How can Endometriosis affect your Pregnancy?

Endometriosis is a disorder in which tissues that generally form the lining of the uterus (endometrium), abnormally grow in other outside parts of the pelvis.

More than 30% of women who suffer from endometriosis usually have trouble in getting pregnant.

Although this may affect a woman’s ability to get pregnant, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t get pregnant again.

Endometriosis affect on Fertility
Although exact reason behind this problem is not clear, some theories state that it may be related to an inherent immune condition that releases a chemical named as ‘Cytokines’. Cytokines may be responsible for causing inflammation and in releasing unhealthy eggs. These unhealthy eggs are less likely to cause a pregnancy even when a sperm penetrates any of them.

Reasons thought to affect Pregnancy due to Endometriosis:

• Scarring of fallopian tubes and ovaries.
• Unhealthy eggs.
• Trouble of embryo travelling down the tube for implanting the uterus.
• Scarred pelvic tissue and obstruction of the fallopian tubes.

Available Treatment Options:

• At least 40 to 50 percent women can be treated with standard fertility drugs.
• As per the severity of the disease, a surgery can be helpful to remove the lesions or obstructions.
• In severe cases, IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) is more helpful to get a higher pregnancy rate.

How can patients decide for a suitable treatment option?
Your expert medical practitioner can help you with the best decision-making. He or she may draw your blood sample to find your hormones or other chemicals in your body.

Other diagnostic procedures may include:

• Hysteroscopy– It is performed with a general anesthesia. A small telescope is inserted into the vagina and travels through cervix and uterus to find an endometrial tissue. The doctor can also take a sample of small scraping of endometrial cells lining for an endometrial biopsy.
• Laparoscopy– A minor surgery is also performed under general anesthesia. A small incision is made in the abdomen and a small telescope is inserted to find any blockage.
• Hysterosalpingography– This is generally an X-ray procedure that requires a local anesthetic along with a mild sedative. A catheter is used to insert it into the vagina to fill uterus and fallopian tubes gently with a contrasting fluid, to locate abnormalities and take an X-ray of the area.