thank you for this encouragement!  is there anything you can think of that helped with conception?  i've been trying for 6 months without any luck, i know that isn't very long, but discouraging nonetheless.  i have severe pouchitis that i can't seem to shake and my doctor advised it will be very challenging to conceive under these conditions.  any suggestions would be appreciated!  my insurance doesn't cover infertility treatment so i'm not sure i would be able to go down that road anytime in the near future.

 

UC 2004 - 2010

J-Pouch (1-step surgery) May 2010

Diagnosed with Pouchitis July 2011 - present

Apa, I'm sorry to hear about your pouchitis being so bad   I have been blessed with manageable pouchitis that stays in check with a relatively low dose of flagyl/cipro. I hope you get better soon!  The only thing I did was track my ovulation by checking cervical fluid and confirming with an ovulation predictor kit.

that's great that cipro/flagyl have been successful for you!  have you made any other diet or lifestyle changes that have contributed to the pouchitis being more manageable?  my OB advised me to focus on getting my pouchitis as under control as possible and that will be my best shot at getting pregnant. i've change my lifestyle rather dramatically since my first hospitalization for pouchitis and have seen great improvements (diet, yoga, acupuncture, VSL#3, steroids, Lialda, etc.), but can't seem to get it actually under control.  i also find that if i throw off my routine AT ALL, i flare.  can you relate at all?

 

thanks again for sharing your story - it is definitely providing hope for me!

That's good! i hope that  have been successful for you.... 

Hy,I am new here. You gave me some hope that I could have baby on my own. My surgen said to me that after the j pouch isn't 100%sure I can stay pregnant. He sugested to me to have 3 stage operation and after first to have a baby,then to do stage 2 and 3. But that was no option for me,becouse personal reasons. So I decided to have 2 stage op. I still hope I will have a baby at least one.

Armywife, so good to hear from you!!  Last I heard from you, you were just about to deliver your daughter.  Great to hear that all went well with your delivery and that you are managing your pouchitis!  Congrats on baby 2...how exciting!!!  :-)

 

I just wanted to let you know how encouraging I have found your story, thank you for sharing it. My bowel nurse is amazing but has always warned me not to get my hopes up with regards being able to conceive, as in her clinic she has never seen a pouch baby. After being told over and over that not everyone gets their miracle baby, your story has given me hope that it could happen for me. My partner and I have decided to start trying for our baby next year (my pouch will be 2 at that point) and hopefully our journey will be straight forward. Thank you again for sharing.

Alice

I want to lend some hope as well...I am currently 15 weeks pregnant also with natural conception, and a blocked fallopian tube due to scar tissue. We tried for nine months and I was just about to start clomid..I had even filled and picked up the prescription when we found out I was pregnant...clomid is a low cost option though..even not covered it is only about 30$.

Congratulations! It is awesome to hear such encouraging storie. I am now pregnant after dealing with 5+ years of infertility, but my miracle baby came through one round of IVF and one FET. I'm 10 weeks. I go for my first OB appt on Wednesday. Did you get a C-section? Were you considered high risk? I've had my pouch for almost 10 years, no real issues, but I want to prevent (as much as I can) any damage to my pouch during delivery....

Hey there! Yes my primary care doctor considered me high risk so they referred me to a high risk clinic. I was kind of confused as to why I was high risk but the doctor told me that I was right where I was supposed to be. women like us can have smaller babies so I was regularly seen all throughout my pregnancy so they could measure the growth of my baby. I was completely fine with cesarean sections because I didn't want to risk any damage done to my J pouch. I mean when I think about it, doing all that pushing down there after all the work they've done? I didn't want to risk tearing. But that's just me :-)

Congrats! 

My baby was naturally conceived as well, when I was 30 and my pouch was 10ish. I chose with my surgeon's approval a C-section. Ten months after she was born, I had to have surgery to remove a large mucoid cyst off my left ovary. The surgery was completed by an OB/GYN who focuses on fertility issues. Afterwards, he came out and said, "Is that Rachel's biological child?  That child is an act of divine intervention. She shouldn't be able to have kids," based on all of my scar tissue, etc.

He said I was a good candidate for IVF, but he truly didn't think I'd get pregnant naturally again. I didn't. But IVF wasn't something my hubby and I wanted to do, so I have one lovely daughter, age 13.

So it IS possible. I think a Cleveland Clinic study found ~52% of women after J pouch have fertility issues, so roughly half.

I started out with "high risk" but they didn't feel I was high risk "enough" to be as attentive as I wanted, so I had a regular team I transferred care to, and I was fine. Uterus sits in front of the pouch, so no pouch issues here. When I had the C section and cyst removal, they had a colorectal surgeon on standby, but we never needed them.

Wow 52%? I didn't know it was that high. Miracle babies, indeed!