Hi everyone,
First off, whoever created this forum deserves a medal or trophy or something. Seriously it's incredible!
I have a chronic fissure that has healed a few time over the past 4 years and is now back with a vengeance. The truly discouraging thing this time is that my husband and I were planning to start trying for a baby.
Does anyone have any advice/thoughts/experience on whether to hold off trying or to just try anyway?
I've been doing sitz baths, stool softeners, witch hazel, anucort suppositories (these have helped in the past but not this time so i used for 10 days then stopped) and am now almost 4 weeks in on nitroglycerin. (I'm thinking to keep trying the nirto for 6 to 8 weeks)
I'm emotionally struggling and trying to determine if we put our life on hold for something that could take has no definitive healing time.
Thank you

Keepingthehope,
Really sorry to read this as I can truly relate to your feelings here. Me & my partner were also trying for another baby when the fissure appeared and then to top it off, I also developed a fistula and had to undergo surgery for that, so our plans were put on hold for a good year whilst I got myself back on track. My issue is I'm now 40 and obviously reaching an age where it could be harder to conceive....I'm now at a stage where I have a chronic fissure, which is immensely healed, so I'm in a much more positive mind about pregnancy again (if it happens!) and we are now continuing to try. I know I would have to be particularly careful with my diet, everything... and there's no way I would even contemplate a natural birth now! but we will continue to try & conceive. I talked to my CRS who advised that I should wait a while after the surgery and until things had calmed down - My GP on the other hand, just advised me to go for it! but there was no way I could have considered it when my fissure was at its worse. It was painful enough even having intercourse at times!
To be honest, I think the emotional stress that came with the fissure was enough to prevent me from conceiving anyway because I was far too stressed and depressed, which in turn probably had an effect on my body.
I'd say if you are a few years younger than me and there is no immediate rush, hang in there and just try and resolve the fissure issue first or at least get to a stage where everything is more comfortable & manageable for you and you are feeling a lot less stressed and feel that you are ready to take the plunge. You also have to remember that although you have the fissure now, you could just as easily get one during pregnancy, so would be pregnant and have that to deal with also anyway!
The one thing I do believe is if a baby is something you desperately want, then don't let a fissure stand in your way. There are lots of women out there dealing with fissures in pregnancy, before, and immediately after.
All the very best to you x

Gosh, I know exactly what you mean. That's how I got into this mess in the first place! Apparently the Clomid I was taking as a fertility drug to get me to ovulate was giving me killer constipation and hard stool. The progesterone vaginal suppositories were making it even worse. After six months of failed attempts to get me to ovulate (I have polycystic ovarian syndrome; I'm 31), here I am with a massive AF. So any plans to have children are on hold until I can get a grip on this... And a huge part of me is afraid to ever get pregnant (to say nothing of giving birth!) once I do finally get my health back. I feel your pain, ladies. My take on it is that, yes, families are important. But I can't truly take care of someone else until I've gotten my life together. :(

Hi ladies!!
I deserve to be called the queen of rectal problems during and after pregnancy ha ha.
With my first pregnancy I developed hemorrhoids, I did surgery 3 years later, with my second daughter (10 months old now) I developed hemorrhoids too. Then I got them removed two months after my second c-section. Now I have a horrible fissure. But make no mistake, my daughters are the best thing I have in my life and I will do it again if I had to. They re-pay you every day. Like Ever the Optimist said don't let the fissure interfere with such an important decision.
I would say try to get some relief first, maybe to a point where you have a good diet and are pain free, and go for it!
During pregnancy walk a lot and try to do yoga that helps a bit to prevent it. Also please don't be scared by my horrible experience, everyone I know does better than me with this things. But the idea I want to transmit is the gift of having a child is bigger than everything.

Hi Ladies,
Thank you so much for your wisdom and sharing. I'm only having pain with bowel movements and no spasms. So I'm hopeful that over the next few months the pain will diminish. It's not terribly unbearable, it just feels like a paper cut every time.
I think we're going to wait another cycle or so. I just don't want to let this run my life.
I'm also assuming that a C-section is the way to go? I hear the pushing during labor can tear/re-tear an existing fissure.
I have an appointment with a CRS on Thursday and am thinking to ask his opinion. Does a CRS only suggest surgery or do they prescribe more conservative measures first?
Thanks! Happy Monday :)

Hi Keepingthehope,
I think you are making a wise decision just to give yourself a little time and get yourself back to a place where you feel completely comfortable about going through pregnancy.
A C-section would be my preferred choice because there is a LOT of pushing in a natural birth in getting that baby out! and I'm sure if you have torn then a re-tear is very possible. I don't know for certain - a midwife will probably best advise but even with a C-section, it doesn't guarantee that you won't get a retear but obviously it takes a lot of pressure off from the natural birth process.
Definitely talk to your CRS about it all. You will probably find that they suggest all the conservative measures first if they feel you need them. The advice given will probably start with good dietary habits/ fibre intake/ lots of fluids and they may present you with the options of chemical treatment (Diltiazem/ Nitro etc...or possibly Botox) The one thing they will not advise is LIS especially if you are of child-bearing age and intent on having a family. My CRS advised LIS as a final resort because I was adamant that I wanted to try for another baby & fortunately for me Diltiazem really helped assist my healing.
Please keep us updated with what they have to say on all this :)

Question for ya... Am I in trouble for going through with the LIS if I want a family? Eek! Do you know why that would be a problem? Had my LIS last week... Would like a family at some point, but this has me extremely discouraged.

Ceeteefabs,
So sorry to read what you have been through. The stress and worry of feeling that you might not conceive easily is simply horrible especially when you are so desperate to have children. I'm also dealing with endometriosis plus the age factor, I also had a large part of my right ovary removed a few years ago due to a huge chocolate cyst that had formed in the area, so my fertility rates are not great. Conceiving my daughter was amazing after all I had been through but it happens. In some ways I feel that If I do conceive now it would be a miracle but as Galamat says, children are wonderful and a gift and no matter how bad I feel about the fissure, I would take any risk to try to conceive again. It would be my last child and if the worst came to the worst and the fissure intensified, I would then feel entirely comfortable about having LIS if that was what was needed. Please don't be afraid of pregnancy itself - it is the most amazing gift in the world and I actually had a wonderful pregnancy - my hormones balanced and I felt great all the way through the process, so much energy, happiness, joy. Having the baby of course is a little nerve-wracking but so so worth the end results!! Infact you forget pretty quickly the pain and suffering you go through so quickly because your newborn is just the most precious thing in the world and the unconditional love and bond I had with my little girl just drove me to tears. I was so happy.....
I so hope that you work through this and are able to get what you want. Children are treasures and change you life forever

:) Ceeteefabs,
No please don't be discouraged but do talk to your CRS about it all. I'm a little surprised LIS was offered as an option for you especially in view of the fact that you do want a family but I don't know enough about this to really comment.
LIS itself is certainly NOT going to stop you from conceiving but I was led to believe they don't do it because of the risk of possible incontinence following pregnancy. Please don't let this scare you in anyway - you just need to discuss the issue thoroughly with a CRS. Aw - Good luck to you

I asked my CRS about trying to conceive while having a fissure. She said it was fine. She said not to put your life on hold (especially since I'm 37). I definitely recommend talking to your CRS to get his/her opinion.