Endometriosis Fertility

Endometriosis is a medical condition that affects from 5% to 10% of females in reproductive years of life. Good news for women with endometriosis is that they can conceive naturally, but in some cases where there are still problems surgery is often the best solution. Endometriosis is a condition where endometrium tissue has spread to the ovaries or somewhere else in the abdominal cavity.

Laparoscopy is the procedure that allows doctors to look inside the abdominal cavity with a narrow scope so they are able to diagnose endometriosis. Usually symptoms of endometriosis are the same for every woman, so we will try to list all of them and they include the following:

pelvic pain, pain before and/or after menstruation painful intercourse painful orgasms painful bowel movements infertility lower back pain bladder pain bloating nausea vomiting fatigue

It is important to know that symptoms disappear during pregnancy and decrease with menopause. There are several ways to treat endometriosis and usually if condition is mild the doctor will prescribe a medical treatment. The main problem with medical treatment is that once the treatment is stopped there are chances that the condition will return. The fertility of a woman with endometriosis is only compromised when endometriosis affect the areas of ovaries and fallopian tubes.

Going for fertility treatment such as controlled ovarian hyperstimulation with intrauterine insemination and in vitro fertilization should be considered if woman is now able to conceive in period longer then 6 months. There are some ways that you can reduce your chances of getting endometriosis. Estrogen is responsible for thickening the lining of uterus during menstruation some doctors will suggest that lowering the estrogen levels may help you reduce your chance of getting endometriosis. Few things that you can do to lover your estrogen level is regular exercises, avoiding high amounts of alcohol and caffeine, maintain your body fat level at normal and trying to avoid stress as much possible. The hormone progestin is known to shrink endometriosis by having affects on estrogen on the tissue. Progestin stops woman s menstrual periods, but it cause irregular vaginal bleeding.

Depo-Provera is a common progestin that is taken as a shot but there are some side effects that can include weight gain and depressed mood. Birth control pills are also used for endometriosis treatment. They can decrease the menstrual flow and prevent overgrowth of tissue that lines the uterus. But while on the birth control for endometriosis, fertility of a woman is lower almost to the zero. This treatment is only effective for women that do not wish to conceive. Birth control usually contains progestin and estrogen and once a woman stops taking birth control, she can get pregnant again even with endometriosis. However, stopping birth control will cause the endometriosis to return.