I have a dilemma. Well I don't know if I would call it a dilemma really, more like a very serious decision to make. Have any of you ever heard of Ovarian drilling? There are different ways of saying it and different ways of doing the procedure but you will know what I'm talking about if you've ever heard of it.
If you have heard of it or know someone who has had this done (maybe even one of you have had it done?) I'm looking for advice on if it worked and what you know about it?
Let me just start by telling you how I got to this place I'm in right now.
I'm pretty sure most of you know my background. If you don't you can go back to the very beginning of my blog and read all about it. I don't want to bore all of those lovely ladies who know all about it already. So just quick and easy I have PCOS.
For those of you uninterested in my personal life and hearing way to much info about my cycles. Stop reading NOW!
I went to the doctor a in mid June because I had not had a period in 55 days. While I was seeing my doctor, He asked me when I was going to have another baby??? I looked at him and smiled and said "I would have another baby yesterday if I could, my problem is paying for IVF again". I explained to him that we were in the process of saving so we could go for number two. I then said to him "If you can find a quick and easy way to get me pg without IVF then lets go". Joking of course, fully knowing that the other choices do not work for me. We have tried so many things and I just don't respond well. IVF is what works for us.
My doc left the room for a minute and then returned once I was pulled together and sat down and said "lets talk about your options". He mentioned injectibles and IUI'S-he said "we've already done that with you and the outcome wasn't good, either you didn't stimulate or you over stimulated". He then mentions IVF which is always an option. Then he says "Have we ever talked about Ovarian drilling/wedging/" whatever else you want to call it. I told him we brushed on it before we decided to do IVF a couple years ago but it was really just a quick talk and the doc sort of brushed it off as if it wasn't something he really thought wasn't something he felt would benefit us at the time.
At this point he says to me that he thinks at this point that ovarian drilling might be something that we may want to consider. I'm young, I have pcos, I overstimulate on injectibles really easily. All of these things are a sign that I would be the ideal candidate for the ovarian drilling. He called it the old remedy to pcos, before injectibles really started.
I of course start asking all sorts of questions. (Remember, I didn't come prepared for this talk. I went in for period reasons and ended talking about getting pregnant again).
I asked what the success rate was? He said it all depends on the person.
What are the cons to having this done? Possible scar tissue
What are the pro's of me having this done? It could potentially help me to be pcos free for 1 month- 3 or 5 years. Who knows. It works for everyone different. Some it doesn't work at all, some have 2 or 3 babies without having any fertility problems for years. Some have one baby and then start having problems again.
What will happen if it doesn't work and I go to do IVF? Will it cause issues with the success of another IVF if the drilling doesn't work? He sort of laughed and said "No, its shouldn't cause problems with your future in doing IVF if it doesn't work. There have been cases where women get scar tissues but tests have shown that it didn't make a difference on the outcome of whether the women got pregnant doing IVF or not.
I asked as many questions as I could in the short period of time I had to think of what was being thrown at me.
There are so many things I want to talk over with him. So many things we want to know.
I'm nervous, scared, excited at the thought something could help us that isn't IVF. But Its almost like someone told me I absolutely have to have this done. I get nervous when I think about it. But then I remind myself that this is my husband and I's decision. Nobody is making it for us. We can take down the facts and think about it and make a decision on our own. I guess it just scares me.
My doc ended up telling me to go home and talk it over with my husband and that when I was ready he would be there to talk about our decision. Whether it be IVF or Ovarian drilling.
Of course my husband and I weren't planning on getting serious about doing another IVF until this time next year. But now that this is thrown at us and since I'm having so much troubles with my cycles. We are talking seriously about if we want to do this procedure or not???
I am going to make an appointment with my doctor probably in August sometime to sit down and really talk about this with him and my husband. We will then go home and talk about it ourselves and call them if we choose to do the surgery.
My point in telling all of you about this is.. I started this blog because of the things I was embarking on. At the time it was IVF. I had already done all the injectibles, had a miscarriage and multiple failed attempts. We were getting ready to do the ivf and I wanted a place to talk to others who understood. Now I have found friends that understand me, they understand the issues and struggles. Not only my fertility struggles but my being a first time mom as well. So many of the ladies who follow me aren't necessarily women who have gone through fertility issues but they are great mom's and so nice to have as bloggy friends.
