How can I avoid the risk of endometriosis growth while taking hormones prior to egg freezing? (Ask The Egg Whisperer)

Today on the podcast, I’m sharing a recent Ask the Egg Whisperer episode. I love answering your questions, and Ruth sent in a great one about endometriosis. Here’s what she wrote, “I am 35 and had endometriosis (stage 1) excision surgery 5 months ago. I would like to freeze my eggs after a recent breakup, but I'm concerned about bringing my endo/pain back as I know the hormones can do that.  My RE said that this is a real risk, but she can't tell me how likely it is. She said that using lower doses of hormones would also help mitigate the potential endo growth. What would you advise?”

I am so glad that she asked this question, because it is something that I deal with all the time.

Let me tell you what I would do in a case like yours: First, if you were a patient of mine, I would add letrozole to your protocol if we are worried about worsening endometriosis. This may reduce the risk of worsening endo during stim. Second, I would have you take N-Acetyl Cysteine (in addition to coq10 as an additional supplement) and have you consider taking this long-term. Third, after your cycle is over, we would talk about how we can prevent endometriosis and protect your fertility. We would talk about: birth control pills, IUD, and other strategies to minimize bleeding which would also reduce risk of endometriosis recurrence. 

To submit your own question to Dr. Aimee for a future episode of Ask The Egg Whisperer, click here. 

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