Full Transcript for Infertility, Endometriosis, and the One-Surgery Cure

00:06:41 Speaker 1: She ended up having bad severe endometriosis. She had one surgery to remove the endometriosis, but then multiple surgeries for adhesions. Hm. So, she now is pain-free. We've had recurring fertility. Actually, we adopted first, and then she got pregnant. 00:07:03 Speaker 1: And actually, in that process, you know, everybody said, oh, you know, once you start to adopt, you're gonna get pregnant, which she did not like to hear that because that implied that he just had to relax. Think about something else. Not that there was anything underlying or organic happening that would explain the infertility, but it is true that we adopted and then she got pregnant, but in the meantime, she had had all these surgeries. 00:07:34 Speaker 1: To optimize the anatomy, and most, many of her most of her surgeries were to prevent adhesions, which is where things stick. 00:07:43 Speaker 1: After removing the endo. 00:07:46 Speaker 1: So that was almost a bigger problem for her. So we can talk about it, you know, fast forward, I now run the the restore Center for Endometriosis, and we're showing great outcomes and a very low rate of repeat surgery and the possibility of one and done surgery. Mm. But we believe that we get those results because we're trying to combine the best of both. Cutting out all the disease, which we call optimal excision. 00:08:14 Speaker 1: Defined as cutting out whatever is suspicious for endo in whatever form and wherever found, including on or near vital structures where others would not burn, nor should they be, we are able to remove it. And then combine that with 00:08:29 Speaker 1: Adhesion prevention, again, where things can stick. If the tubes and ovaries stick after surgery, that's not gonna be good for fertility or pain. Some surgeons are very good at cutting out all the disease, but then don't prevent the adhesions very well. Other people are good at or really focused on preventing adhesions, but then don't remove all the disease. I strongly believe that one should not compromise the other. 00:08:55 Speaker 1: You do whatever it takes to remove the endo, and then you do whatever it takes to prevent adhesions. And that's how I would say we would say, you can get to the hope of one and done surgery. Um, excellent. My guest today is Dr. Patrick Young. He's sharing his own infertility journey, especially including the fact that he specializes in treating endometriosis, having worked with over 4000 cases. Now, um, before we dive too much into kind of the thick of endome. 00:09:25 Speaker 1: triosis, understanding what it is, and so much of the unique treatment you have with seeking to do that one and done surgery, being preventative, as well as going and removing what's currently there. I'd like to touch a little bit more on the male perspective of infertility. Dr. Young, you hear so often women sharing their journey, the highs and lows, um, the emotional crises, the difficulty. 00:09:46 Speaker 1: of going through one

treatment after another, um, you know, we as Catholics don't support in vitro fertilization, but the science, the low success rate really indicates why it's really not a choice, healthy choice for women. That's kind of another topic for another day. I'll link to some of the episodes where we do that. But even if you're seeking natural and restorative treatment for infertility. 00:10:08 Speaker 1: I know it can be just a nauseam, one thing after another, trying to walk through this. Now we talk about this from the women's perspective. Can you share where your headspace was navigating and facing this yourself? 00:10:24 Speaker 1: Well, yeah, I mean, I would, I would say two things. Thank you for that, maybe 3 things. One is living it with, you know, through living through it with her, the journey of infertility. At one point, she said, 00:10:45 Speaker 1: I feel passed over. 00:10:48 Speaker 1: Mm. Which I cannot imagine what that feels like. And not everybody's journey turns out the way ours did. You know, we're trying to pay it forward. That's the reason for what we do now. But, you know, it's not guaranteed. I would say, you know, my job is to try to set the table and then offer it up. But it is very humbling. Surgery is humbling. 00:11:18 Speaker 1: Fertility is humbling, so much is out of our control. 00:11:22 Speaker 1: But I do tell patients, I don't know how it's going to turn out, but I am here to tell you. 00:11:28 Speaker 1: That you are not passed over, you are not forgotten, and there is a plan here somewhere. 00:11:35 Speaker 1: Whether it be just finding answers and feeling better, even if you don't get pregnant, or just finding answers. 00:11:43 Speaker 1: Or ending up with adoption. 00:11:46 Speaker 1: Or something, or just offering up the suffering. 00:11:51 Speaker 1: But, but there is a plan, and again, maybe even related to other stories we've heard in the news recently, you know, I, I really love that quote, God thing, God works for good for those who love God. You know, Romans 8:28, and, and God can bring good out of any situation. For me, I, I always kind of believed that it would not. 00:12:18 Speaker 1: Infertility would not last forever. So I believe that I didn't have any. I was always hopeful. And, and during that time, I really tried to say, you know, we really need to focus on our relationship. You know, God has given us this time to, you know, learn to love each other. 