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Ovarian Drilling / Diathermy

12K views 15 replies 4 participants last post by  goblin1975 
#1 ·
Have any of you metformin ladies had Ovarian Drilling /  Diathermy done?  Have any of you conceived?  How quickly did you concieve.  Was the procedure painful?  How long were you told the effects would last?  Did the surgeon / consultant tell you the advantages disadvantages? 

Tweets x
 
#2 ·
Hiya Tweets

I had ovarian drilling/diathermy back in 2002 for my pcos

It was done with a laparoscopy, so recovery was a couple of weeks for me altho it was coupled with removal of endo also the cons didnt go thru the pros and cons with me because i didnt know about it until after it had been done

It regulated my cycles from 3 months to between 4 and 6 weeks and i ovulated by myself i think though it only lasted a  few years, i did conceive but it wasnt to be sadly but i did have other issues

Not sure if this is helpful to you or not, but if i was offered again i prob would have it done

Em
 
#3 ·
Hi Em

Thanks for your info!!! That is great to know.  Maybe once all tx has finished I might try this (lets hope I wont need to). 

Did you always know you had endo or did the lap help find that out.

Tweets x
 
#4 ·
Hiya Tweetiepie

i didnt always know i had endo no

I had a lap in 1994 which confirmed the PCOS but they say there was no endo seen at that time, it was diagnosed in 2001 altho my endo/ivf cons thinks it was just missed in 1994 due to the severity of the endo but i guess really we will never know

Lots of luck
heres hoping you wont need it!
Em
 
#5 ·
Zachary us beautiful!!! 
 
#6 ·
Hi

I had an ovarian diathermy done in March this year.  After the op I had some discomfort around where the incisions were made but nothing too bad - I found it difficult to stand up straight for about 5 days, but I had it done on the Wednesday and was back at work the following Monday.  I'd fully recovered after about 10 days.

I had a period 3 weeks later, then onto Clomid (with Metformin) and it was a bit of an odd cycle and I didn't ovulate after the HCG trigger but somehow ovulated later on cycle day 35 and got my BFP, which by then was 2 months after the op.

It's still early days, I'm just over 5 weeks right now, saw the pregnancy sac on a scan last night so have everything crossed!  But I would recommend the procedure.  I wasn't told how long it would last, just that most women conceive 3-6 months later.

I was told that the advantages were that the good eggs would be able to get out, and that my consultant had a high success rate (I believe 100%).  I wasn't told of any disadvantages.  I was concerned about scarring of my ovaries but he dismissed that.

Hope that helps.

Claire x
 
#7 ·
Congratulations Claire

How wonderful.  I have considered this - who was your consultant out of interest.  Im not sure what to do as I am at a different stage as I have had IVF 4 times ... so not sure if this would definitely benefit me.  Im confused ... Maybe this would be something for when I have given up with IVF and just try naturally  .... I did do it the other way round too eg ttc naturally then do the ivf bvut nothing has really worked.

Thanks for you amazing success story - I hope all goes well for you!

Tweets x
 
#8 ·
Hi Tweetiepie

Thanks for your congratulations.  I'm still in shock, and very scared!

I've been seeing Mr Banerjee via BUPA in Hertfordshire. 

He told me that if it didn't work it would help my chances at IVF, although I'm not sure why that is exactly. 

I was really worried about the operation but actually it wasn't that big of a deal.  My choice was IVF or ov drilling and I thought I'd give this a chance first, so I think I've just done it in a different order.  It definitely helps with egg quality so it might be worth considering.  I had mine done privately which cost £1,710 plus a follow up consultation and the meds, but I know a few people who've had it done on the NHS after a not overly lengthy waiting list.

Other things I was doing concurrently which may have had a bearing are following a strict low GI diet, having weekly acupuncture, taking loads of supplements and doing stress-busting things like yoga, etc.

Good luck, I hope your BFP is just around the corner.

Claire x
 
#9 ·
Thanks Claire

I think it helps with IVF as it makes the ovaries less polycystic - but I was hoping that Metformin is already doing this for me and that is why I didnt opt for it at first.  But it seems I have other issues too like immune problems - so I suppose its good that I didnt have it done initially as otherwise i would not have found out about these new problems as early as I have.

^reiki^  All the best!!!

Tweets x
 
#10 ·
Hi

Just to add, the metformin didn't make my ovaries less polycystic unfortunately.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. ^reiki^ ^reiki^ ^reiki^ ^reiki^

Claire x
 
#11 ·
Hi

I had drilling on the NHS back in 2004 in May (after being put on waiting list in March/April 2004).  Drilling was done via laproscopy and discomfort for me was like period pain which didn't last long to be honest, maybe a few days post op.

We had a holiday booked in April 2005 so we put off ttc and starting Clomid until October so if we DID become pg we'd be a good stage to fly etc and so started Clomid October, got BFN in November/early December and then got BFP in January.

Hope this helps!

Keri xx
 
#12 ·
Hello

Keri - great news on your BFP - hope things are going well!  ^reiki^

I have finally decided to go ahead with the laparoscopy & hysto at the same time as I suspect the possibility of endo.  I still have not decided on the Ovarian Drilling.  I have called my ivf clinic to ask their opinion ... so still waiting for their advice..

Part of me says just go for it - maybe it will improve queslity of my eggs.  But part of me is still scared about the possible damage it can also do  :-\

I will be back to let you all now of my final decision.

tweetiepie x

 
#13 ·
Hi Tweetiepie

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. 

Like you I was worried about the ov drilling doing damage and google was my worst enemy on that front but my consultant, who is very experienced, didn't think this was an issue at all.  I think if you have an experienced surgeon then all is ok, and it's very rare for something to go wrong.

Mind you, I'm a big ov drilling fan.  I've been told I will probably need to have it done again if I want to conceive again, and I wouldn't hesitate.

Do let me know what you decide to do, wishing you all the best. x

Claire x
 
#14 ·
Just an update ...

I had the laparoscopy done with Ovarian Drilling and a hyteroscopy at the same time.

I had 4 holes make in each ovary.  Then the lap revealed mild/moderate endometriosis which was lasered off.  I also had a polyp and a thickened lining (which could have been causing the blood before and after my AFs!!)

The pain during cycles was probably caused by the endo.

So all in all it was a good move to have the lap done.  Even though my AFs were not overly heavy or painful ... the symptoms I had eg old blood after afs, before afs, twisting pain during cycle after AFs, mid cycle bleeds ... and sometimes pain during bms .... were all probably caused by the endo and polyp.

So This is just to say thank you for giving me advice and helping me make my mind up.  It was the right choice.  Now I hope this will all help to get a sticky BFP!!!

Also i hope this post helps other ladies make their minds up ... and yes my GP told me i didnt need a lap - shows that a specialist is the best person to tell you if you need one or not.  Plus scans I had in the UK did not show the polyp ... so just because it is not on the sacn does not mean you do not have a polyp!!!

tweets xxxx
 
#15 ·
ps i was told that Ovarian drilling would last 2 years to 5 years!!!  the Dr told me that I would not need another lap for at leats 5 yrs now.  But the polyp could grow back in a years time
 
#16 ·
Let's hope it's all systems go for that sticky BFP then!  Glad the lap seems to have resolved all sorts of potential barriers.

Really hoping you get your BFP soon!

Claire x
 
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