So How Can I Get Pregnant Then
Some women with endometriosis can get pregnant without any assistance, but for those that have been trying to become pregnant without any luck, there are options. Since endometriosis is thought to cause infertility by creating a hostile inflammatory environment for the sperm and egg, it makes the most sense to remove the sperm and egg from that hostile environment. In Vitro Fertilization does exactly that by allowing the sperm and egg to interact outside the body. With IVF, fertilization and embryo growth happens outside the body in the lab. Additionally, once the embryo has developed sufficiently, it does not need to travel down the fallopian tube, which may have been blocked by endometriosis scar tissue. Instead of traveling down the fallopian tube to get to the uterus, the embryo is transferred directly back into the uterus at the blastocyst stage.
What Do Endometriosis Types And Stages Mean For Fertility
There are several different classification systems for endometriosis. The one from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine is widely used: It includes four stages of endometriosis, based on the location, extent, and depth of the endometriosis implants, the presence and severity of adhesions , and the presence and severity of endometriomas . While stage 1 involves few superficial implants and mild adhesions, stage 4 is characterized by deep endometriosis implants, large endometriomas, and many dense adhesions.
Are There Any Risks To Pregnancy With Endometriosis
First off: it is totally possible to have a healthy pregnancy with endometriosis. However, you are at higher risk of dealing with extra complications.
Sadly, carrying a baby when you have endometriosis does put you at higher risk of miscarriage. A 2015 study on nearly 15,000 people in Scotland, found the disorder increased the risk by 76%.
Your chances of having an ectopic pregnancy, in which a baby starts to develop outside of your uterus and can’t be carried to full term, rise to 1.6% from 0.6%, while you’re 26% more likely to have a premature birth. You may well end up having a Cesarean, as the chance of needing one rises by 40%.
As such, you’ll need extra careful monitoring throughout your pregnancy, so do expect more doctors appointments than most women have.
Cut through the noise and get practical, expert advice, home workouts, easy nutrition and more direct to your inbox. Sign up to the WOMEN’S HEALTH NEWSLETTER
Read Also: What’s The Best Time After Your Period To Get Pregnant
How Endometriosis Affects Pregnancy
Endometriosis is a condition that affects about 1 in 9 women. Some women can have endometriosis and not know it, but for others it can cause symptoms such as pain.
About 1 in 3 women with endometriosis has trouble getting pregnant, but treatment can help. Once pregnant, most women with endometriosis will have an uncomplicated pregnancy.
Endometriosis Diet And Conceiving
Although there are many references in online forums to diet and endometriosis there is little actual research evidence that any foods in particular should be avoid or included in your diet to help with getting pregnant with endometriosis. Reviews of the research that has been carried out have concluded that the results have not shown that diet has an effect. More research into endometriosis and diet has been recommended by NICE.
For your own physical and mental wellbeing however eating a healthy balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables is always advised, along with drinking plenty of water.
Recommended Reading: How Should I Sleep While Pregnant
Can I Get Pregnant If I Have Endometriosis
If you have endometriosis, a condition that causes endometrial tissue to grow in locations other than within your uterus, you might suffer from painful periods or abdominal pain. Or, you might not have any symptoms of endometriosis at all. However, the condition could still be negatively impacting your fertility.
Endometriosis can cause complications with getting pregnant. However, you can still succeed in expanding your family with the help of reproductive medicine, even after severe and extensive endometriosis.
The LGBTQ-friendly fertility doctors at the New York Fertility Institute can help you understand the impacts of your endometriosis on your reproductive health and give you the medical guidance you can use to successfully become pregnant if youd like to give birth.
While endometriosis can make getting pregnant more complicated, it doesnt have to be the end of your road. Heres what the New York Fertility Institute team wants our patients from New York Citys Upper East Side to understand about getting pregnant if you have endometriosis.
