Mifepristone (RU-486)

In my research into progesterone over the past few weeks I did come across a couple interesting links which talked about how RU486 worked from a hormonal standpoint. These articles talk about it in relationship to endometriosis and depression, not really in the context of it an an emergency contraceptive. It's pretty interesting.


RU-486 may dramatically relieve psychotic depression


RU-486 Explained

Help Support Fibroid Research & Education

[please feel free to forward this to your friends and family, with whatever modifications you would like to make.]

I wanted to ask you to please contact your representatives to the House and Senate and ask them to support the Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act of 2003 (House Bill H.R.2157, Senate Bill S.1087). These are both still in the Health subcommittees but it would be
great if more women would write in.

Uterine fibroids, non-cancerous tumors of the uterus, affect between 25% and 80% of women and can cause symptoms that may include: excessive bleeding leading to anemia, infertility, and put pressure on the bladder, urethra, intestines.

From the Senate testimony given last Spring by Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski (with Senator Hillary Clinton of New York):

"Despite their prevalence, little is known about uterine fibroids, and few good treatment options are available to women who suffer from them. Right now, hysterectomy--the surgical removal of the uterus--is the most common treatment for uterine fibroids. More than 200,000 women undergo a hysterectomy each year to treat their uterine fibroids, which requires a six week recovery, has a 20 to 40 percent
risk of complications, and means a women can no longer bear children. Less invasive treatment options, like drug regimes or fibroid embolyzation, are promising, but many have not undergone the rigorous testing that women expect. In fact, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality at the Department of Health and Human Services
found 'a remarkable lack of high quality evidence supporting the effectiveness of most interventions for symptomatic fibroids.'

Women deserve better. That's why I am introducing the uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act--to find new and better ways to treat or even cure uterine fibroids.

This bill does three things. First, it expands research at the National Institutes of Health, NIH, by doubling funding for uterine fibroids every year for the next five years. Despite a budget of over $27 billion, NIH spent just $5 million on uterine fibroids research in 2002. This legislation authorizes $50 million over five years to provide the investment needed to jumpstart basic research and lay the
groundwork to find a cure.

This additional funding will help researchers find out why so many women get uterine fibroids, why African American women are disproportionately affected, what tests women can take to prevent uterine fibroids, and what are the best ways to treat them."

The research they might be able to do if this is approved could help other reproductive and gynecological conditions as well. At the very least it would help make sure women are given other options before hysterectomy.

Find your representatives here:

http://www.senate.gov/
http://www.house.gov/

To learn more about uterine fibroids, visit the National Uterine Fibroid Foundation website: http://www.nuff.org/health_statistics.htm

My Reasons for Not Wanting a Myo

Here are my reasons for not wanting a myomectomy:

1. major abdominal surgery
2. risk of adhesions
3. length of recovery period
4. fact that with multiple factors there isn't a documented increase
in fertility
5. they would require me to deliver by c-section if I did get pregnant post myo
6. that I'm largely asymptomatic except for slightly heavier periods and some pelvic pain for a few days prior to ovulation and at the start of my period

We don't even know if we want to do any assisted reproductive therapy anyway, we went to the reproductive endocrinologists (RE) to get their opinion on our situation (my partner had a vasectomy reversal and has an issue with sperm morphology -- morphology refers to shape of the sperm). It was just kind of intense having the head of reproductive endocrinology at a leading university tell you that he consulted with all of the other REs and they've decided they don't want to be my friend.

I've always wanted to go the natural way -- I was never on birth control pills, don't eat junk food really, stay fit. I don't like it when the medical establishment says (in its Terminator voice) "you are infertile. we will cut you open and remove that fibroid. take these drugs and we will harvest your eggs and MAKE you pregnant."

Now I don't know how the rest of you feel but I'm not feeling like I want to go out on a limb with any procedure since I would feel worse if I didn't feel like my care providers were on my side. I guess I will continue doing my watch and wait routine and in the meantime at least take advantage of the MRI order from the RE so I can learn more about what's inside of me. Maybe God or the Universe will intervene in the meantime.

Sheesh!

So, I've been keeping you apprised of my situation. I just got off the phone with the RE (RE#2) and here's what he told me...

...that they won't do fertility treatments on me unless I have my fibroid treated

...that if I have the embolization they won't accept me as a fertility patient

...that they recommend myomectomy

...that he no longer authorized the MRI

They won't do fertility treatments if I have the embo because they are worried about the uterine wall being weak (weaker than a uterus that has had multiple fibroids removed -- aka. myomectomy!?) and the possibility of multiple births being so much higher with fertility treatments. They are also a little concerned about not the liability but their stats, that somehow I might compromise their success rates.

Heck, no one knows why I haven't been able to get pregnant, it could be any of the following that I've been able to deduce...

* sperm morphology
* low progesterone (I started using natural progesterone cream)
* anemia/low ferritin (being treated)
* fibroid (though I've never even been kinda sorta pregnant)

I don't even know what to think know. It seems like my options are a) leave it up to God, or b) do the embo and then leave it up to God, or c) do the embo and do fertility treatments if needed, elsewhere.

We're not interested in adoption.

Maybe I should just go save the dying children in 3rd world nations and give up on this mother thing.