Gqeberha woman pregnant naturally after years of endometriosis and fertility struggles

From long fertility struggle to unexpected good news

According to IOL, the woman, Cari-Ann Bloom, is 33 weeks pregnant and the couple will call the baby Lily. Bloom said,

“I honestly never expected to fall pregnant,”

after years of trying.

According to IOL, Bloom and her husband JP had been together eight years and were married in a five-guest ceremony in January last year; they began trying to conceive around 2021.

Surgery, cost and recovery

According to IOL, Bloom underwent an operation to clear endometriosis from her womb that cost between R40,000 and R50,000. The procedure was originally booked for one hour but took about two and a half hours, and the surgery was filmed; Bloom watched the video afterward.

According to IOL, the laparoscopy found endometriosis in the fat tissue of her abdomen and that one of her fallopian tubes was blocked. Medical aid did not cover the bill: the couple put down about R20,000 before the operation and were billed again afterward for the remainder.

According to IOL, recovery included four or five incisions, a night in hospital and daily anticoagulant injections into her stomach.

Pain, diagnosis and the path to pregnancy

According to IOL, Bloom had experienced painful periods since her teenage years and had been told to live with it until an ultrasound picked up what her fertility doctor initially thought was a cyst but was diagnosed as endometriosis.

According to IOL, after the surgery she was told to expect a pregnancy within six months, but six months later there was still no pregnancy and the next step offered was intrauterine insemination (IUI).

According to IOL, the couple decided to step back from the cycle of continuous testing and timing. Bloom said she told her husband she could not continue, quoting,

“I said I cannot do this anymore. I cannot put my body through this every month.”

The surprise pregnancy

According to IOL, in December the couple had a month without the pressure of trying. In January, after Bloom was two weeks late, she and JP discovered a positive pregnancy test the first positive test in her life.

According to IOL, Bloom said the first time they heard the baby’s heartbeat was unforgettable:

“The first time we heard her heartbeat, it’s something that will forever stay with me,”

and she added,

“She’s going to be such a special little girl.”

Advice and outlook

According to IOL, Bloom’s advice to other women with endometriosis is to get checked and to stop counting days. IOL also reported that fertility specialists caution that stress has not been shown to cause infertility and that relaxing does not treat the condition.