Endometriosis And Infertility: Whats The Link
The endometrium is the tissue that normally lines the uterus. Endometriosis occurs when endometrial-like tissue grows where it shouldnt, like on the fallopian tubes, ovaries or the pelvis. These endometrial-like implants cause inflammation and eventual scarring in the pelvis.
Doctors believe the inflammation makes it harder for the sperm and egg to rendezvous or for an embryo to implant in the uterus, Dr. Attaran says. In later stages of the disease, scarring can cause structural changes like kinks in the fallopian tubes that prevent the sperm and egg from hooking up.
Those complications can make it harder to get pregnant. Overall, 30 to 50% of women with endometriosis experience infertility. But Dr. Attaran adds, There are a lot of gray areas when it comes to endometriosis.
Read Also: What Can I Take To Get Pregnant With Twins
Getting Pregnant When You Have Endometriosis
Most women who have endometriosis can conceive normally. But if you’re having problems getting pregnant, endometriosis may be the cause. To find out, your doctor may suggest a laparoscopy. In this procedure, a surgeon inserts a small camera through a tube into your abdomen to check for abnormal endometrial tissue. The surgeon might want to confirm the diagnosis with a biopsy. If you’ve been diagnosed with endometriosis, you have several treatment options, depending on the severity of the disease.
Medication, either alone or in combination with surgery, can often decrease inflammation and reduce pain. If you and your doctor opt for surgery, the surgeon can attempt to remove as much of the diseased tissue as possible. In some women, surgery significantly improves their chances of getting pregnant. You should know, however, that pregnancy rates tend to be lower for women with severe endometriosis.
Because some women with endometriosis have ovulation problems, another treatment option is the use of fertility drugs such as Clomid to induce ovulation. Injectable hormones also may be prescribed for the same reason. Once you begin to successfully ovulate, your doctor may suggest trying artificial insemination, in which sperm is inserted directly into your uterus.
A Small Window To Conceive
I thought the first surgery would be my last, but endometriosis attacked my body again. I underwent a second surgery in June 2017 to remove more tissue from my ovaries, bladder, uterus, and had my appendix taken outthe appendix is another breeding ground for endometriosis. The doctors told me that I had a small window to get pregnant before the disease was likely to overrun my insides again.
I went into now-or-never mode to try and get pregnant, having several rounds of in vitro fertilization as soon as I was healed. I was lucky: I had my son Alexander in August 2018.
The thing about endometriosis is that you might have it for years and not even know it, either because you had minor symptoms, or because you never realized the symptoms you had were from endo.
I always had bad painful, heavy, irregular periods. Sometimes I would bleed for 15 days, get a quick break and start bleeding again for the remainder of the month. I thought that was normal. It was not. Other symptoms women typically overlook are urinary issues, constipation, and pain with intercourse.
In fact, it takes an average of a decade before a woman is diagnosed with the disease, and in that timeaside from having to deal with sometimes crippling symptomsa woman can lose her fertility.
Recommended Reading: How To Get Pregnant At 36 Years Old
Will Endometriosis Symptoms Get Better Or Worse During Pregnancy
Pregnancy may temporarily halt the painful periods and heavy menstrual bleeding that are often characteristic of endometriosis. It might provide some other relief as well.
Some people benefit by the increased levels of progesterone during pregnancy. Its thought that this hormone suppresses and perhaps even shrinks endometrial growths. In fact, progestin, a synthetic form of progesterone, is often used to treat those with endometriosis.
Other people, however, will find no improvement. You may even find that your symptoms worsen during pregnancy. Thats because, as the uterus expands to accommodate the growing fetus, it can pull and stretch misplaced tissue. That can cause discomfort. An increase in estrogen can also feed endometrial growths.
Your experience during pregnancy may be different from other pregnant people with endometriosis. The severity of your condition, your bodys hormone production, and the way your body responds to pregnancy will all affect how you feel.
