That is the question.... Well Girls I can really use some advise.... I had my appt for 2nd opinion w/ new RE and he really got my wheels spinning :dizzy: As you guys know I had lap scheduled for next week with first RE. Just a brief Hx so you can have a better picture:

HSG-in Aug inconclusive :yawn:
3 failed IUI with Gonal F 75 IU's and Ganirelx + one cycle w/ vag supp. :mad:

New Re says it is very rare to have an "inconclusive" HSG and in his 20 yrs of experience it only has happened to him 2x. He feels that before I do a lap that we should re-do HSG w/ him as opposed to having lap next week. He also said that the lap really only tells you if you have a problem and that even if I do have a tube blocked & he fixed it, the chances of pregnancy do not improve that much, only 25% if that. But he said he would do the lap id I wanted. He thinks we should try HSG one more time and if OK try 2 IUI cycles with follistim at a higher dosage than my first RE did & he also suggested acupucture and for me to have "PCO" blood test for my glucose levels and for DH to have a "Sperm Penetration Assay" (or SPA) which is to test if DH's sperm actually is able to fertilize an egg. If all else fails IVF would be the next step. :confused:

So my question is what do you all think??? Does this sound reasonable to try this route first or have you found the lap to give you more + results?? Has anyone gotten BFP after lap??? Has anyone had these the PCO test and for Dh the "SPA"test??? Sorry I am rambling,:eek: just want to see what you guys think.

Thanks for listening/reading :) You guys are the BEST!!!!!!!

deluka:wave:

Hi Kathy,

My HSG came out clear and I haven't had a lap myself so I don't have any answers/advice for you. But I can understand that all this stuff gets so confusing!!!:dizzy: I've had my RE tell me in different situations that I can do route a or route b, what do I want to do? That drives me a bit crazy because I'm not a doctor and I don't know what is best. :confused:

Sounds like either way you will be getting some more extensive testing which could be really good. Maybe they will find something that is easily "fixable" and you will finally get your BFP. Whatever you decide I will be here to cheer you on and be praying you get your miracle soon.

Good luck and keep us posted on your decisions.

Lori

Hi Kathy!
Wow, this new RE really gave you some food for thought! I have had a lap done, in July, it found stage 2 endo (which was totally unexpected because I have no symptoms) after the surgery we tried for 3 months naturally and 1 month on the Follistim with IUI, all which we got BFN:( I was really excited because I thought that the lap would make it work but obviously it did not. I guess if I was in your situation, I would do what this new RE said and see if you could get a better read with the HSG, because it is less invasive than the lap. Those other tests also sound like a great idea to give you some more information. I did not do those two tests (PCO or SPA) because we had gotten pregnant on our second month of clomid so we are able to get pregnant so those tests weren't necessary. I think that it is best to do as much testing as possible to gather all the info that you can before having to do the lap. This new RE really sounds like he has a good game plan, trying Follistim and bumping up the dose sounds good. I wish you the best and please let me know what you decide to do! I will keep you in my thoughts:angel:
cmarie

Thanks you guys for all the support!!! It is really confusing and I think I will go with my second opinion doc.

Lori- your so sweet thanks for the cheers and prayers I could use all I can get :)

CMarie- Thanks for sharing I agree with you to try the HSG one more time. RE does not seem to be that concerned about Endo but I will be sure to empahasize that possibility @ my next appt. to see what he thinks about that. So thanks so much!!!! :)
I also had one pregnancy that ended in miscarriage but RE says it could have just been luck or chance that we got a BFP (which was w/BBT tx only) so he still wants to test us for the PCO and SPA, I guess in can't hurt right??

Thanks again you guys I couldn't have made it through 3 failed IUI's w/o your compassion and support.

luv you guys!!!!

kathy

Hi Kathy

Sorry I'm late, I didn't log in yesterday. I would try the HSG again because it is less invasive, it may be uncofrtable for a few minutes but I think that the less internally digging and scraping that you do would be be better in the long run, You may get an answer this time without creating scar tissue or scratching. Best of luck on whichever you pick. :)

Kathy,
I know I am going against the grain here, but in my personal experience, I wish I had done my lap earlier. I feel like all the time before the lap was wasted, as my Doctor told me I had a 1-2% chance of conceiving during that time. The only was I was able to find those chances out was by having the lap done. After my lap and surgery to fix all of the problems they found, I have a 60-70% chance of conceiving. I know it's not a guarantee, but it's a lot better than the chances before the lap. Also, those chances are at conceiving NATURALLY with the help of Repronex or Pergynol to produce multiple follies - does not include what chances would be if I did IUI again or even IVF.

