Endo Success w/ TCM only?

[kore561]

Hello everyone.. I'm just coming off my second failed IVF cycle and searching for answers. I have not had a lap yet, but based on my pre-menstural spotting and my basal body charts as well as a history of somewhat painful periods, my RE and I are beginning to wonder if I have endo and in turn, my body is mounting an immune response to it and any potential babies that we've tried to have w/ our IVF cycles.

So, besides doing some blood work and maybe getting a lap done soon, I was also thinking of doing herbs, acupuncture & diet changes.

My question is... has anyone had success with just using alternative meds? I'm just looking for some hope here. Any advice is helpful!

[BC-Shelli]

I'm sorry for your unsuccessful IVF cycles. I would definitely consider getting the lap before making any further decisions. If you do have endo removing via lap may be enough to help you conceive without further intervention with or with out alternative methods. For further advice with alternative therapy I recommend you check out FT's Alternative Treatment Board if you haven't already: Alternative Treatment - Fertile Thoughts
Best of luck to you!

[kore561]

Thanks Shelli!

I think I'm going to try to convince my PCP to schedule a lap, or at least refer me to an OBGYN to do it w/in my HMO since if not, I'd have to pay out of pocket for it otherwise. If I can get it covered by my insurance, then I'm hoping to be able to get one scheduled soon.

I'm learning so much more about this part of my fertility problems and I finally feel like this could be the answer to 2.5 years of unexplained infertility. Additionally, it would help me explain why with each transfer I've done over the past 7 months (2 fresh and 1 frozen) I've had a fever at some point in my 2ww with each ... pretty interesting, huh?

Oh, there's so much to understand. I just wish this long journey had an end insight...

[BC-Shelli]

To help with insurance coverage have them code the lap as unexplained pelvic pain not as infertility. Much more likely to get it paid for!! And yes have an obgyn or general surgeon do it, not your PCP.

I really hope that this is your answer...being unexplained is so difficult.

[petal71]

Hi Kore,

Firstly, sorry to hear that you haven't had success with IVF yet.

Ive just been diagnosed with endo - they removed it at a lap last week. Im not sure how much yet, as I only just had the op. I had little in the way of symptoms, just pain on opening bowels (sorry TMI), premenstrual spotting, and a little pain with BDg. No painful or heavy periods, infact I would barely ever take pain killers when I have AF.

I have not yet gone down the ART route as we are new-ish at TTC (9 months, with one chem pg). The plan is for me to TTC naturally after the lap for a few months - but I prob cant wait all that long to do IVF as my ovarian reserve is low.

My acupuncturist actually queried endo from my BBT charts, so I was interested to hear what you / your FS said about that. My pattern is to have high temps persisting in the first few days of AF (in other words, slow to fall early in the cycle) and also slow to rise at O. Is your pattern like that?

I have tried to look into this and couldnt find much - found one v old study that showed a similar pattern in a large proportion of women with endo. Interesting, hey?

I think it is really worth being investigated for endo. Opinion seems to vary, but my FS believes that IVF is much less likely to work for some women with endo unless its removed first - as you mentioned, the body may have an immune reaction to it and the embryo - and that may cause the high temps.

With your orig Q of success with TCM alone, Im not sure and I guess it all depends on how long you are willing to give the IVF a break for. It's good that you are young and have the option of doing TCM alone, perhaps while you wait for your lap. My acupuncturist was all for me having the lap - she felt that this was the quickest way to clear endo, but that acu could help keep it away afterwards.

Like you, Im also interested in what I can do with diet (although I don't want to restrict too much!) and supplements (have heard about pyncogenol & may try that).

Hope this isn't too confusing. Please feel free to PM me. Good luck!

[kore561]

petal - thanks for your story! its giving me hope that there are others out there like me. yeah, so i also have similar bbt charts! how crazy! and the premenstrual spotting and occasional pain when bding... hmmmm all these new signs abut my body that i never really paid too much attention to, but now it just seems to make sense to me...

i've decided to get a lap done as soon as i can. hopefully before the holidays.

very interesting about the study w/ bbt and endo! i'll have to see if i can find it!

thanks so much for sharing and i hope you have some wonderful luck soon.. i'll keep you posted.

bc-shelli - thanks for the hugs! i do hope this is the answer too. we'll see.. but yes, a lap is the next step :-) thanks for your help!

[lsl]

Hi ! I did TCM while waiting for my third IVF. Not sure whether it helped to conceive ds. It might also have been the lap I did to clear up the stuff. The TCM practitioner was going to be featured on TV and asked me to be interviewed but I refused as I can't be sure it was 100% the TCM. (besides not liking the publicity)
For dd, I did TCM but not in a regular kind of way. For dd it was very clear that dd was conceived after the lap - I think it was a few months after.
Cheers and good luck