Even if your symptoms do improve during pregnancy, they can resume after the birth of your baby. Breastfeeding may delay the return of symptoms, but once your period returns, your symptoms will likely return.
Endometriosis may increase your risk for pregnancy and delivery complications. This may be caused by the inflammation, structural damage to the uterus, and hormonal influences endometriosis causes.
Can Someone With Endometriosis Get Pregnant
Women who have been diagnosed with endometriosis can get pregnant, but they have only about a 5-10% chance, due to decreased fertility. This is because, in endometriosis, the tissue that lines the uterus spreads through the abdominal cavity, which can cause obstructions and inflammation in various tissues and organs of the reproductive system, which can prevent mature eggs from reaching the fallopian tubes, as well as possibly damaging the uterus. egg and sperm.
Usually the treatment for endometriosis is guided by the gynecologist and obstetrician, and is done with the use of hormonal drugs. However, for women who wish to become pregnant, surgery is usually the first option, as it aims to remove the endometrial tissue housed in Organs reproductive organs, thus facilitating the process of becoming pregnant.
Also Check: When To Know Your Pregnant
Can You Get Pregnant With Endometriosis Yes Heres How
Sylvia Kang
MD, FACOG
1 in 10 women has endometriosis, a painful reproductive health condition that can negatively impact fertility. Many women who receive a diagnosis of endometriosis are concerned about whether or not they will be able to get pregnant with the disease.
Thankfully, as many as 70 percent of women with mild-to-moderate endometriosis go on to conceive successfully without in-vitro fertilization . However, the more extensive the endometriosis is in your body, the more likely it is that you will face challenges conceiving.
Read on to learn more about endometriosis, including what this diagnosis may mean for your future fertility.
Autoimmune Diseases May Confound The Prospect Of Pregnancy
Women with diabetes or other metabolic disorders are at increased risk of having other conditions that will likely add another layer of complexity to pregnancy, endometriosis, and PCOS. As if having PCOS or endometriosis isnt enough of a challenge, women who have thyroid disorders may face an even more complicated path to pregnancy. Women who have hypothyroidism may find the effort to lose excess weight more difficult, and even subclinical hypothyroidism can interfere with ovulation.
In exploring the reasons behind your infertility, the experts recommend that you have your thyroid hormone levels checked if you havent already had your blood work done. Its important to work with your doctor to achieve a healthy thyroid function before attempting pregnancy.
Autoimmune disorders like systemic lupus can cause complications for women with endometriosis. Women who are under treatment for lupus usually receive steroids and immunosuppressant agents, which can worsen endometriosis symptoms by reducing the bodys ability to fight the growth of excess endometrial tissue. If you have these or other confounding conditions, youll be in good hand if you work with a team of specialists who can guide you to make decisions that are safest and most sensible for your health and pregnancy goals.
Also Check: Is Vintner’s Daughter Safe During Pregnancy
Getting Pregnant When You Have Fallopian Tube Problems
To determine whether your fallopian tubes are blocked, your doctor may suggest a laparoscopy or a hysterosalpingogram . In an HSG test, liquid dye is inserted by catheter through the vagina into the uterus. Then, X-rays are taken to see if there is a blockage or if the dye flows freely into the abdomen. Another method of HSG can be done with ultrasound instead of X-ray and that uses saline and air or foam. If you have problems with your fallopian tubes, your doctor may recommend surgery to correct the damage or unblock the tubes.
If you’re ovulating normally, your doctor might also consider assisted reproduction techniques that bypass the fallopian tubes entirely. These can include intracytoplasmic sperm injection and in vitro fertilization .
Show Sources
How To Improve Your Chances Of Conceiving With Endometriosis
Currently, theres no evidence that medication can improve a persons chances of getting pregnant with endometriosis. But doctors may prescribe medications, such as progestins, to increase the amount of pregnancy hormones in the body.
Its also important to live as healthy a lifestyle as possible when you have endometriosis and are trying to get pregnant. This can reduce inflammation in your body and prepare it to help your baby grow and thrive throughout a healthy pregnancy.