00:12:42 Speaker 1: Which, I mean, it's hard to, to, to do that when you're so focused on, you know, one of a child so badly. Um. 00:12:51 Speaker 1: But looking back, you know, I would say, as hard as those years were, it was a special time for my wife and I, and, and now on this side of it, I think I do, I mean, I can kind of relate to patients in that way. 00:13:08 Speaker 1: allowed you to be able to have that. And, and so it's not easy, so I, I get it, you know, I pray with patients before surgery because the surgeon who operated on my wife prayed

with her. I've seen that example, you know, and, and we all need the help, and we're all in this together and we're just trying to offer it up and do our best, so. 00:13:35 Speaker 1: And many couples, maybe more so the wife, and you can speak to the male perspective, when you're working through infertility. Um, there can be almost this obsession with the future, in other words, the baby. 00:13:52 Speaker 1: And the baby can really kind of become the end and the object, which we always, you know, as Catholics, we look at people, human beings as ends in and of themselves, not just a means to get something, but often with fertility can be very easy to think of the baby as a means of obtaining motherhood, obtaining fatherhood, or of obtaining that lifestyle or that picture that we've painted for ourselves. 00:14:13 Speaker 1: How did you and your wife navigate that? Was that something that kind of became a distraction that you had to kind of fight the ups and downs with? What was that like for you? 00:14:25 Speaker 1: Thank you for that. That is a great question. You know, having a baby or wanting a baby can be all consuming, and I think that's really a fundamental issue or problem or what is lacking with bypass therapy or the status quo, which is often IVF, you know, I always say IVF, if it is seen as the best option, it very quickly becomes the only option. 00:14:54 Speaker 1: With with very limited workup. 00:14:56 Speaker 1: You are often or very quickly funneled to this IVF. 00:15:01 Speaker 1: Yes. I'll try to say it quickly, but, you know, I, I, the director of an IVF center once said to me, who do you think is the most important person in the IVF center? OK, Maria, you get the yes or answer. And the woman. You would think, Well, first and foremost, it's not. 00:15:28 Speaker 1: The director of the IVF clinic. It's not the person who went and got into med school, went through med school, did residency, fellowship, subspecialty training, and REI and now owns and directs the IVF Center. It's not her or him, and it's not even the patient. She posed the question and then answered her own question and the answer she gave is, it is the embryologist. It's the lab director because that's where the action is. 00:15:54 Speaker 1: And that was a total eye-opener or paradigm shift to highlight the fact that it's really bypass therapy. And if you think about it, the patient is reduced to the person who provides the eggs, and the IVF director, even, you can make the argument, is reduced to just the person who transfers the embryo that is made in the lab back into 00:16:19 Speaker 1: The woman. The bottom line is, so many patients go through the process and maybe end up with a baby, but they don't get the why. They don't get the answers of why are they not getting pregnant on their own. The woman is the first to know that her body is designed to get pregnant. 00:16:41 Speaker 1: And if it's not happening, there should be a reason why. My wife would say, I,

I don't, she got to a point where she would, she would say, you know, it was almost as important to know why she was not getting pregnant than than having a baby. And, and after the fact, she would say, finding the answers, finding the underlying diseases or conditions that led to her infertility. 00:17:07 Speaker 1: And getting that treated was as important in the healing process of not being able to get pregnant, which is a wound. Yes, yes. I think that's such an important point. You know, so many of my dearest friends, peers, um, strangers, you come across this crisis of infertility that they're going through. It's such a deep emotional wound, but it's a real physical wound as well, and I think that what I love about restorative. 00:17:33 Speaker 1: of fertility care such as what you do, is that the focus is on helping the woman live and thrive because often infertility usually comes with symptoms that she's suffering through, and we'll talk a little bit about that when we cover endometriosis a little bit more. What advice would you give to 00:17:50 Speaker 1: Husbands who are supporting their wives through this because I think women often not always carry the burden more of the infertility, and you mentioned your wife felt passed over and you said you couldn't even imagine. 