My Endo Story: Fertility

Fertility

My Gynecologist was clear that if we wanted to be parents in the next few years, we needed to get pregnant now. He said if we waited for pass the 6-month window of the surgery and did not get pregnant, he would not know if it was from the Endometriosis, from secondary infertility problems or both. My husband and I discussed it and having a desire to be parents, we started trying right away on October 29, 2009. 

After three menstrual cycles, we discovered we were expecting our first child on February 11, 2010. I carried our baby to full term at 40 weeks and 2 days. The pregnancy was not considered high risk and I had minor complications of urinary tract infections and a prolapsed cervix. I had 2 hours of pre-labor and a quick labor and delivery of only 5 hours of active labor and delivery. Unusual the nurses told me for a first time, mom. My baby was born in October 2010 in a vaginal birth medicated with an epidural.

We knew we wanted to be parents to more than one child, so we began trying right away. We started when our daughter was 9 months old. Because I was breastfeeding, my menstrual cycles did not come back until our first child was 17 months old. We tried for 6 cycles out of 9 postpartum menstrual cycles and took a 3-monther break between cycle 5 and 6. On December 31, 2012, we found out we were expecting our 2nd child while  I was still extended breastfeeding our toddler who was 26 months old at the time. My pregnancy was not considered high risk, although I did have one urinary tract infection and my cervix prolapsed again. I carried our baby to full term at 39 weeks and 2 days and was in labor remarkably for 1.5 hours only. My second baby was born in September 2013 in a vaginal birth un-medicated when my first was 34 months old.

We weren't done yet. We started not trying, not preventing when our second was 4 months old. My postpartum menstrual didn't return until 3 days before 11 months postpartum. We tried for 10 cycles while I was still extended breastfeeding and became pregnant when our second was 21.5 months old.  On June 24, 2015, we found out were expecting. It was a low-risk pregnancy.My third was born in March 2016 in a vaginal birth unmedicated when my second was 30 months old.

From what I know, it is rare a woman has to stop breastfeeding completely to become pregnant. Breastfeeding doesn't necessarily make you infertile, but it can make it harder to get pregnant. However, while breastfeeding, I had a luteal phase deficiency that started my luteal phase at an 8. My luteal phase before my last cycle had become a 10, the minimum you need to get pregnant. If your luteal phase is below a 10, it is harder to become pregnant and if you do become pregnant your chances for a miscarriage or chemical pregnancy is increased, because the egg does not have the proper time to implant correctly.

Side Note: I only had one laparoscopy prior to my three pregnancies. I did not take any fertility drugs or do any additional fertility procedures and I did not do the Endometriosis diet to get pregnant.

"The reality is that pregnancy—like hormonal drug treatments—may temporarily suppress the symptoms of endometriosis but does not eradicate the disease itself. Therefore, symptoms usually recur after the birth of the child. Some women can delay the return of symptoms by breastfeeding, but only while the breastfeeding is frequent enough and intense enough to suppress the menstrual cycle" (Wood).

Sources
1. Wood, Ros, Heather Guidone, and Lone HUMMELSHOJ. "Myths and misconceptions in endometriosis."Endometriosis.org. Global forum for news and information.. Endometriosis.org, 27 Feb 2013. Web. 29 Aug 2013. <http://endometriosis.org/resources/articles/myths/>.

Last Edited: February 16, 2017