Examples of healthy steps include:
- maintaining a healthy-for-you weight
- eating nutrient-dense foods rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins
- engaging in moderate exercise on a daily basis
Keep in mind that age can be a factor for anyone wishing to get pregnant. Higher fertility rates are associated with younger age. Women ages 35 and older are at an increased risk for both fertility issues and miscarriage than younger women.
Women with endometriosis have potentially higher rates of:
- preterm delivery
Read Also: Do Women Bleed During Pregnancy
How To Get Pregnant With Endometriosis Naturally
If you do not want to undergo invasive surgeries or fertility treatments, it is still possible to get pregnant with endometriosis. Up to 70 percent of women with mild to moderate endometriosis can conceive naturally within three years. Using fertility awareness methods to understand your unique fertility signs and symptoms may increase your odds of conceiving naturally with endo. You can also try sex positions that help reduce the pain of endometriosis.
Understanding your menstrual cycle can help you better identify when you are ovulating so you can time intercourse with your fertile window for the best odds of conception. A natural solution for tracking your menstrual cycle is using a digital fertility monitor like Mira to measure your fertility hormone concentrations. Over time, Mira learns the patterns in your hormones to predict when you are ovulating, helping you time intercourse with your most fertile time of the month.
Know When The Fertile Period Is
To increase the chances of getting pregnant, especially when you have endometriosis, it is important for the couple to know better how the fertile period works, especially the day when ovulation occurs, so that they can program themselves properly, increasing the chances of fertilization. of the egg. See how to calculate the fertile period with the online calculator.
Don’t Miss: How To Tell Your Girlfriend Is Pregnant
Consider All Your Risk Factors And Your Miscarriage Overall Risk
Even so, I would counsel patients with endometriosis that in general they should not be overly concerned about miscarriage unless they have additional risk factors, like advanced maternal age or prior miscarriage, says J. Daniel Woodall, DO, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Spectrum Health Pennock in Hastings, Michigan. The overwhelming majority of women with endometriosis go on to deliver healthy babies without poor pregnancy outcomes.
Symptoms Of Endometriosis Can Vary
The symptoms of endometriosis can vary between people. Some women experience very few symptoms , while others have severe pain. The most common symptoms of endometriosis include:
- Intensely painful periods
- Diarrhea, nausea, constipation, bloating
- Bleeding between periods
Since so many of these symptoms can look like other health conditions and womens pain is often ignored in medicine, endometriosis is often misdiagnosed. Studies suggest it takes an average of 8 to 10 years for a proper diagnosis. I’ve treated many women who’ve been told they have irritable bowel syndrome or other conditions when they actually had endometriosis all along.
The extra tissue can bleed and even make its own hormones, leading to pain, inflammation, and scar tissue. Scar tissue and inflammation lead to adhesions, which connect tissue that are usually separate from each other, leading to pain and impairing the function of the organs where it is located.
Don’t Miss: What Helps With Morning Sickness During Pregnancy
Fertility Treatments & Feelings
Starting on fertility treatment can lead to a range of different feelings, from happiness and excitement to frustration, disappointment and sadness.
If you decide to try fertility treatment, it is important both you and your partner are supported through the process. Most IVF units will have counsellors who will support and counsel you through the assessment and treatment time. Getting counselling before starting treatment can help you to:
- prepare for the emotional journey ahead
- cope with any unsuccessful treatments or miscarriages
- develop strategies for coping with other people’s pregnancies/births
- talk through how both you and your partner are feeling throughout the process.
Treatment For Endometriosis And Fertility
There are various treatment options available for endometriosis, depending on the severity of your symptoms, and whether or not its affecting your fertility. Each woman is different, and your treatment options will depend on your age, whether you may want to conceive, and the severity of your endometriosis.
You May Like: How Does An Iud Work To Prevent Pregnancy