00:18:04 Speaker 1: What that felt like, you didn't know what that felt like. How did you support her and what advice do you give? Yeah, and to your point, you know, a third of infertility is called unexplained infertility. 00:18:21 Speaker 1: Which for a woman who cannot get pregnant is a slap in the face. It's bad enough to not get pregnant, but then to be told we don't know why. And come to IVF, you know, is, is a slap in the face that's not satisfactory, and women know there's something else happening. And so, so patients want and need answers, you know, the, the husband just being there, being supportive, and 00:18:51 Speaker 1: You know, we say it's, it's not a just a female problem. I mean, it is the couple, it takes a couple. 00:19:00 Speaker 1: And I, I use the term deliberately with patients, you know, the marital embrace. It takes a couple to get pregnant, and it's the couple's issued together if it's not happening. So it's not all the blame should be on the woman. It, it's never like that. You, you're in it together. 00:19:18 Speaker 1: If and when you have kids, you're gonna raise those kids together. 00:19:22 Speaker 1: Um, 00:19:24 Speaker 1: You know, on the other side, you know, my wife always tells me, you know, you were there to help make this child, you need to help raise the child. 00:19:33 Speaker 1: So, it, it, it is really 00:19:36 Speaker 1: Something you journey through together from the get-go and throughout the whole process. So, I mean, I think just seeing it as, you know, a, a problem or an issue or something to have to journey together as a couple is is the most important. 00:19:59 Speaker 1: That's Dr. Patrick Young, my guest today, an OBGYN

surgeon who specializes in treating endometriosis. Uh, we have testimonies flooding in right now as we're having this conversation. It is bringing a huge smile to my face, Dr. Young people who were not able to have children. 00:20:17 Speaker 1: And ended up adopting how they navigated that. One story I'd like to share right now, Richard is on the line in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Richard, you and your wife experienced 13 years of infertility. Uh, can you share a little bit about briefly that journey and your role in it, and your path to having children? 00:20:37 Speaker 2: Yes, uh, thank you for taking my call. Um, so I, I was compelled to call today because the doctor is telling his, his story and it's related so much to me and my wife, you know. Um, we started, uh, you know, right, right after we got married, we tried to have kids, you know, and then nothing was happening. So for 13 years. 00:21:00 Speaker 2: And we were going through it. I shouldn't say dealing with it, but we're going through it together. 00:21:05 Speaker 2: Um, we, uh, we tried Naro. We were, you know, tried everything, and we were, it just wasn't happening, you know. And so we decided to go through the processing, uh, fostering to adopt. We got all of our credentials and we did everything that we needed to do for that and we decided to, to go on the walk to Mary. And, uh, we went on the, we went on the walk to Mary and, uh, we asked our blessed mother to intercede for us. 00:21:34 Speaker 2: And, uh, 5 months later, 5 or 6 months later, we get a phone call, say a 2 week old needed a home, so, you know, needed a place to, to live. And so, me, me and my wife, we opened up our, uh, our house to this newborn baby. And, uh, so, so this year, we were supposed to do the walk to Mary again, you know, and we found out, you know, we were gonna do the full 22 mile walk. 00:21:59 Speaker 2: And then we find out right before we go that we're pregnant, you know, and so, uh, so we decided, yeah, we decided to go and just to give, give thanks to God for these blessings that, and, but what I, I was telling my wife this yesterday, yesterday that I truly believe that God was not, maybe not letting us have kids because maybe. 00:22:25 Speaker 2: He, his plan was that this, this newborn baby needed a home and he, he knew he, and it's, it, he, he was waiting for that to give to us and then blessing us with another child of our own. But as a husband, navigating this 13 years of infertility with my wife, as a husband, I tried to give, I'm, my wife's protector. I am the head of the household and 00:22:50 Speaker 2: I tried to give my wife everything she needs, but this one thing that I could not give her and it tore me apart as a husband. I just, and I, and there's a lot of, there's a lot of people out there that are dealing with infertility, but they need to know that they're not alone, that they don't have to, to go through this alone. There is support groups out there through the church that