I hope I don't upset anyone for going against the grain, but I wanted to give you my personal experience. There is a chance that he could find something wrong with the HSG - Don't get me wrong. I just felt that, since my doctor did the HSG again while they did the lap, it was such a waste of time for me to go through the past 2 years of IF and TTC with such a low chance of conceiving. Just my own experience...

Best of luck, whatever you decide to do! Wishing us all a wonderful 2007 filled with BFP's!!!

~ravae

Ravae

Don't ever worry about having a different opinion, we are all here to share. You have an even better opinion than those of us who weren't in that situation. I would choose the lap too if they can do the HSG at the same time and the dr told me that it would drastically improve my chances. Personally, I appreciate everyone's views, it helps me to make a better choice when you guys tell me differing things.

:cool:

Hi rave and Hopeful,

Thanks for sharing. I would NEVER be upset if your going against the grain in fact it is what I need to hear :) I want to hear everyone stories so I can learn more about my options. So thank you!!!! I too had orginally thought I should have had lap a long time ago but after 2nd opnion I am not so sure. I am really still undx inferility, even though we have some minor problems, both RE's don't think I could not concieve w/ those problems. Also Re's have told me that even if I do have a blockage and they fix it studies show that my chances only increase by 25% for a BFP. If I have endo he said that they will be able to remove some but not all and that the best thing to do is get pregnant and that will resolve all of the endo, if I even have any. So if HSG come back normal I will try IUI again 2x then go to IVF. With IVF my chances increase to 87-93%, RE says that is his sucess rate and he has a zillion baby pics all over the office to prove it :) COOL!! I don't think I will do lap at all if it chances are it won't help me that much. But I will see what happens after HSG. Thanks again!!!!!

Kathy

I would still be supportive whichever way to chose to go. Check my other post on Acupuncture. :)

Thanks Hopeful!! It is so nice to know you guys are here to support not matter what :) I did read you thread on acupuncture and I have an this Friday!!! I am really getting excited about it. I hope it doesn't hurt though....

It took me a long time to save so I updated it again. They hurt a tiny bit for a second in the toes, hand ears. They don't go in very far but you generally don't have a lot of fat in those area, that's why you feel it. Today she also put them in my abdomen but I didn't feel it. Too much fat. :)

That's a relief. You so funny too much fat in your belly. Well I can assure you we are all too fat in our bellies except fot the REALLY REALLY lucky ones! LOL

Hi Kathy, sorry I'm late to reply...jury duty, remember? :rolleyes: I'm sitting on the fence with your situation. I really don't know what advice to offer you. My first HSG (done by my OBGYN) was inconclusive, and my 2nd one (done by my RE) confirmed my tube was completely blocked. My lap did unblock the tube, but as you probably recall, there are other issues with the tube the lap could not fix. So, I don't know how much it helped, but I do know that it was the only option for us since we can't afford IVF.

Your 2nd RE does make sense. It sounds like he has a good plan of action, and it definitly is a good idea to try the less invasive options first. On the other hand, I agree with Ravae that when it comes to IF, none of us wants to feel like we wasted time on more testing when the answer might have been there all along. So, unfortunately, I really don't know what you should do :confused: .

If you feel yourself leaning towards taking the 2nd RE's advice, then maybe that is the right next step for you. Whatever you decide, I'm here along with the other ladies every step of the way, pulling for you and praying for your positive result. GOOD LUCK!!

Holly

:wave: Hey Holly!!! Yeah I almost forgot you were at jury duty. Bummer!!! It is so boring!!! :yawn: I hope you don't have to go for too long.

I remember that you had a blocked tube but did not recall all the details. Thanks for telling me in more detail I really wanted to hear other people's stories. I guess I will try HSG one more time 1st and take it from there. Even if it ends up being I have to have a lap anyway I am going to use this time to get see an acupunturist, do some yoga w/DH and for both of us to take more vitamin supplements to get our bodies in tip top fetilization mode!!. Rave does have a point, I will probably not be happy if I have to do lap anyway but I think it is better than having uncessary surgery if I don't really need it. One more wasted month can't kill me.. :dizzy: I waited this long right???

