Being diagnosed with endometriosis can be devastating to women, especially if they are hoping to have children, as fertility issues stand out as one of the most distressing symptoms.
However, equipped with accurate information on how to manage symptoms as well as the treatment options available, women can reduce the impact that the disease has on their lives and their dreams of starting a family. This is what you need to know:
What is endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a condition where the cells that form the lining of the uterus grow outside the uterus. The disease occurs in four stages, ranging from minimal to severe. Symptoms of endometriosis vary from person to person but commonly results in painful periods, chronic pelvic pain and pain during intercourse. In many cases, the impact of the disease on reproductive health is often the most pronounced, given that issues such as infertility, difficulty with conceiving and the impact on one’s quality of life can be emotionally and mentally devastating.
How does it affect fertility health?
- Endometriosis can cause infertility, if it results in scar tissue that causes the ovaries and fallopian tubes to get stuck together or the ovaries to get stuck to the pelvic side wall. This prevents fertilisation from taking place.
- In instances where the endometriosis occurs inside an ovary, it can prevent or decrease the chances of ovulation or the production of eggs, which in turn, makes it more difficult to conceive.
- If endometriosis grows inside the uterus and penetrates the uterine wall, this results in a condition called adenomyosis, which adversely impacts the implantation of the embryo in the uterus.
- If endometriosis forms inside the pelvis, it creates what’s known as a hostile environment that reduces the quality of the egg that gets formed. This in turn, impacts the function of the fallopian tube to pick up the egg, affecting fertilisation, the development of the embryo and implantation.
What are the treatment options?
Treatment is tailored to patients based on whether they suffer from only pain, only infertility, or both pain and infertility.
- If it’s infertility only, then fertility treatment can be initiated without the need for surgery.
- However, if a patient presents with both infertility and pain, then surgery will be necessary to treat the endometriosis. This is because even if a patient manages to conceive, her quality of life can still be diminished by the disease. And if she cannot conceive, surgery to remove the endometriosis can boost her chances of falling pregnant. Infact, according to gynaecologist and Medical Director of Genesis Reproductive Center, Dr Abri de Bruin, even in patients with stage four endometriosis, the chance of falling pregnant is more than 60% either following surgery, or IVF, or a combination of the two.
How invasive is the surgery?
The procedure is minimally invasive, involving the removal of the diseased tissue from the body. For example, if the patient’s endometriosis causes adhesions, surgery can remove this tissue to restore a normal relationship between the fallopian tube and the ovary, which increases the chance of falling pregnant. Likewise, if the endometriosis is removed from inside the ovary, it will have no more impact on the quality of the egg. Furthermore, removing endometriosis in the pelvis, also takes away the hostile environment it creates.