other other couples are experiencing this and you can. 00:23:15 Speaker 2: Experience with with them too because they know how you're feeling. 00:23:20 Speaker 1: Wow, Richard, thank you for calling and sharing your story. I mean, 13 years going to the Walk of Mary, for those who aren't familiar, the Walk to Mary is in May each year. We helped to sponsor here at Relevant Radio, and it's the only Marine approved apparition in the United States, and there's this beautiful walk all the way to Our Lady of Champion. 00:23:41 Speaker 1: they're in Wisconsin, so be sure to prepare maybe mark your calendar for next year. But boy, I'm just listening to this story, Doctor Young, and these are the stories, the success stories you hear about. You see all of the time, and I think it provides a lot of hope to those who are struggling with navigating infertility, and we have just a brief moment here, but I'd love if you maybe have one word of advice, like the little piece of advice. I have one friend who I'll share stories such as Richard's, hey, I just found out another friend struggled with. 00:24:09 Speaker 1: Fertility for 13 years, and now she's having a baby. Similar to Richard's. Richard also faced 13 years. What would you say to that person who says, I don't want to hear those stories about success, but you have to wait in that for 1015 years. Well, success can look different and God's timing is always perfect. Again, God can bring good out of any situation, or at least all things work for good for those who love God. 00:24:34 Speaker 1: And just to add to what Richard said, so I deal with the, the medical and the physical, and I, like, for example, endometriosis, when you treat endometriosis patients feel better. 00:24:45 Speaker 1: And have better chances for fertility. And I believe there's a direct correlation between wellness and fertility. 00:24:51 Speaker 1: There's also this emotional uh component or well as well, or mental health component. 00:24:57 Speaker 1: So another story, you know, a couple tried to get pregnant for 10 years. 00:25:02 Speaker 1: And it wasn't happening, so they said, forget this and bought a boat, and then they got pregnant. 00:25:07 Speaker 1: And then they were gonna adopt and then they got pregnant again. So they actually, the, the, the husband or the couple partnered with a researcher and came up with this program called Organic Conceptions which has been shown to increase fertility rates, but it's really based on 00:25:28 Speaker 1: Coming to a place. 00:25:30 Speaker 1: Of peace and basically, emotional or mental health. That also matters. 00:25:38 Speaker 1: And then there's the spiritual part. 00:25:40 Speaker 1: I've heard of couples 00:25:42 Speaker 1: Where 00:25:44 Speaker 1: The woman got pregnant after the man went to confession. 00:25:49 Speaker 1: To put it simply or very briefly. 00:25:51 Speaker 1: But the bottom line is we are mind, body and soul. We are unity as persons, as embodied souls. 00:26:00 Speaker 1: And so if we're talking about healing. 00:26:04 Speaker 1: Underlying conditions that can actually be in, in, in different forms, not just bodily. And again, you know, God has His purposes and God's timing is always perfect. Yes. Amen. Amen. And I know it's a kind of tough pill to swallow, but having that providential mindset and fertility is so fundamental, but having that sense of peace. 00:26:27 Speaker 1: Now, not always in our culture is always looking to the next thing, the next house, the spouse, the child, the next job, finding that sense of peace and enjoyment and cultivating that in the here and now. My guest is Dr. Patrick Young. We're diving into infertility from the male perspective, and he's a surgeon who specializes in treating over 4000 women. We'll be right back. 00:26:53 Speaker 1: You're listening to Trending with Timmy on Relevant Radio. 00:27:04 Speaker 1: Powerful conversations surrounding the real crisis of infertility. Whether you've been there, I've been there too. I had lecystic ovarian syndrome, Hashimoto's disease. Praise the Lord, we end up having children. We have our third, as you know, I just came back from maternity leave, two little girls and a boy. 00:27:23 Speaker 1: And I just keep looking, Dr. Yang. My guest is Doctor Patrick Yang, OBGYN surgeon specializing in treating endometriosis, uh, having treated over 4000 patients, and I am blown away, hearing from all the people calling in, writing and sharing their stories right now. And for not everyone is a baby on the other side of treating underlying health. 00:27:44 Speaker 1: concerns. So that's why I did want to share briefly Steve in Providence, Rhode Island has just called in to share his story. Steve, can you share with us your infertility journey briefly? 00:27:55 Speaker 2: Absolutely. It's a beautiful story. Uh, my wife and I were about 5 years into our marriage, uh, and we started in Novena sometime in October to marry and 00:28:07 Speaker 2: On December 13th, 1994, I got a phone call from my travel agent. 00:28:12 Speaker 2: Asking me if we would be interested in adopting a little baby girl. She was being born as from a teenager in Seattle, Washington, and, uh, we said yes right away, but we had to go fly out there and, uh, you know, present, it was gonna be a very open adoption. And flying home, uh, from, uh, 4 firemen died in in Seattle. And so I stayed 1 day, 2 days longer than my wife. On the way home, I was fogged in at Chicago O'Hare Airport. 00:28:42 Speaker 2: And my pager went off and the baby was being born that night. So we had to fly right back. We didn't have any adoption papers ready. We weren't ready for that other than the call from the parents saying, would you, would we be willing to adopt the baby. We flew right back to Seattle and had to live in Seattle until everything was done for 3.5 weeks at a Marriott hotel. It, she's now 30 years old. It's a beautiful story. We're 00:29:07 Speaker 2: We're in church with my baby

