Endometriosis does not mean the end of your dream to have a baby

Endometriosis has been considered a "silent" disease for many years. It is hidden, but the symptoms can later have a significant impact on your life. Women in their most fertile age can suffer from these symptoms that not only cause intense pain, but also make their path to motherhood more difficult.

The name of this disease is derived from the mucosa of the endometrium which is a physiological lining of the uterine cavity. Endometriosis is then referred to when these cells of the uterine lining appear in an abnormal locality, most often in the genitals outside the uterus, but also in the intestine, urinary tract or lungs. During a woman’s menstrual cycle, the blood flow causes inflammation. The most common manifestations that are noticeable include pain and infertility, which can negatively affect a woman’s physical, mental and emotional health.

What is the risk of endometriosis?

Although experts do not yet have a clear answer about the causes of endometriosis, they agree on what contributes to the development of endometriosis and what factors may protect you. Factors that can increase the likelihood of the disease include: physicians early onset or late menopause, a short menstrual cycle, menstrual blood flow obstruction, severe menstrual bleeding, nulliparity, low BMI, low birth weight, exposure to endocrine and negative chemicals and heredity. Women who consume alcohol are also at higher risk, while women who breastfeed for a long period of time and have been repeatedly pregnant are protected.

Noticeable symptoms

One of the reasons why endometriosis is often diagnosed with delay is the fact that its symptoms are usually confused with the common side effects of a menstrual cycle. The most common symptoms include: very painful menstruation, painful sex or pain after sex, fatigue, chronic pain in the pelvis and lower abdomen outside menstruation, pain when urinating and indigestion. If these symptoms are not treated for a long time, endometriosis can negatively affect your efforts to have a baby. Out of all couples who have infertility problems, up to 30% are those whose path to parenthood is obstructed with endometriosis. Therefore, it is very important that this disease is detected and diagnosed as soon as possible.

Fertility and IVF treatment at risk

As Dr. Natalia Savelyeva says: “Endometriosis poses a risk mainly to the ovarian supply and the quality of oocytes, it causes the number to decline, which negatively affects not only spontaneous pregnancy, but also the success of IVF treatment due to the ovarian factor and the problem of implantation. Therefore, we recommend those patients to have a reproductive program and possibly use the method of “social freezing”, thanks to which their fertility will be maintained in time.”

I have endometriosis, what does the treatment look like?

Endometriosis can be a temporary disease, but sometimes it does not heal spontaneously and its symptoms progress. The treatment therefore takes into account the current condition of the woman, the affected area, the severity of the disease, the age of the patients and their desire to become pregnant. The more radical solution is surgical treatment while the milder is pharmacological treatment. Most often, however, it is a combination of both, and these methods along with the average age of the patients do not endanger their fertility.

Don’t give up, your journey to have a baby continues. Even with endometriosis

Although the disease is associated with a higher risk of infertility, many women who suffer from endometriosis become pregnant and give birth completely naturally. However, we cannot ignore the fact that endometriosis is closely related to infertility: 10% of women suffer from endometriosis and 35% of infertile women have been diagnosed with endometriosis. Another complication is that some drugs to alleviate the symptoms of endometriosis have a contraceptive effect, making it difficult to conceive a child. So if you are planning to start a family and endometriosis has turned your plans upside down, contact the experienced experts from our reproductive medical center, who will help you overcome the difficulties associated with this disease.