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It would be logical to think that if a woman’s womb is removed after hysterectomy, she won’t be able to conceive a pregnancy or bear children. However, women who have performed a hysterectomy operation are still capable of having their own biological children! All that is required is a little extra help with the aid of egg freezing process and IVF surrogacy.
It is worth mentioning that according to the National Women’s Health Network, hysterectomy is now the second most commonly performed surgery on women in the United States. Around 500,000 women undergo hysterectomy every year in the US alone. Since the uterus is where the baby gestates, and hysterectomy poses the risk of removing the uterus, the surgery renders women unable to carry a pregnancy.
In the rare case where a woman conceives pregnancy after hysterectomy, known as ectopic pregnancy, life-threatening dangers may arise.
With so many women having to face this hindrance to become a parent, it is wise to be well aware of the available solutions. Let us understand how it is possible to have your own children even after hysterectomy surgery.
A hysterectomy refers to the surgical removal of a woman’s womb. The surgery usually removes the whole uterus. In cases, doctors may remove fallopian tubes and ovaries as well. Once a hysterectomy is done, you will no longer have menstrual cycles and cannot conceive a pregnancy.
The decision to pursue this procedure is not an easy one, and sometimes, it is not even a choice. However, whether it’s performed due to a cancer diagnosis or pain, this minimally invasive surgery will probably be thoroughly researched before a decision is made.
For example, an emergency hysterectomy may be done in case of excessive bleeding or harmful infection following childbirth that can result in the death of the mother. Generally, women who have been diagnosed with cancer of the ovary, cervix, or womb are good candidates for hysterectomy, as are women with severe endometriosis or uterine fibroids.
There are three main types of hysterectomies:
An ectopic pregnancy, also known as extrauterine pregnancy, is where a fertilized egg grows outside the uterus. After hysterectomy, as there is no womb present to carry the pregnancy, it can lead to life-threatening bleeding, and medical care is needed right away.
In more than 90% of cases of ectopic pregnancy, the fertilized egg implants in the fallopian tube known as tubal pregnancy.
Your ovaries will continue to release eggs as long as they are left intact and remains functional. Depending on your individual risk, your ovaries may be removed through a hysterectomy procedure called oophorectomy to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer. Recent research has found that removing only the uterine tubes but keeping the ovaries intact can help decrease the risk of a common type of ovarian cancer that is believed to commence in these tubes. While the choice to keep your ovaries is up to you and your physician to make, it’s advisable to leave them unless removal is totally necessary.
Sure, you can still have your eggs retrieved after a hysterectomy. Even though you are not likely to qualify to donate eggs to another person, your fertility center can explore the available options for your IVF cycle.
Yes. As said above, if your ovaries are functioning or you have your young, healthy eggs frozen, you can have children genetically related to you using assisted reproductive technology.
Your ovarian volume or your antral follicle count would be examined to determine the possibility of a successful retrieval. You will then undergo an ovarian ultrasound to know the condition and location of your ovaries because they may move after a hysterectomy.
Plus, the doctor would examine your hormone levels to know where you’re in your monthly cycle to make sure the ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval are well-timed.
If the final decision is to have your ovaries removed through a hysterectomy, you can consider the option of retrieving your eggs first to freeze them through cryopreservation technology.
This will probably depend on your age – since you may not be able to make egg donations at age 40 or later, you would want to consider the quality of the retrieved eggs.
If the eggs are 100% healthy, they can be “mixed” with your partner’s or donor’s sperm or frozen for future use. The resulting embryos can then be cryopreserved and stored in the lab until you’re ready to use them to try for a baby using a Gestational Surrogate.
It’s advisable to team up with a reputable agency to help you navigate your journey through the surrogacy process when you’re ready to build a family. Your chosen Surrogate will undergo In-vitro fertilization – using either your frozen eggs, frozen embryos, or embryos created with a donor’s sperm.
A hysterectomy is never an easy decision. It’s one that can require a great deal of physical and emotional healing. However, with the right treatment option and adequate support, you can overcome the barriers presented by hysterectomy and can still have a child biologically related to you through surrogacy process.
At Coastal Fertility, we will support you when you are ready and walk you through every single step of the way towards parenthood. Schedule a consultation today to learn how you can have children even after hysterectomy surgery.
You can also explore our website or chat with our team from the comfort of your home.
