Infertility - what's the facts?

Are you asking about fertility rates in women with UC...or a Jpouch...or an ostomy?? I know there is a chance of infertility with the surgeries, but that is true of any surgery in/around the abdominal area. I too have heard many different percentages and have also heard MANY success stories of women with Jpouches and ostomies having babies. If you are looking to have faith in something...maybe it shouldn't be in research facts and figures. If you are meant to have children, you will have them, no matter what surgery you do or do not have. And if you aren't meant to have them...then you won't...surgery or not. That's just my belief though...

Sibby said...
No, I do not have a j pouch, just UC, or have had any surgeries. But I am 24, and wish to know the real facts, percentages and anything else, that shows women have a much higher risk of never getting pregnant.

I know that some cannot due to scar tissue, but is there certain techniques in the OR that could prevent infertility? Or is it just another thing we have to deal with?

I know in one study it suggested that women can have a 80% chance of not getting pregnant - wow. Another saying it's a 50% chance. Then another saying that possibly 1 in 4, or 1 in 5 cannot. Which study do we put our faith in, because I'm running out of it. As everyone is.

I was advised by a very experienced j-pouch surgeon that you can understand the outcomes of j-pouch surgery as affecting fecundity but not overall fertility.

What this means is that there is a decrease of about 50% in the likelihood that you will get pregnant "naturally," just by having unprotected sex. In the literature that is called "fecundity".

However, overall fertility, meaning your likelihood of getting pregnant using all available medical interventions (IVF, etc) appears to be unchanged before and after surgery.

So basically, you can still do it, but it's likely to be a little harder (sounds like living with UC in general, right?)

An option that is frequently offered to young married women who are facing colectomy is to have the colectomy (step 1) performed, then have as many pregnancies/babies as you want, and then move forward with the j-pouch and additional surgeries. There are a few reasons for this: first of all, each additional surgery creates more scar tissue and therefore increases the likelihood of difficulty conceiving. Second of all, a c-section (if necessary) can be performed more easily on a patient who has had fewer surgeries and who doesn't have a j-pouch yet.

There are some women on jpouch.org that have had natural childbirth with their j pouch. It's all individual. It is however recommended to have a c section.

I don't know if being stable it or in a flare makes a difference. I would think being in a flare would make it harder, since that taxes your body more. And the worse shape I was in the more erratic my periods were. I think the meds also affect it. It's been probably 10 years since I saw that Dr. I just remember her telling me it might not be easy to get pregnant because of the illness.

I was diagnosed with UC in 2005. Had all sorts of drugs-from steroids to immunosuppressants etc. In 2009 I had an emergency removal of the colon as it was bleeding throughout its whole surface area and I was on the verge of toxic megacolon. Just as I was admitted I went into a coma and after an MRI scan they discovered I had a huge tomb in the brain and in the vain leading to the liver. Had an emergency brain surgery and gastro surgery 2 weeks later. My whole left side of the body was paralysed from the thrombosis in the brain. After 3 months in the hospital and physio I managed to regain full movement in the whole body and manage my stoma.
The doctors advised us that if we wanted to have kids, we needed to get on with it before the second surgery-J pouch or permanent ileostomy as after the removal of the rectum, the % to successfully getting pregnant dropped to 30-40% and the likelihood of complications due to the scar tissue was higher. We were told that all family planning (as many kids as we wanted) had to be done before the next surgery and within 5 years from the first surgery (the removal of the colon and the formation of the ileostomy to minimise the risk of bowel cancer).
I got pregnant from the first try (I was 28 at the time and my husband was 31). I managed the colitis with steroid foam and was told that if I had to have short courses of oral steroids that won't affect the baby as they won't be able to pass through the placenta.
I was scheduled to have a C-section as the doctors need to preserve the pelvic floor and the sphincter muscle of the bum as if that is compromised J-pouch surgery is out of the question.
I guess for permanent ileostomy it doesn't matter as the anus will be sawn after the rectum is removed.

I'm certainly not at that stage of getting any surgeries. But if I need it at least I'm informed about the possibilities/probabilities of scarring. It's unfortunate, and I hope that none have a huge problem with it. But it is encouraging that woman have gotten pregnant after.

Thank you for all the information. Much appreciated.