Q&A: Should I give IUI another try?

by Dr. Gerard M. DiLeo

We have been trying to have kids for a year and half. Last May I had exploratory surgery to see what the problem was. My physician found my left fallopian tube to be almost non-existent (possibly a result from hernia surgery I had undergone as an infant), so he tied the tube. He found extensive endometriosis, so he removed that as well. He said I had a six-month window in which to get pregnant as the endometriosis would come back.

It has been seven months and we've still had no luck. I know I am limited with the one fallopian tube, but I was hoping that with the endo gone, I would have had success by now. We did an IUI once, but to no avail. I used Clomid on that cycle, and last month as well. I find that the Clomid dries up my cervical fluid, making it harder to know when I'm going to ovulate. I took estrogen to help, but it didn't really work.

I have been taking my BTT for a year and half, but I don't have perfectly regular cycles. I have a luteal phase deficiency (ten days or sometimes nine), so I take progesterone. My husband has been tested and is okay. I am 33 years old, and want to know if trying another IUI would be worth it, or if there's another method you would suggest.

Also, how do I know if my temperature is high enough for conception? After I ovulate, my temps are never over 98.0. Finally, I am five foot two, I weighed 102-105 pounds in winter 2003, dropped as low as 98 pounds during that summer, then gained some weight over the 2003/2004 holidays, so I weigh arond 108 - 109 pounds. Could the weight have anything to do with conception? I work out, have never missed a period, so I figure that if I've never missed one, my weight could not be that low.

I would very much appreciate your insight based on the information I have provided.

Endometriosis itself can prevent pregnancy in spite of all of these other things you're doing--and doing right. Weight and excessive exercise can play a role in making it harder to get pregnant, but those factors would not be insurmountable. How much do you exercise? If you're running many miles a day, this could stop the hormonal works.

IUI certainly bypasses the one-tube problem, and adds another positive to the mix of several negatives.

Also, with your low weight, I wonder if you've had your thyroid function checked. That's the only other thing I can think of. You've got a tough set of problems, but it sounds like your doctor's very sharp. Stick with it and his (her) recommendations.

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