Lap and dye

[lorla]

Has anyone had this? Have been trying to conceive for over a year now and was told by the doc this morning that he'll send me for blood tests and then he talked about the lap and dye procedure too. I had no idea it involved day surgery and now I'm worried! Does anyone know if I have to have it regardless of the blood test results? Any advice welcomed.

[bednobs]

you don't HAVE to have any procedure at all, especially for a non-life threatening thing like this.

[rowanwitch]

It is a relatively simple procedure a bit uncomfortable for acouple of days after but nothing ordiary pain killers cant handle and it will help the doctors decide if your tubes are blocked or not ..They can have a good look around for other problems while they are in there too.

It might be the blood tests will show a hormone abnormality but if they don't you probably should consider having it done, it would be hard to get on an ivf programme for example without a definitive diagnosis

[lorla]

My lovely hubbie said the same thing, I haven't got to do anything I don't want to. But I want to know why it's taking so long and I'm anxious to find out if there is a problem. I was just confused about whether I still go for this procedure if the blood tests show there is a problem with my hormones? I didn't think to ask this while I was at the surgery.

[coccinelle]

Do they do this now instead of an HSG?

[rowanwitch]

They may well do an HSG Hysterosalpingogram (its where they inject the dye that can be seen on X rays from 'down below' and use an Xray scanner to follow its path through the tubes and out the other end) it before the Lap and dye, worth asking, it depends what they think is wrong or If they want to look for other problems at the same time, Probably best to ask your doctors why they are doing the specific tests and what they expect to learn from them.

[Sqad]

Over a year is a very small space of time before investigating "infertility"
Over two years would be more appropriate in my opinion.

[foodluva]

Sorry Sqad but I need to disagree with you there. I don't think you can make a statement like that without knowing Lorla's age!

Lorla, I myself am being sent for a hysterosalpingogram as opposed to lap and dye. I have been trying to conceive for under a year but because I have just been diagnosed with endometriosis, and I am 39 (trying for my first) my consultant gynaecologist thinks it is best to investigate sooner rather than later. FYI she also thinks that any investigative procedure involving laparoscopy can damage egg reserve and are best left as a last resort.

[Sqad]

foodluva....what has age got to do with it?

If she is young and infertile then 2yrs is reasonable.
If she is old and infertile then it is likely that she has been trying for more than 2 years.
Both fit my criteria.

No mention of endometriosis in the post and I am sure thet she would have mentioned it.

I stand by my original post.

[foodluva]

Okay endometriosis aside, I beg to differ!

At the moment, her inability to conceive is unexplained. If she has age on her side, then there is time to investigate and hopefully resolve the problem whilst she is relatively young and subject to the same chances of conception as anyone her age ( e.g 25 year olds have 1 in 4 chance of conceiving every month), In these circumstances I would agree that it isn't unreasonable to wait 2 years before investigation. However, if she is between 35 and 40, her chances of conceiving every month are 1 in 7 or 8. Add this to a late diagnosis of a fertility problem - whatever the nature - and long waiting lists for treatment, then it might be too late.

My point is, if she is older and is forced to wait 2 years for investigations and these reveal a problem, she may be wishing she tried sooner in life.

Can you see my point?

[foodluva]

P.S you can never assume that just because someone is older, that they have been trying for more than 2 years!

[Sqad]

foodluva...;-) good point, well delivered and I do agree.

[rowanwitch]

there is also an argument for getting the basic tests out of the way....reassurance that there is no major problem and it is possibly just a matter of time can help take a lot of the anxiety out of the process. It also gives an opportunity to address lifestyle issues before a pregnancy occurs. The other argument for early investigation is the difficulty faced in going down the adoption route with even relatively young couples becoming timed out on the list for for the very few babies and toddlers that become available. Knowing what it is like to go through years of unsuccessful treatment I wish Lorla all the luck in the world and I hope that soon all her tests come back negative except the one that will really matter and very soon she's asking the mums on here for advice.

[foodluva]

Thank you Mr Sqad :-)

[foodluva]

p.S we nurses do enjoy a healthy tussle with you doctors ;-)

[Sqad]

foodluva......it is the "unhealthy" tussle with nurses that I am interested in ;-)

[rowanwitch]

Plenty of that went on when I was nursing especially in theatres.....we reckon it was a side effect of exposure to anaesthetic gases,,,lowering of inhibitions etc... so it was Mr Smith on the operating table with the female ODA sort of thing

[foodluva]

LOL at Sqad! I hear loads of stories about fumbles in cupboards between doctors and nurses 'back in the old days'. Presumably, when paperwork was less and staffing levels better......LOL!

[rowanwitch]

Usually happened after a really stressful incident all that spare energy with nowhere else to put it

[lorla]

Thanks all, great advice as usual. I am 30yrs old. We were told by GP that if we had no luck after a year, they would investigate. My husband has been tested and his fertility is fine (great sperm apparently!) so now it's my turn. Happy to do the bloody test but think this lap and dye procedure sounds quite serious. Husband is seeing it in black & white and says if you are frightened by it, don't do it....but I want the results!

I am a healthy young woman and my husband has already fathered a child (and a gorgeous one at that!) - it just seems a year is a long time and I am keen to rule out any issues because it can be a stressful and anxious wait.

I think I have things in proportion, this is not life and death but it's upsetting all the same. I may not sound it but I am managing to stay relatively positive and genuinely think there are no problems, mother nature is just taking her time and fate will allow it to happen when is right for us both. I guess I think test results that proove all is well, would just be the icing on the cake. But boy does the lap & dye sound horrid!

[rowanwitch]

Lorla, we used to do a gynae day case list where I used to work and most days we had at least one lap and dye lady often more, they did as well as the lap sterilisations in that most went home two hours post op. the only complications we ever had were a few who had a bit of sickness due to the anaesthetic and a few who needed slightly stronger pain control who had to stay in for an extra couple of hours one or two overnight. Because of your age the sooner you know the better as some health authorities age cap IVF etc I know there is talk of stopping this age restriction but some places its around 35 and the time will fly by.. There is a lot of info out there but your local hospital gynae dept should have some basic leaflets which often give websites they recommend.