Are sure you can't afford IVF. Some RE's offer a kind of money back guarentee if it does not work. Maybe you guys can start saving a little and get some help from family. Hey and it wouldn't hurt to buy a lotto ticket right :) Well hopefully you will have a BFP real soon w/o IVF!!! I am praying that some how some way you will!!!! :blob_fire

xoxo

kathy

Hi again :wave:

I'm back at work today, no more jury duty for me ;) . All I have to say is I have even less faith in our judicial system now than I did before (sorry to any of you who might work in this field, no offense, I swear!).

Anyway, I wanted to say I think it's great that you and DH are pursuing other options (accupunture/yoga/vitamins) while you undergo the second HSG. At least you are still doing something, you know? So even if you end up needing the lap, you won't feel like you wasted time. I think that's a great idea!

Thanks so much for thinking about me - you are so sweet :D ! Right now we are on hold with the whole trying to come up with IVF money. I'm waiting for my employer to let me know if they can offer other insurance plans that cover IVF. I should know by the summer. If they won't, then I think our next option would be to move to a different state. Of course, we would have to shop for jobs based on benefits, and that would be tough. Unfortunately, our families really aren't in any position to help us out financially. In the meantime, we are just trying naturally and hoping for the best. Nothing else we really can do, I guess. I'm a saver, so I do have a tiny bit of money put away, and I will keep that up, but we are nowhere near ready to pay for IVF ourselves. Okay, now I'm rambling...

Talk to you soon - take care!!

Holly

Hi Holly,

Glad your jury duty is over!!! I know it is our civic duty but sometimes it is really boring!! Thanks for the support I do feel this is the best way to utilize my time.

I really hope that your job will cover at least some if not all of IVF for you. That would be so great. If it does not work out and you decide to move well I suppose you'll cross that bridge when you get to it :)

TTFN

kathy

I don't really post much here. I just wanted to let you know that I have had two friends get pg after a lap. One of them had the HSG and lap done at the same time. She had a few cysts on her ovaries and they removed them. The other friend had endo and they took as much of the scar tissuse away as they could and she got pg right after.

I am kind of in the same boat as you. I had a clear HSG, but I get severe menstrual cramps and I am suspecting endo. I will be asking my doctor for a referal for a lap. Been trying for 2 years :confused:

Keep us posted and see if their is a way they can do both procedures at the same time. My friend was put under so she didn't feel anything. I know how HSGs are. It would be great to be put under for just that. ;)

Hi Kathy,

Sorry I am getting a late start here. Sounds like you have a pretty good plan with your second opinion RE. Having just had a lap in Nov and getting a BFP in December I wouldn't have changed a thing. Do you have any symptoms that has lead your RE to think you might have endo? That was my problem, after tcc for 2 years I was shocked that just 1 month after my lap and cleaning out the endo things started to work for me. The lap itself is not bad! I was expecting it to be much worse than it was but I was down for 2 days and that was it. Of course I milked it with DH a bit but can you blame a girl?;)

Anyways, the lap could be a good thing for you, espically if you have endo. I had the HSG done at the same time so I didn't have to go through that pain.
Those are just my thoughts as someone who just went through it.

Best of luck in whatever decision you make, just remember...it has to be the right one for you!

Des

p.s. I miss you guys! It just isn't the same on the pg board so hurry up and get some BFP and keep me company over there!!!

oops duplicate

Thanks guys!!! I appreciate all the info. Dee it is so good to hear from you!!! I hope all is going will please keep us posted on how you are. I would love to join you in the BFP real soon :) I don't think they suspect endo with me. I do have some cramping with AF on the first day only and I just take alieve. Did your RE suspect endo?? I am getting confused. I am only going for HSG for now b/c we had no answers on the last one. I guess that is all I will do for now and see how it goes. Ugh this IF stuff is so confusing. Thanks for the advise Jsquared and Dee I really appreciate it!!!! You know what they say; "if at 1st you don't succeed, try try again."

kathy

I definitley say you should go for the lap! I had one in sept of this year and I am so glad I did it. It is the best test. He could look right in there and tell you what he sees. I had an hsg too before my lap that also came back inconclusive. My doctor didn't say that it was too rare though. Anyway, he gave me another hsg during my laparoscopy and it came back all clear. He also found that my ovaries and uterus looked great too. I would do it though if I were you, I've heard good things about fixing the tubes if there is any scarring or something like that. If not for anything else, do it for peace of mind!! It's the best test out there for finding anything that may be causing you to be infertile.

Carisa