Success: Endometriosis & Ovary Loss - Clearwater, Florida
*When I walked into Dawn’s office last February, I had just undergone a second round of IUI which, I would find out a week later, did not work.
I have been diagnosed with severe endometriosis. It took 7 years to be diagnosed, and it was only after an ultrasound showed a tumor on my ovary. I had been told for months by the doctor that it was only a cyst and to not worry. I was in excruciating pain. The day after my ultrasound, the doctor operated. I had two tumors, and lost my left ovary and tube. I was 27 and not ready to start having kids. I had another surgery when I was 29, to remove more endometriosis lesions.
When I was 31, I went to a fertility specialist, and was told I had less than 3% chance of conceiving a baby naturally, and less than 40% chance with IVF. I was also told by multiple doctors and specialists that I could only come off of my birth control pill for 6 months to try to get pregnant before the endometriosis would come back and I would need another surgery.
The last round of IUI caused a cyst, so I decided to take a break from invasive fertility treatments and see if Eastern medicine could help heal my body.
When I walked into Dawn’s office, I felt for the first time that someone in the health care profession understood what I was going through and was just as disheartened that it had taken 7 years and the loss of my ovary to diagnose this disease. Dawn diagnosed me with “Blood Stagnation” and suggested a diet, herbs, castor oil packs and acupuncture treatments. Most weeks I went for 2 acupuncture treatments. I did everything she told me to do and I also read “The Infertility Cure” and followed recipes and the suggested diet from the cook book.
Each month I worked with Dawn I saw an improvement in my menstrual cycle: it became more regular as a cycle of 31 days. The pain was not as intense, the blood was healthier, and most of all, it lasted longer. When I first started seeing Dawn, I was have a 24-hour period. After 5 months of Dawn’s treatment, I was having a 5-day period. Also, the acupuncture helped with my anxiety about not getting pregnant, and feeling that I was running out of time.
Five months into treatment with Dawn, I went back to the fertility doctor: my cyst had gone, and my one remaining ovary was producing more follicles than ever. In fact, that cycle, I had 18 follicles! My husband and I were considering doing a round of IVF, as I felt my body was now healthier, and IVF might work. However, that month my period never came. I conceived naturally, and I am currently 9 months pregnant!!! I continued weekly acupuncture treatments throughout the 1st and 2nd trimester and then went to bi-weekly treatments in the 3rd.
I firmly believe that without Dawn’s help I would not be pregnant, and I will be forever grateful for her wisdom, understanding, and this beautiful baby growing in my belly.
-Charlotte H., Clearwater, FL, Feb 2013
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*Individual results may vary.
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