Its been 8 years. 8 years since we took a trip to NC to see DR. Montieth in Chapel Hill. I remember being so excited. I had this picture in my head of how it was going to go during, and after it all. For those of you who don't know, I had my tubes tied in 2009, after the birth of my 3rd, directly following a traumatic still birth. It was a decision made out of fear and trauma, not an informed decision. I ended up having adverse health issues (PTLS) after, and was desperate to find a solution. I stumbled upon a private chat room with others also struggling. Several had gone for a reversal, and seemed to feel so MUCH better after. I had already seen my doctor umpteen times, and they offered no solutions, and insinuated it was "in my head".... I saw all of these ladies posting the day OF surgery saying that they felt relief! I was like, "Yes, this is it!!"... So we saved the 6 Grand, and went and did the reversal. I was PUMPED. I started a blog, YouTube video and Facebook groups to help others find this information and support. I was SO sure it would take care of all the issues!
Surgery came, and the experience was fantastic. The team taking care of me was phenomenal. TRULY. I started to feel some changes in my body a few days after surgery, and was so hyped, thinking I had found a way out of this mess! I felt great for a few months. I sung the praises of TR to everyone. I advocated, and advised others to do whatever they could do get a reversal, because it would help them too. I was so sure this was my "calling" and i'd found where I was going to help women for years to come. Over time, we would get women who had reversals, come back say their symptoms returned after some time. I would always quickly shut them down, insisting they had pre existing issues not found prior. I was sure it was just a super small percentage of us who had/would have something like that happen. And then, my symptoms started coming back again. And I had miscarriage after miscarriage, and numerous ectopic pregnancies trying to having another baby as well.
After 8 years, and looking through the hindsight lens, I'm ready to really give my opinion, and some facts about my journey with a tubal reversal.
- A TR is a MAJOR surgery. Its not something that should be taken lightly.
-Its is NOT a magic fix. -It cannot fix hormonal imbalance, or restore ovary function.
-Even if the tubes are reconnected and show open on a HSG, a TR cannot restore the function of the cilia.
- A TR drastically increases your chance of ectopic pregnancy and can be life threatening. I had 4 back to back ectopics and nearly died when my tube burst with the last, as it didn't "present" as a ectopic initially.
-Your chances of pregnancy (resulting in LIVE birth) are MUCH lower after reversal VS if you did mini IVF/IVF, especially when considering age, and egg quality. Embryo Donation/Adoption has even HIGHER pregnancy/Live birth rates.(as does double donor cycles abroad)
- 8 out of 10 women 5-7 years after a TR for PTLS, had symptoms return, and most have now had a hysterectomy, myself included.
-Pelvic surgery increases your chances adhesions, and messing with your reproductive system can induce the development of other GYN related disorders, such as endometriosis, PCOS, etc.
- Chance of miscarriage is higher. Usually due to progesterone deficiency. Reconnecting the tubes, will NOT restore damage done to your ovaries from the trauma of prior pelvic surgery.
If I had to do it all again, I would never have done the Tubal Reversal. I am so glad for my journey, as I gained tremendous amount of wisdom and knowledge in reproductive science, and reproductive immunology. I also would NOT have the two littlest babies we do, as we likely would have had an entirely different life path, had we gone directly to Embryo Adoption... However, I'm tenacious,and I didn't give up when 99.9% of others would have. And I wouldn't wish that pain on my worst enemy. I also think its valuable to have opinions from all sides, and from people who have had the surgery many years prior. If we want to advocate for informed consent, that should be across the board, and includes elective surgeries.
As a women's health advocate, I feel its my duty to share my experience, inform others about the possibilities and share the stories they may not see in support groups. Most of us with less than happy endings get shunned, or shut down, and our stories minimized, so others can keep the rose colored glasses on.... Please carefully consider the statistics, and really consider why MANY reproductive physicians will NOT perform a Tubal Reversal anymore.... There is a reason!
Surgery came, and the experience was fantastic. The team taking care of me was phenomenal. TRULY. I started to feel some changes in my body a few days after surgery, and was so hyped, thinking I had found a way out of this mess! I felt great for a few months. I sung the praises of TR to everyone. I advocated, and advised others to do whatever they could do get a reversal, because it would help them too. I was so sure this was my "calling" and i'd found where I was going to help women for years to come. Over time, we would get women who had reversals, come back say their symptoms returned after some time. I would always quickly shut them down, insisting they had pre existing issues not found prior. I was sure it was just a super small percentage of us who had/would have something like that happen. And then, my symptoms started coming back again. And I had miscarriage after miscarriage, and numerous ectopic pregnancies trying to having another baby as well.
After 8 years, and looking through the hindsight lens, I'm ready to really give my opinion, and some facts about my journey with a tubal reversal.
- A TR is a MAJOR surgery. Its not something that should be taken lightly.
-Its is NOT a magic fix. -It cannot fix hormonal imbalance, or restore ovary function.
-Even if the tubes are reconnected and show open on a HSG, a TR cannot restore the function of the cilia.
- A TR drastically increases your chance of ectopic pregnancy and can be life threatening. I had 4 back to back ectopics and nearly died when my tube burst with the last, as it didn't "present" as a ectopic initially.
-Your chances of pregnancy (resulting in LIVE birth) are MUCH lower after reversal VS if you did mini IVF/IVF, especially when considering age, and egg quality. Embryo Donation/Adoption has even HIGHER pregnancy/Live birth rates.(as does double donor cycles abroad)
- 8 out of 10 women 5-7 years after a TR for PTLS, had symptoms return, and most have now had a hysterectomy, myself included.
-Pelvic surgery increases your chances adhesions, and messing with your reproductive system can induce the development of other GYN related disorders, such as endometriosis, PCOS, etc.
- Chance of miscarriage is higher. Usually due to progesterone deficiency. Reconnecting the tubes, will NOT restore damage done to your ovaries from the trauma of prior pelvic surgery.
If I had to do it all again, I would never have done the Tubal Reversal. I am so glad for my journey, as I gained tremendous amount of wisdom and knowledge in reproductive science, and reproductive immunology. I also would NOT have the two littlest babies we do, as we likely would have had an entirely different life path, had we gone directly to Embryo Adoption... However, I'm tenacious,and I didn't give up when 99.9% of others would have. And I wouldn't wish that pain on my worst enemy. I also think its valuable to have opinions from all sides, and from people who have had the surgery many years prior. If we want to advocate for informed consent, that should be across the board, and includes elective surgeries.
As a women's health advocate, I feel its my duty to share my experience, inform others about the possibilities and share the stories they may not see in support groups. Most of us with less than happy endings get shunned, or shut down, and our stories minimized, so others can keep the rose colored glasses on.... Please carefully consider the statistics, and really consider why MANY reproductive physicians will NOT perform a Tubal Reversal anymore.... There is a reason!
What a nice, honest post. I'm still living at home full time at 13 months, and still feel weird calling myself a SAHM. Being a SAHM also feels really weird, just an endless stream of snacks and books and recipes and laundry and stacking blocks. I hope my brain and my sense of humor are still somewhere, but I don't know! I was thinking about doing something completely random for myself in the evening that would shake things up a bit, like maybe taking an acting class, even though I'd never be acting. Just for fun, to light up a different part of my mind and make me feel like a person again. This post was great to read - it made me feel less lonely!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you sharing this honest account.
ReplyDelete