and my wife and another couple adopted a little baby girl from Guatemala and they told us about this little boy over in Guatemala, and we wound up flying to Guatemala and taking this little baby home at 6 months and he's 25. So, it's a beautiful, beautiful, oh, the last thing I want to tell you. 00:29:29 Speaker 2: is on the last day when we took Rachel home, it was the last day of the Novena. 00:29:34 Speaker 1: Wow. 00:29:35 Speaker 1: Wow, God is so good. Steve. Thank you as well. It's beautiful. Yeah, I mean Doctor Young, this is an option. Now, I am always quick to say that adoption is not a cure for infertility. 00:29:50 Speaker 1: And you know, adoption is always about a child who needs a home and parents, not about parents who want to have babies. Correct. That's a great point. Yeah, if you could. Yeah, it doesn't replace your own. 00:30:06 Speaker 1: and again, we adopted and then she got pregnant and we've had several biological children. So, it, it's very different, but it is a beautiful way to start or grow a family. Again, my wife was a Protestant. So in the Protestant churches, 00:30:23 Speaker 1: You know, as born and raised Catholic. 00:30:26 Speaker 1: I would have to admit that adoption is kind of seen as 00:30:32 Speaker 1: Kind of what you're left with when you cannot have your own children. But that is not the culture, that is not the way it is seen in the Protestant culture, where a whole church will support a couple to adopt a child who already has their own kids. Yes, it is seen as a call to take care of the orphan for all families or all churches, whether or not they have their own kids. Mhm. 00:31:01 Speaker 1: So, we talked about adoption even before we got pregnant and that was a growing edge for me as a born and raised Catholic. Yes. You know, it's, I'm really happy you brought this up because I'm around a lot of my peers right now who are in the thick of the infertility challenge, and the Catholic perspective, I hadn't even thought of it because I've seen a lot of my Protestant friends who, it's been so intuitive adoption and foster care, and yes, their church community. 00:31:24 Speaker 1: financially support the adoption. It's incredible. This is something we need to work on, maybe even models of these programs in our Catholic Church for anyone listening. I want to really encourage that. And I'll link to an episode we've done where we've talked about how to fundraise for your adoption. Here, so be sure to check out that link as well. But um, can you speak to the challenge that I especially see coming from men? 00:31:47 Speaker 1: Of that struggle with the Catholic men, of the struggle with the idea of adoption, one, because it's not as familiar in the Catholic culture, but two, even that struggle, could I love someone as much if they're not a child of my own loins. So we have an open adoption, and that, that your question gives me the chance to talk about open adoption, which I think is not really well known what that is. So the, the tradition, the traditional closed adoption. 00:32:16 Speaker 1: is where, you know, the adoptive parents and the birth mother don't really know each other at all. 00:32:23 Speaker 1: And the, the children grow up not even knowing often that they were adopted. Then maybe when they're 18, they're told, and then, you know, everything they thought. 00:32:32 Speaker 1: What's true is become untrue and the bottom drops out and it's just a 00:32:37 Speaker 1: It's a time bomb, and anyway, so, so the closed adoption, the traditional adoption can seem like the worst of both worlds, maybe especially for the birth mother. She has to quote unquote, have the baby and then give up the baby. 00:32:56 Speaker 1: And even in our adoption process, we had to go through some reading. We had to read 6 hours of books, which is all about 00:33:04 Speaker 1: You know, the feelings of regret from the birth mother, and the feelings of abandonment from the 00:33:11 Speaker 1: Child, whereas open adoption, where the birth mother and the 00:33:17 Speaker 1: Adoptive parents meet, but also the child meets the birth mother, or knows the birth mother. 00:33:24 Speaker 1: Can actually 00:33:26 Speaker 1: A lot of those issues disappear. The, the 00:33:29 Speaker 1: The child was that they were placed out of love, and the birth mother knows that the child is OK. 00:33:37 Speaker 1: So our Lucy 00:33:39 Speaker 1: You know, has, has met her tummy mommy. 00:33:43 Speaker 1: Um, that's what the birth mother is called, and has met her a few times and has some pictures of her, uh, in her room even. 00:33:51 Speaker 1: But this open adoption is really a beautiful option. Now, when I, when we first got in touch with, 00:33:59 Speaker 1: The birth mother who ended up 00:34:03 Speaker 1: You know, giving her baby up for adoption to us. First off, we were in the process of looking at a different child, and she was told 00:34:14 Speaker 1: He should keep looking for another adoptive parent couple, because we were looking at somebody else. And she said, no, she had looked through different organizations, thousands of profiles. 