Endometriosis?

Question

My doctor says I may have this and I was just wondering how difficult is it to concieve with this problem.

Answer 1

First of all, the only way to diagnose endometriosis is with laparoscopic surgery. I would get that done first to confirm if you have it or not.

Infertility is one of the "symptoms" of endo...but like any other symptom, some experience it and some don't. Most people do (as endo is one of the known leading causes of infertility), however the severity of the infertility varies from person to person which is why some people are able to get pregnant and some aren't. Just exactly where the endo is located can also be a determining factor on if and when you get pregnant. For example, my endo has a tendency to be in my tubes...which causes tubal blockage and as a result, I can't get pregnant while endo continues to block it.

After surgery, it's always recommended that you make the most of the next 12 months. There is NO cure for endo, which means it WILL come back. So your chances of conceiving are usually right after the endo has been lasered/scraped away during surgery. If you do have endo, expect to be back for more laparoscopies in the future.

The severity of endo isn't necessarily a determining factor on your chances of pregnancy. There are women in stage I of endo (the lowest stage) with severe symptoms...and there are women in stage IV endo (the most severe) who don't really experience any symptoms....and vice versa of course. I have a friend in stage IV who is now pregnant with her 2nd child after trying to conceive for a little more than a year. I am in stage II and still have not been able to conceive after trying for nearly 6 years. So no one can give you a definitive answer on this...endo is a weird disease in the sense that there's really no rhyme or reason to it. They don't even know for sure what causes it!

In any case, I really do hope that you don't have endo...but if you do, know that there are others in your same situation who know exactly what you're going through!!!

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.

Answer 3

I had two children before I was diagnosed with Endometriosis but with all the problems I had with my menstruation my doctor said I must have had it a long time. I was having pain during intercourse which is why I went to see my gynecologist. I had a hysterectomy because I didn't want anymore children ,since he were going to open me up to remove the Endometriosis anyway. My Dr said it was the worse case he had ever seen and it took him several hours to clean it all out. But from what I understand Endometriosis is when your menstrual flow backs up and goes outside of your uterus through your Fallopian tubes and then starts to grow on you other organs and surfaces outside the uterus. However if it were to grow in your tubes or at the opening of the tubes it would prevent pregnancy. A good place to find out more about this is WebMD.

Answer 4

I have had endometriosis since I hit puberty at fourteen. I am now twenty-nine and am trying to get pregnant. I had an operation at 19 to remove detritus around my ovaries and kidneys and was told I had a 75% chance of conceiving, but if the problem worsened the chances would be slimmer as I got older. I was on medication to stop my periods for four years to give me a break, and things generally returned to 'normal', albeit I have immense pain from time to time. I saw my GP two weeks ago to ask about my chances for getting pregnant and he said that as I don't seem to have worsened and that I'm definitely ovulating, my chances are no slimmer than any other woman. I was also told though that because of the illness I will be able to get medical intervention (IVF) quicker than a 'healthy' woman if necessary, and if after 5/6 months nothing has happened, that process will be utilised. Give it a go naturally therefore for that length of time, and go back to your doctor if there's no success.

Answer 5

It all depends on how serious you have this condition really, a friend of mine was told never to expect children as the condition had made her infertile, she was told this at 22, but she is now married with 3 kids at 39 so the doc don't always get it right. It can be hard though I know she tried for years to have a baby and had given up when the first came along.
I have 1 child and have never managed to have anymore with this condition and other problems, I do empathizes with you, but try to be optimistic
You need to discuss this with your doctor, as this condition effects different women different ways, my advice would be not to worry too much as that will make matters worse and stress as we all know makes any medical condition worse, I know its not easy, but I wish you well.

Answer 6

I found out 5 1/2 years ago that I have endo. I have 2 children. From what I have been told by my doctors it really depends on how bad you have the endo and where it is located.

Best of luck.

Answer 7

After I had my c-section I ended up getting Endometriosis. I had it removed once but it came back. I went to a OBGYN and I wanted it removed again but she said that I should wait till I give birth again because I told her that I wanted another baby.. So I deal with the pain. So that was telling me that I can have another baby.

Keep trying