what are the chances of Endometriosis affecting infertility after the surgery?

Question

I had a Laproscopy when I was 21, I am now 26 and the disease hasn't seemed to have a huge comeback but was wondering if it would still affect my chances of having children in the future. I'm worried the longer I wait the more infertile I will become.

Answer 1

If your endometriosis hasn't made a comeback, you should not have a problem conceiving as far as the endometriosis goes. That being said, there are many reasons for infertility so there is no way of knowing if something else might not cause an issue. Unfortunately, fertility is one of those things that we don't know our status on until we try to conceive. Good luck!

Answer 2

While Endo is the leading cause of primary and secondary female infertility, there is no reason to assume that with proper treatment, you cannot conceive.

Studies show that surgical removal (such as through excision - www.centerforendo.com – patients travel there from around the world) can and does increase fertility, even in stage III and IV patients. Careful and meticulous excision surgery can not only help resolve symptoms for the long-term, but can also drastically improve infertility. The aforementioned Center has a better than 50% success rate in their stage 4 Endo-related infertility patients, and 75% in their stage III patients, after Endo has been treated and removed (phenomenal, considering that rates for ablation, vaporization, etc. are far lower). Careful excision and removal of Endo can treat the infertility instead of just going through all the expensive protocols without even trying to remove the disease.

As far as vaporization, ablation, and other superficial surgical removals, the rates are far from 50-75% success and the disease will still be present to go on and cause symptoms.

Drug therapy like Lupron has never been shown to reduce infertility, and while alternative/homeopathic therapies can be helpful for some women in alleviating some of the painful symptoms associated with the disease, there have not been any evidence-based studies detailing any positive impact of herbal therapies, etc. on fertility rates either.

Your best bet is to seek the assistance of a true specialist who can meticulously remove the disease, thereby conferring the best possible benefits for pregnancy. A specialist will also be better suited to help you should IVF protocols become necessary down the road as well. Good luck and best wishes.