I have so many wonderful mama's out there who can give great advice.
So I am asking all of you, if you want and have any information to share on this ovarian drilling subject and you do know about it. Please share with me. We of course will still be talking with our doctor. But its always nice to hear from someone who has done this or knows someone that has.
I appreciate your help girls.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
12 comments:
Hi Melissa.
I can't believe that I have never heard of this...I can't even fathom what you are talking about! So I guess I'm off to google "ovarian drilling". It sounds scary, but after IVF can anything else be scarier? LOL
I was so hoping that the successful delivery of Cooper would have helped to clear up your PCOS and that you could go on to conceive naturally. I'm sorry that hasn't been the experience.
I'll be looking forward to your future posts on this subject b/c I always find it fascinating to learn about these new and/or different fertility treatments.
Congrats by the way on your 7-year wedding anniversary. You were a beautiful bride!
Cooper is adorable as usual. The triplets were pretty darn cute too. My husband and I have triplet cousins on his side...we used the same RE recommended by his cousin, Sharla. While I didn't get triplets out of the mix, I did get a successful IVF blessing!!!
Take care,
Val
thanks so much for positng this! i've never heard of this but will defintely keep it in my mind for when i want a baby! I think you should atleast try it! It won't have any effect on you being able to have ivf after so i think you should!
I wish I knew more about it, but is it covered by insurance? If so, I see no harm in giving it a shot. I'm actually taking BCP's to manage my PCOS (ironic I know) but we are happy with our family so I just want to manage it from a medical standpoint. I was going to start metformin again to help lose some weight, but I couldn't deal with the side effects while running after 2 babies (can't be running to the bathroom every 5 minutes!) TMI I know. Good luck with your decision!
I don't have any experience with this, but I will certainly keep you in my prayers. I hope that your answer comes easy! xoxo
Do you follow "Our Stork Isn't that great with Directions?" or http://amberstachmus.blogspot.com/ (same person). I'm almost certain she had this very same thing done...
Oh Melissa, I have no idea what this is. I am praying for you though and asking the Lord to give you clear answers on what to do!! Thinking about you friend!
Well, I am QUITE familiar with this procedure and would recommend it with ALL of my heart. It was a life-changer for us and we are being blessed with this amazing baby because we chose to have it done. I'll post a blog about it right now to detail this a little more, but if you have any other questions, I would love to answer them. I remember when I was facing this dilemma!
I got nothing as far as advice. I have never even heard of such a thing.
If it is covered by insurance it would sound very inticing especially if your doctor doesn't think there is any harm whether it works or not.
However, you are right. It is your families decision. I hate decisions like this. I am horrible with decisions!
My best advice would be: pray, pray, pray!!!
Keep us posted!
I don't have a clue and for that I'm sorry however if you'd let me I could tweet your post out to the twitter world and I'm sure I could get a ton of great responses! Let me know if that's okay I would love to help you in anyway I can!
From what I did read it sounds like it's worth a shot!
Melissa- I am so glad I could help with this topic. It's obviously one close to my heart... :) As far as risks to future fertility, it has a tiny risk of adhesions. Most of which would never cause any problems, but he said it was a possibility. The other thing I read about was the risk of ovarian failure following. He never mentioned it and it seems really unlikely.
In my case, nothing else was helping AT ALL, so I felt that I really had nothing to lose and everything to gain. We are praying that we will be able to get pregnant again right away with #2 if we are lucky. I'd be more than happy to get together for lunch to discuss any worries you have, or you can even call me anytime if that would help.
I went into this feeling terrified and uncertain of whether I was making a good decision considering I didn't know anyone else who had done it. It's hard to find statistics since it's so uncommon. But I know how it went for me, and I am more than happy to talk about that!
i wish i could help....
you need more ppl like amber to talk to that had positive results!!!
I have not had and do not know anyone who has had this, but I am very anxious to hear about it if you do move forward with it. I may have mentioned this to you before, but I too have PCOS and I am just now beginning injectionables. If the injectionables do not work, this may become an option for us. I wish you nothing but the best with whichever way you decide to go, but would love to hear more about it!
Post a Comment