"Finally being diagnosed with endometriosis changed my life."

26 February 2024

Amy

“Without the team at The Evewell, I would not have become a mother.”

by Stephanie, a patient of The Evewell

“Today, as I sit and write this, almost seven weeks have passed since my second successful laparoscopy with excision surgery to treat my endometriosis. In my recent post-operative appointment with Mr Davis at The Evewell, we discussed possible drug treatments that are currently undergoing trials and may very well become available for me to use before my natural menopause happens. 

I woke up this morning next to my toddler, who was conceived via IVF at The Evewell after my first excision surgery. So it’s fair to say that a lot has happened in the past five years, and I’ve decided to share my experience in the hope that it may be useful to anyone in a similar position.

The start of my fertility and endometriosis journey

In early 2019, my partner and I had been trying for a baby for a few months and I was beginning to think something was wrong. I was having increasing abdominal pain, and extremely heavy periods. My GP was very helpful and referred me for blood tests and an internal ultrasound, all of which came back clear.

I pushed for further help and was referred to an NHS fertility clinic. When that appointment came around in late summertime, my concerns were roundly dismissed, and I was advised I wasn’t eligible for any treatment. 

By this point, I’d seen eight different doctors, who had all advised that there was no problem. Some had suggested that perhaps it was anxiety, stress, or depression.

The message was clear; nobody believed me and no one was going to help me.

Choosing The Evewell, and my initial consultation with Mr Davis

A friend recommended The Evewell, and in my mind this would be a last effort to seek out help, possibly to just try IVF.

Very quickly into my first meeting with Mr Davis, he recommended laparoscopic surgery for further investigation of my symptoms. In retrospect I cringe a bit at my reaction – I was not impressed at the thought of surgery and I asked him, a bit nonchalantly, if he had seen these types of issues before. Did he know what it could be? 

The answer changed my life: “Yes, I think it could be endometriosis”.

Mr Davis was the first doctor to take the time to listen to my medical history and experience. He didn’t rush me, and he allowed me to fully answer every question without cutting me off. He wrote notes as I spoke as if what I was saying had importance. He was extremely calm, and in no way defensive – a completely different experience from my other interactions with doctors.

Nevertheless, I struggled to take everything on board and to be honest my husband and I went to the pub, had a couple of pints, and then treated ourselves to a pizza before falling into a cab. I didn’t have the energy to Google anything else, and I didn’t know what to think.

The next morning I woke up at 5am and logged onto the Endometriosis UK website, where I read testimonies of other women with the condition. Everything clicked into place – my symptoms had been there all along, since my teenage years, since my periods started. 

It was not in my head. It was not curable, but it was treatable, and it may be affecting my ability to become pregnant.

My first excision surgery and recovery

I underwent successful excision surgery two months later. The surgeon found endometriosis in so many places, including my bladder, bowel, colon and multiple areas on my pelvis walls and ligaments. Part of my kidney had been scarred and was attached to an area of my rear pelvic wall. My appendix had narrowly escaped the same fate.

Thankfully my reproductive organs were not directly affected – the oven was ok but the rest of the kitchen all around it had been on fire. 

The recovery was rough, and I had to slow down my expectations and take it day by day. But almost immediately my body felt different, somehow cleaner and healthier. I could feel it healing, and I tried my best to give it time and rebuild slowly but surely.

My IVF and frozen embryo transfer

By the summer of 2020, six months had passed and lockdown was beginning to ease. We spoke to Mr Davis over Zoom, to discuss the re-opening of the clinic and the next steps for starting IVF treatment. 

That summer, with the amazing skill and care of Dr Amodeo we created embryos, and I suffered some side effects from the drugs after the egg collection process.

Once again I waited for my body to heal, testing my default nature of impatience. By October I felt ready to proceed with a frozen embryo transfer and fell pregnant.

The Evewell continued to be there every step of the way, checking hormone levels and prescribing more progesterone when needed.

The pregnancy was tough – we felt like we couldn’t fully commit to the idea that this was happening, that we were going to have a baby.

Around week 32 I realised that the baby was developed enough to pretty much come out and cope without me if it had to, and I finally started to relax.

Our little boy arrived bang on his due date, happy and healthy and to our huge relief and joy.

The return of my endometriosis symptoms, and a second surgery

When my baby was six months old I had a trusty Mirena coil inserted again – I had found this to be very helpful with my symptoms even before my diagnosis. I continued to breastfeed until he was almost two, motivated in part by the hope that this would help to suppress the endometriosis. 

In summer 2022 I was experiencing increasing abdominal pain, largely concentrated around my left ovary. I suspected another excision surgery may be required, and Mr Davis confirmed this and undertook the procedure in January 2024. Everything went smoothly – there was less endometriosis to remove compared to my first surgery. 

I’m finding the recovery much easier, even whilst frequently wrestling a toddler.

I want to help others suffering with endometriosis

Looking back, I’m shocked at how I was treated by the medical professional before my diagnosis, and extremely thankful that I have found Mr Davis, Dr Amodeo and the wonderful team at The Evewell. They have saved the life that I lead, and I have a firm belief that without them I would not have become a mother. 

After what I’ve been through, “hope” is a tricky concept for me, and not a word I tend to use. But I do have hope that in the future I will be able to continue to manage my condition and have the best life that I can. 

And I do have hope that my experience might be able to help others. Please send the team an email at appointments@evewell.com if you’d like to get in touch, they’ll pass my email on to you.

Don’t suffer in silence, please reach out to me if you’d like to speak to someone who has lived through endometriosis.”