Study About Endometriosis and Infertility
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 | Always Online
If you know anybody with endometriosis you might know that it can cause agonizing cramping during their menstrual cycle. In fact, some women are totally paralysed by this discomfort. But what is endometriosis and why do we care?
Endometriosis is when the endometrial lining from the uterus is found growing somewhere else in the body. Frequently it’s found growing on the ovaries or some place else in the abdomen and the pain that ladies feel is because these cells are doing their job each month by losing along with the endometrial lining in the uterus. Fantastic how those crazy cells know their job even if they’re in the wrong place!
The other reason we care about endometriosis is that it’s a common finding with girls that are infertile. It’s thought that 5-10% of ladies may have endometriosis, but it’s’s thought that 20% of women who are not able to conceive have endometriosis.
So how does one know if you have endometriosis - or endo? Some girls might suspect they have endo due to intense cramping during their menstrual cycle. But there are other symptoms, too. Some women do not have any cramping during their cycle . Some ladies have lumbar region agony. Some girls could have discomfort during intercourse. Some girls could have agony during bowel movements or urinating. Are you seeing a trend? Of course, the flip side of the coin is that you may not have any symptoms.
I speak from experience here. I had none of the classic signs of endo except that I was not able to get pregnant. How is endo diagnosed? A laparoscopy is the only possible way to really diagnose endo as it doesn’t show up on any test. A lap is done under general anesthesia with a scope put in through a little incision under your navel. Another incision is created at your bikini line which permits the doctor to employ a tool to move things around if need be. Once the scope is on the doctor can have a look around and if the endo or other scaring is present they can remove it.
Endo is ’scored’ in stages from 1-4 based primarily on the location and a complex point system. Just so you know, when you wake up in recovery and your doctor gives you this number it won’t translate into how much discomfort you have been in. It will just give you an idea of how broad the endometriosis was in your system. That’s’s all.
What you may really want to talk to with your doctor is the way the removal of the endo will impact on your fertility. Many girls find the next 3 to 4 cycles after they’ve recovered are their most comfortable and their doctor may need to take advantage of the removal of the endo and push ahead. Continuing with interuterine insemination ( IUI ) is a great idea or even moving on to in vitro fertilization ( IVF ) - just depending on what you are most happy with - because even though the endo has been removed there’s no way to really know how endo has effects on fertility. Doctors all have good guesses but there is not any answer yet. One answer is there though - now the endo is removed you may feel better and now you know one of the likely reasons you were not able to conceive on your own.
So, let your health practitioner give you good counsel. Discover what you can about endometriosis as it is possible to Conquer barrenness.
Alana Reyer is an infertility expert. For more great information on progesterone and infertility, visit http://www.infertilityhelp-alana.com/infertility-statistics/.