib inside your uterus, there may

only be the need for one surgery. If you have only had an ultrasound to

view the fib, you may have other fibroids that are not easily seen with that

type of test. This was true in my case.

Depending on where the fibroid resides, usually they are not problematic

with pg until they are quite large. But yours may be in a location that is

detrimental to a developing embryo.

If you are interested in the " resection " surgery, you must find a doctor who

has performed them multiple times. It is easy for the patient to recover

from, but takes a skilled doctor to perform it.

If I can make a suggestion, I'd like to advise you to first ask your doctor

to perform an in-office hysteroscopy exam. Saline solution is injected into

the uterus. And a tiny 3mm instrument is inserted through your cervix into

the uterus. The doctor can see where your fibroid is located as well as the

other uterine structures. He/she can also see if you have any other fibs in

the cavity that may have been missed with the ultrasound. This test is not

the same as a sonohysterogram; in which saline is also used, but a

transvaginal ultrasound is used instead to see inside the uterus.

The hysteroscopy exam gives your doctor the closest view of your endo

cavity. It may not be available in your particular doctor's office, so you

may need a referral to go somewhere else. Are you seeing a fertility

specialist? If so, they should have this test.

Second, ask your doctor about the hysteroscopic resection surgery. Is this

for you? Is your fibroid submucosal? (within the endometrial cavity.) This

surgery is not for intramural or subserosal fibroids (in the uterine muscle

wall or on the outside wall of the uterus.)

The resection surgery has minimal pain, if any, and leaves an insignificant

amount of scar tissue behind. Electric impulses cut and cauterize the

fibroid in slices. So there is minimal bleeding as well. Since my

resections I have had another in-office hysteroscopy exam. My doctor said

that my uterine cavity appears healthy and ready for a pg. So now we are on

the path of TTC.

I refer to the resection surgery as my " miracle surgery! " This is because I

never thought I could have kids. With all the bleeding problems, distension

of my uterus, anemia, and transfusions, I was almost ready to give up my

idea of having a baby from my body. My husband and I were looking into

adoption. But since I stuck in there and finally got some new answers, I

have a new hope.

I am hoping this is what you will discover as well. Please feel free to

write me off-list if you like. We TTCers need as much positive energy and

blessed hopes as we can get!

Good luck to you my dear.

Hugs and baby dust,

:)Sonja