00:34:26 Speaker 1: And said she knew that we were gonna be the ones, and she was happy to wait. And she knew that because her quote was the end of our adoption profile, which ended with the quote, Jeremiah 29:11, which is, I know the plans I have for you. So she waited. 00:34:45 Speaker 1: And when we talked to her very, very quickly in the first conversation, I said to her, what if we could support you financially or otherwise, to raise your own child? 00:34:58 Speaker 1: Would you want that? And she said, without hesitation, no. And I said, why not? And she said, because the baby needs a mother and a father. Hm. 00:35:12 Speaker 1: And knowing this woman, I mean, so when the, the, the baby was born by C-section and the baby was handed to my wife, who was in the operating room. 00:35:25 Speaker 1: Directly. And then my wife stayed with the birth

mother for the next few days in the hospital, and the birth mother who had the procedure, the C-section done on her, was talking my wife's ear off. She has more energy than both of us combined. She could have raised this child no problem. But she was very aware of the need. 00:35:45 Speaker 1: Of a child, but this child in particular, Lucy, of, of not just to have a mother but a father as well, and to be chosen by another human being. 00:35:59 Speaker 1: I mean, who's good enough to raise your, your child, but you as a woman, but then to be chosen father as well, which is what the child did not have, what, what the birth mother could not provide for the child, is a grace and a gift. 00:36:15 Speaker 1: You know, that's unbelievable. So again, it, yeah, you're exactly right, it does not replace. 00:36:22 Speaker 1: Having your own children, but it's such a beautiful gift. Every child is a gift, and that's why it's so hard because you cannot control it. 00:36:30 Speaker 1: But to be given the gift to raise somebody else's child and to be chosen mother and father is is amazing. I bring this full circle because the later question, I know you were tying this into this was for men who are struggling with the idea of adoption of entering into it, it sounds from the story you just shared that you really saw your role like you were willing to be that protector, that provider of here, I will help make it so that you can be that mom. 00:36:54 Speaker 1: But she should, no, my kid needs a mom and a dad, and it sounds like from what you're saying that that click of hey, there are kids out there who need a father is part of what inspired you to adopt, is that right? 00:37:06 Speaker 1: Absolutely. I mean, it's that desire, I guess, to, to, to have, you know, to, to raise a family together as a couple. So it's not just the woman's problem, as we discussed, but it's also not just the woman's gift. When a couple is given a child in whatever way, it is a gift, not just to the woman, but to the couple. And again, you have to raise that child together. 00:37:33 Speaker 1: You know, God has designed it that, you know, it, it takes, it takes a village, but, you know, to a mother and a father. Now, single mothers out there and they're heroes, and that can be done, and, and we support that. 00:37:50 Speaker 1: But 00:37:51 Speaker 1: You know, to, to have both a mother and a father. 00:37:55 Speaker 1: It is a beautiful gift to the child, but also, the child is a gift to both the father and the mother. 00:38:03 Speaker 1: For sure. Oh, there's so much to discuss. We haven't even gone deep into your work treating endometriosis. Do you still have time to stay with us to dive into your work of endometriosis, helping to treat it, having worked with over 4000 patients. Are you good? Sure. OK, we'll be right back with Doctor Patrick Young, who shared with us his journey of infertility, especially from the male perspective. Incredible stories here. This is a powerhouse episode. You need to share a link to this episode with someone you know who's either considering adoption. 00:38:33 Speaker 1: Facing infertility, we are coming back diving into endometriosis. We know studies are showing solid 1 in 10 women today face this. It's the leading cause of infertility, and Doctor Young is highly successful in helping prevent pain and open the door to future babies. We'll be right back. 00:38:56 Speaker 1: So what's trending? 00:38:59 Speaker 1: Bridging your Catholic faith with your everyday life. You're listening to Trending with Timmy on Relevant Radio and the Relevant Radio app. 00:39:16 Speaker 1: As infertility is on the rise, we see this. 00:39:20 Speaker 1: Very common denominator of things such as lecystic ovarian syndrome. 00:39:26 Speaker 1: Thyroid and endometriosis. Today we see 1 in 10 women have endometriosis. I was just talking to a friend the other day who faced a lot of health issues, and she shared just about 6 months ago, and she's been married around 10 years. About 6 months ago, she found out she had endometriosis, went and had a surgery, and within a month, the first cycle later, she conceived after years of facing infertility. 