Question:
Hello. I'm a 29 year old female. My husband and I have been trying to conceive for 7 months now. I had a laparoscopy done in June of 2013, due to an ovarian cyst on my right ovary. As the Dr. was doing the procedure, she said that the cyst had already ruptured ( which I didn't even know, or feel) and she found a little bit of endometriosis, which she got rid of as well. My tubes were wide open with no other complications.
I'm about 2 1/2 months post op, and we still haven't gotten pregnant. I just saw my Obgyn a few days ago for a progesterone test, and it showed I was ovulatory. I was an 8.4. So the next step is to go get another ultrasound to make sure everything is ok inside, followed by some blood work a few days later. He said we'd check for PCOS. I have no symptoms of that. My periods have been pretty regular all my life. My question is why haven't I gotten pregnant? I thought the laparoscopy was suppose to open things up to help a future pregnancy. Could my body still be recovering from the surgery, and that's why I haven't become pregnant? Or could there possibly be an underlying problem I have. The Dr. didn't really make me feel that comfortable. I asked a lot of questions, yet I still feel I'm unsure about things. I don't know what to think. He said we might start Clomid, but part of me wants to think I'm still recovering. I really hope I don't have any serious problems. I really just want to be blessed with a child, yet it's been so difficult to achieve.
Any advice/help would be greatly appreciated! P. from Illinois.
Answer:
Hello P. from the U.S.(Illinois),
Infertility is defined as the inability to become pregnant after 12 months of trying so technically you are NOT infertile.
In terms of your surgery, you are way past that and it is not the reason you are not getting pregnant unless scar tissue was formed from the surgery inside the pelvis.
My first recommendation is to find a new doctor. Preferably, find one that is a specialist in infertility rather than a general Ob/Gyn. The reason is that you are on the verge of wasting a lot of time and money. Your doctor is jumping to things without good reason. For example, saying that you have PCOS when you have regular periods. PCOS is defined as an ovulation dysfunction and you have to have irregular or absent periods as the prime criteria for the diagnosis. Also, going straight to Clomid without a full infertility evaluation is a waste of time and money. It's like prescribing a treatment before you know what you are treating.
My recommendation would be to start with a basic infertility evaluation:
Once all these are done, then you can discuss and consider treatment options. Since endometriosis was treated, you need to try to get pregnant within one year of the surgery or the endometriosis will return and possibly prevent pregnancy.
Good Luck,
Dr. Edward J. Ramirez, M.D., FACOG
Executive Medical Director
The Fertility and Gynecology Center
Monterey Bay IVF Program
www.montereybayivf.com
Monterey, California, U.S.A.
