Please help me fund my Hysterectomy Surgery

My name is Andrea and I suffer from infertility and endometriosis, this has taken a major toll on my physical and mental health.

My goal is to raise enough money to allow me a new lease of life –

Hysterectomy Surgery

Let me tell you more about my journey and why at only 35 I am choosing to have my reproductive organs removed!

At the age of 30 I was struggling to conceive naturally after years of trying, I went to my GP for help - lots of tests later I was referred to my local hospital fertility clinic.

November 2017 - I had my first appointment with a gynecologist who’s first response was that I needed to lose weight if I was to ever be considered for any fertility procedures! My BMI was only one point above the threshold! Soon after I was booked in for blood tests, scans etc.

November 2018 - I had a hysterosalpingogram*

I was told that one of my Fallopian tubes was twisted and the other was blocked, however, they would still refer me to an assisted conception unit (ACU)

April 2019 - Appointment with the fertility consultant at the ACU clinic

They concluded my hydrosalpinx* was not too bad and that surgery was unlikely to be required.

June 2019 – Another consultant at the ACU was concerned about the time I last had my tube checked (possibly could be in a worse condition) I was referred for surgery

August 2019 - Operation to check the Fallopian tube

No issue with either tube. But endometriosis* scarring was found, which needed removing.

Having endometriosis didn’t surprise me too much due to the severe period pain I suffered every month

I was told after recovery I could now consider IVF*

October 2019 - Hour long journey to the fertility clinic to start our very first IVF journey. I was so nervous but excited!

As you can imagine it is pretty intense! I managed to somehow inject myself (very proud!) Egg collection time came quickly and they managed to retrieve 3 eggs. Unfortunately, only 1 survived and was put back and 2 weeks later it sadly didn’t work.

January 2020 - We gave IVF another chance and this time they managed to collect 5 eggs!! 4 fertilised and 2 managed to survive and were put back but sadly 2 weeks later this also didn’t work.

At the next consultation, we were told that I had a low ovarian reserve *

Hubby and I then had a difficult but very honest chat about what we should do next, IVF wasn’t something we wanted to go through again. It is a very emotionally and physically draining experience and when this doesn’t work the pain and disappointment is unbearable.

January 2022 – Referral to gynaecology for my period pain

It was suggested Zoladex injections may help

I did a bit more research on this and agreed to give it a go to make the pain disappear

February 2022 – First Zoladex* injection plus HRT to manage the side effects.

At this point I asked if a hysterectomy was an option, the locum agreed it was a possibility and I was a good candidate

April 2022 - 2nd Zoladex injection and HRT with a different consultant who has never met me.

They told me this would likely be my last and need to consider alternative contraception as they won’t do surgery for “bad periods“

This has been a very long and difficult journey and it seems that my options are very limited. I have been living with progressively worse pain without pain management for years but now it is intolerable, affecting my ability to work full-time, thus my mental health is suffering.

Without this surgery, my pain will likely continue to get worse, more constant and my health will deteriorate further. I already struggle to work from home most days and pushing through is not sustainable long-term.

Thank you for reading

I am truly thankful for the donations so far, and for anyone that may consider helping. Sharing this gofundme would be appreciated.

Please note if for any reason I manage to fund this surgery myself or I raise more than needed I will be donating the money to the charity - Endometriosis UK

Definitions

Hysterosalpingogram - also known as uterosalpingography, is a radiologic procedure to investigate the shape of the uterine cavity and the shape and patency of the fallopian tubes

Hydrosalpinx - the condition in which the end portion of a woman's fallopian tube becomes fluid-filled and swollen, which can cause infertility

Endometriosis - a painful and debilitating condition where cells similar to the ones lining the womb are found elsewhere in the body, usually within the pelvic cavity. Each month these cells react to the menstrual cycle in the same way as those in the womb, building up and then breaking down and bleeding. Unlike the cells in the womb that leave the body as a period, this blood has no way to escape. This leads to inflammation, pain, and the formation of scar tissue (adhesions).

The condition affects 1.5million in the UK; approximately 1 in 10 women and those assigned female at birth from puberty to menopause, although the impact may be felt for life.

There is no cure for endometriosis and the cause is not known.

1 in 10 women of reproductive age in the UK suffers from endometriosis.

10% of women worldwide have endometriosis - that’s 176 million worldwide

IVF - In simple terms - Hormone injections every day for 2 weeks (introducing the 2nd hormone on 2nd week) more scans and bloods to measure hormones and follicles then more injections then pessary time - weeks worth! Then somewhere after the two weeks they’ll do egg collection if follicles and hormones are ok then they’ll get sperm and add it all together and let it “brew” then put it all back then another 2 week wait to see if it works

Low ovarian reserve - happens when one of your ovaries produces fewer eggs and eggs that are harder to fertilize. This affects your overall fertility and ability to get pregnant. Between 10% to 30% of people who seek help for infertility have this condition

Zoladex injections - mimics early menopause GnRH-agonists thereby suppressing estrogen synthesis by the ovaries, which stops the menstrual cycle. In endometriosis, estrogen also stimulates the growth of endometriotic lesions outside the uterus. By reducing estrogen levels, Zoladex inhibits the growth of these lesions and endometriosis-associated symptoms.