00:39:52 Speaker 1: And it was such an exciting piece of news here and so encouraging. This is why I'm happy to have on today Doctor Patrick Young. He's an OBGYN. He's a surgeon, he specializes in treating. 00:40:04 Speaker 1: Endometriosis. And for those who maybe don't understand what endometriosis is, can you start with kind of some of those symptoms and how that impacts just uh a woman in terms of pain and fertility? Sure. So, endometriosis is where the cells which line the ute uterus and are shed during the period are found outside the uterus. So it's cells in the wrong place and by definition outside the uterus. 00:40:30 Speaker 1: The two main symptoms, quote unquote, that are associated with this condition are pain and infertility, which is really a symptom. 00:40:40 Speaker 1: In the world of pain, you know, how much pain is too much pain or some red flags are, pain with periods where the woman is in the fetal position, cannot go to work or school, missing sports, social activities, planning vacations around the period. 00:40:57 Speaker 1: Going to the ER for pain and told that, you know, it's just a ruptured cyst or something. Sometimes we have to take narcotics, or now it's CBD just to get through their period, that is not normal. Or a big one is taking 00:41:12 Speaker 1: Something like birth control or hormonal suppression to try to feel better with periods and not feeling better, the chance of endo goes up. So, there's this TED Talk called the most common disease you've never heard of. I love that title. That is endometriosis. Everybody knows somebody with endometriosis. 00:41:34 Speaker 1: And the hashtag 1 in 10 is actually a very gross underestimate. That is 1 in 10 in all women, most of whom have no symptoms. But if you have women who, a woman who's

infertility without any pain, the chance is at least 50% will have end up. Pain that does not feel better with birth control, over 80%. And from our database, our 10 year database at Saint Louis University. 00:42:00 Speaker 1: If a woman had both pain and infertility, the chance of finding endometriosis was over 90%. It was 93%. We would say somebody with pain and infertility has endo until proven otherwise, and most of these women are being told they have unexplained infertility. They're being told that if your ultrasound is normal and your exam is normal, you can't have endo. That is 100% not true. 00:42:25 Speaker 1: You might not have advanced disease, but even surface endo that cannot be seen by ultrasound or felt on exam can be associated with both pain and infertility, and treating the surface endo can absolutely help both pain and infertility. And that brings up, I think, the first topic of properly diagnosing infertility. Most people say, OK, if you've not gotten pregnant within a year, many physicians, most physicians say well 00:42:51 Speaker 1: I will recommend you for IVF, which is so harmful, so harmful for women's bodies and has a low success rate, even though we do hear about those babies who even with poor means of getting there, we celebrate their lives. Um, Talk to me about properly diagnosing infertility. Who do you need to see other than someone such as yourself who practices in St. Louis? Well, 00:43:17 Speaker 1: You know, you should try to seek out somebody who has an approach of what we're calling restorative reproductive medicine. That's going to really be intentional and comprehensive about finding root cause issues that can explain a woman's infertility, or by treating those conditions, those underlying conditions can give a woman a better chance of getting pregnant as a couple or naturally. So, 00:43:47 Speaker 1: You know, there are a few that do specialize in this, and I would kind of subcategorize it as there's 00:43:55 Speaker 1: Kind of those that would look at the non-surgical optimization. 00:44:01 Speaker 1: Hormones, thyroid, PCOS, all that kind of hormone-related, cervical mucus, optimizing ovulation. Those are all the different things, functional medicine, as I think a role here in terms of deficiencies, the, the, the power of food, food is medicine, all of that. But then there's also the surgical part of the anatomy. And again, there can be things anatomical that could be leading to infertility. 00:44:30 Speaker 1: If somebody again, has both pain and infertility, the chance of having endometriosis is over 90%. There could also be blocked tubes, adhesions, fibroids, something in the uterine cavity like adhesions, polyps, or fibroids. So different things within the anatomy often has to be optimized as well. Mm. Mhm. 00:44:54 Speaker 1: So what is unique about your treatment? If you're just joining us, this is Doctor Patrick Young. You can find him at Restoreendo.com. That's Restoreendo.com, same for endometriosis. You practice in Saint Louis in particular. What is unique about your treatment and your high success rate? 00:45:12 Speaker 1: So, most people, surgeons, GYNs, when they see what looks like endometriosis, again, this implant of these cells in the wrong place outside of the uterus implanted on the wallpaper of the pelvis or the peritoneum. 