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Coastal Fertility Medical Center offers one of the most affordable fertility treatments and is completely transparent regarding the costs of procedures and any other expenses that you may have to pay before commencing your treatment. This differentiates us from some fertility clinics that reduce prices before the signing of the contract but charge you extra later on. We make sure our patients are well aware of any possible extra pricing that may occur over the course of their treatment.
Following the Preimplantation Genetic Screening process, which helps ensure there are normal chromosome numbers and detects possible genetic disorders, the most healthy embryo(s) are selected to be implanted into your or your chosen surrogate’s womb. 2 weeks after the transfer of the embryo, your physician will conduct a final blood test to determine the level of hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) in your body. Increased hCG levels usually indicate a positive pregnancy test.
For fertilization to take place, the collected egg and sperm are combined in a petri dish and cultured in an embryo incubator. This dish is closely watched to check whether any of the eggs have been fertilized. Once the egg is fertilized, it is referred to as an embryo or a blastocyst on the 5th day of development. Our in-house embryologist carefully nurtures every embryo to the right time, even if it means working outside the standard business operating hours. For instance: If an oocyte is not mature, our laboratory will wait for it to mature and then ICSI it at the right time.
The egg retrieval is a slightly invasive medical procedure that takes about 20 to 30 minutes. You will be given an anesthetic to make you sleep for the duration of the procedure. Using ultrasound technology, your doctor will harvest your eggs transvaginally with a small, hollow needle connected to an ultrasound probe. Once your eggs are collected, your partner’s semen or donor sperm you have pre-selected is used for fertilization. The sperm are washed and prepared, and the top-quality sperm extracted is used to fertilize the eggs.
Your doctor will create a customized medication schedule that contains information about the fertility medications and hormone injections you have to take. Medication and injections are taken to encourage your ovaries to mature a large number of eggs for fertilization. Since women don’t respond to fertility drugs and hormones the same way, personalized protocols are crucial to the IVF cycle success. At Coastal Fertility, we will monitor you closely, letting you understand the changes occurring in your body and keeping track of how your egg follicles are growing.
On-site consultations typicallyinclude a standard fertility evaluation, consisting of a physical examination, complementary follicular ultrasound, and testing to enable your doctor to know your present fertility status and draw up a treatment plan.
This consultation includes a detailed medical evaluation with a doctor. You and your physician will review your health records and have enough time to talk about your goals and get answers to your questions. We recommend that you jot down all your questions before the visit to allow you to make the best use of the time spent with your doctor.
Your Reproductive Endocrinologist will take all factors into consideration and create a comprehensive plan of care, otherwise known as the treatment plan. This plan will include treatment recommendations from the physician and enable your financial coordinator to make a precise quotation once you meet.
Our globally respected team of specialists are helping improve IVF technologies to enter into a generation of better outcomes for infertility. Although you’ll have a doctor guiding you, you are also going to benefit from the experience and insights of other doctors during case review collaboration meetings, which take place every week. So, you won’t just rely on the expertise of a specialist but benefit from the knowledge of many reputed fertility experts.
The infertility industry is currently segmented, with each service or treatment being handled by a different provider. Our all-inclusive model simplifies an otherwise complex and difficult process. We are here to revolutionize the infertility industry by offering a one-stop-service model to assist our patients through infertility challenges while reducing physical, emotional, and financial risks.
Our fertility clinic focuses on helping you build your family regardless of your sexual orientation or the gender you choose to identify with. We are even taking further steps to make LGTB people feel more welcome at our fertility clinic. Each of our patient-facing staff goes through LGTB training to let family-building clinicians provide necessary support and make you feel highly welcome.
We know that every situation is different and that everyone requires different treatments. Unlike facilities that take “a one-size-fits-all” approach for all cases, our fertility specialists use more than 40 customized protocols to raise the chances of success. The customized approach even extends to our fertility laboratory. Our on-site lab director and his highly-experienced team nurture every embryo and egg to increase the odds of success of each cycle.
Our team specializes in difficult cases and help patients who may have been considered “hopeless” at other fertility clinics. Thanks to our personalized solutions, expertise, and internal collaboration, weare able to maximize pregnancy success rates that are well above the industry average, even in difficult infertility cases.
Upon your arrival, you will check in with a Patient Care Coordinator. We will obtain your insurance information for benefits verification, a copy of your identification and take a picture for your electronic medical chart