00:45:31 Speaker 1: The way they will try to treat that, quote unquote, is to burn it, for lack of a better word. They're trying to destroy the implant with energy, but nothing is removed from the body. The problem with that approach is, if it's widespread surface disease, it's like trying to paint the wall with a pencil tip. 00:45:50 Speaker 1: If it goes deeper, you're literally charring the tip of the iceberg, you don't get under the roots of the disease. And people will not, nor should they be burning on or near vital structures like bowel, bladder, ureter vessels. 00:46:03 Speaker 1: So our approach is to not just burn it, we're cutting it out. We cut around it, under it, under the roots to get the whole thing out. 00:46:12 Speaker 1: And with our cutting tool that we use a non-contact CO2 laser, other people use different tools, whatever. 00:46:19 Speaker 1: But if you cut it all out, you can make sure you get the entire disease out under the roots, and that allows us to to scallop it off even over these vital structures, like bowel, bladder, ureter vessels. 00:46:31 Speaker 1: So when they say, oh, the rate of repeat surgery is up to 50, 60, 80% in 1 to 2 years, expect to have surgery every couple of years. So, in fact, be on hormonal suppression until you want to get pregnant. And then if you can't get pregnant, then have the surgery for endo and then try to get pregnant within a year, cause it's gonna come back in 2 years. They're probably seeing the same endo from before. 00:47:00 Speaker 1: That was either not treated or partially treated. The the disease didn't come back, they're really seeing the same disease over and over again. 00:47:09 Speaker 1: So your unique treatment is that you're actually eliminating the endometriosis and seeing an end to the disease. We call this optimal excision. We define that as cutting out whatever is suspicious for endo in whatever form and wherever. Now I know this is the endometriosis in your clientele? 00:47:35 Speaker 1: So yeah, it's over 80% of all the patients who've taken the surgery, but in, in patients who, and we were part of a 5 center study on endometriosis, all centers specializing in treating endo and our rate of finding endo was the highest. We're we're treating not just the typical black spots, but also the atypical or subtle spots. 00:47:57 Speaker 1: And it sometimes is very subtle or atypical, but if it's still endo, that can be related to pain or fertility. And so the more endo you can treat, the better. But if you actually remove it all in whatever form and wherever found, and you combine that with preventing adhesions, again, where things can stick after surgery. 00:48:18 Speaker 1: In our 10 year database, again, there's very little long term data, so we try to get some long-term data. Our rate of repeat surgery was not up to 80% in 2 years, which is what it is after the burning. It was under 5% in 10 years. What does that mean? Explain that for someone who doesn't. 00:48:37 Speaker 1: The rate of repeat surgery was, was only less than 5% in 10 years, meaning 95% or more of patients had one and done surgery. most people need surgeries, yours have not. And they're needing surgery for the same disease. Most of our patients. 00:49:00 Speaker 1: They get their one and done surgery and they're on their way. And most of our patients. Take no long term suppression post-op. They they're told that if we achieved our goal of optimal excision, again, put another way, there's no known or suspected endo left behind in whatever form and even near vital structures. 00:49:19 Speaker 1: And they didn't need to take the hormonal suppression post-op because there's really no disease left to have to suppress. And most did not take suppression post-op because they were either trying to get pregnant or didn't like the side effects. 00:49:31 Speaker 1: And still such a low rate of repeat surgery. So there's no cure, nobody's perfect, but it shows that one and done surgery is possible and we should be striving for it as centers. And this is something I really want to drive home when I hear a friend of mine, even a stranger talking about doing surgery for endometriosis, not all endometriosis surgeons are the same. In fact, many aren't. This is why you want to. 00:49:53 Speaker 1: Find someone like Dr. Patrick Young, who practices in Saint Louis or others out there as well, but you can find him at restoreendo.com. That's Restoreendo.com. There is so much more we could discuss. We are going to have to have you back in the near future. Dr. Young, thank you for joining me. Again, find him at restoreendo.com. We'll pray together for everyone who is facing. 00:50:15 Speaker 1: infertility, share this episode with someone you know, whether it's a family member of someone or directly because this is only a growing challenge, but there is a real phenomenal caring individuals and physicians who are engaging in restorative reprotective medicine that helps women to feel better, and many to have children. 00:50:37 Speaker 1: As well. No, I'm praying for you if you're facing infertility. I'm always happy if you want to send a message over to us with your name so I can pray for you and your spouse. Up next is a family rosary across America.