CAN ENDOMETRIOSIS CAUSE INFERTILITY?
If you have endometriosis and your goal is to get pregnant, you may have been told that conceiving a baby may not be in the cards for you. While having endometriosis can certainly make growing your family more difficult, don’t subscribe to this way of thinking quite yet. Even though getting pregnant might be challenging, it does not mean it’s impossible for women with this condition to conceive.
Endometriosis is a complex disease that is terribly misunderstood by our society. You see—logic is fast, and science is slow. Just because modern medicine can’t seem to keep up with all of the nuances women with endometriosis experience, doesn’t mean solutions aren’t available.
Did you know there’s a 17-year lag on average between what’s being discovered and what most mainstream medical doctors know and implement into their practice? Maybe that’s why it takes most women close to a decade to even get their endometriosis diagnosis in the first place.
Currently, laparoscopic surgery is conventional medicine’s gold standard for diagnosing endometriosis. Since they remove any endometriosis they find during the laparoscopy, the diagnosis is also the treatment. And even though this option covers all your bases at once, it’s not ideal for many women to go straight to surgery. Don’t dismiss this as an option quite yet! However, there are some things you may want to integrate before getting surgery.
This is a time where you’ll likely want to take a true East meets West approach to your treatment . . .
WHY GETTING PREGNANT WITH ENDOMETRIOSIS CAN BE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT.
Endometriosis is a chronic condition where the tissue that normally lines the uterus (endometrium) grows outside of the uterus, commonly on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and other pelvic organs. It can pretty much go anywhere in the lower abdomen and spread—causing a slew of problems, various complications, and possible harm to the reproductive system.
Endometriosis can indeed make getting pregnant difficult and potentially lead to infertility. Here are a few key reasons why:
Distorted Anatomy: Endometriosis can cause the formation of adhesions, scar tissue, and abnormal tissue growths in and around the reproductive organs. These structures can distort the anatomy of the pelvis, making it challenging for the egg to be released from the ovary, for the sperm to reach the egg, or for the fertilized egg to implant and grow in the uterus.
Fallopian Tube Dysfunction: Endometrial tissue can accumulate and block or damage the fallopian tubes, preventing the egg from being properly picked up by the tube and transported to the uterus. This can significantly reduce the chances of fertilization taking place.
Hormonal Imbalances: Endometriosis is associated with hormonal imbalances, particularly involving estrogen. Elevated levels of estrogen can interfere with normal ovulation and disrupt the menstrual cycle, making it more difficult for the woman to conceive.
Inflammation and Immune Dysfunction: Endometriosis is characterized by chronic inflammation in the pelvic region. This inflammation, along with immune system abnormalities, can create an unfavorable environment for conception and implantation. It may also have a negative impact on the quality of eggs and sperm.
Ovarian Reserve and Egg Quality: In some cases, endometriosis can decrease the number of available eggs (ovarian reserve) or affect their quality. This can reduce the chances of successful fertilization and implantation.
Endometriosis is one of the leading causes of infertility in women. The exact mechanisms are not fully understood and more research needs to be done, but factors such as inflammation, scarring, and anatomical changes can contribute to difficulties in conceiving.
Depending on where your endometriosis is, what stage it is, and how soon you want to have a baby, there is a good argument for having surgery.
ENDOMETRIOSIS AND FERTILITY . . . WHY SURGERY MIGHT BE YOUR BEST OPTION.
Endometriosis is commonly thought of as a condition with extreme period pain, but that’s not always the case. There are 4 different stages of endometriosis, and the symptoms don’t always correlate with the stage of the disease. These stages are based on the extent, location, and severity of the endometrial tissue growths.
Here are the 4 different stages of Endometriosis:
Stage I (Minimal): In this stage, there are small, superficial implants or lesions of endometrial tissue on the organs within the pelvis.
Stage II (Mild): In this stage, there are deeper implants and more extensive lesions on the pelvic organs, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes.
Stage III (Moderate): In this stage, there are multiple deep implants, possibly forming cysts (endometriomas), along with more significant adhesions and scar tissue. The fallopian tubes may be partially blocked, affecting fertility.
Stage IV (Severe): This stage is characterized by extensive, deep implants and adhesions that can involve multiple pelvic organs, such as the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and bowel. The fallopian tubes may be completely blocked, leading to severe fertility issues.
It's important to note that the symptoms experienced by individuals with endometriosis do not always correlate with the stage of the disease. Some individuals with minimal endometriosis may experience severe symptoms, while others with severe endometriosis may be asymptomatic.
Even symptomless endometriosis can interfere with your fertility—which is why this is one of the rare times that even alternative health practitioners will suggest that surgery might be your best option.
If you do decide to take this route, it is VERY important to find an endometriosis excision specialist who performs hundreds of surgeries a year day in and day out. Even though your OB-GYN will likely tell you they’re qualified to do your procedure, you do not want someone who dabbles in surgery performing your operation.
The average OB-GYN treats endometriosis by burning the tissue with a surgical procedure called “fulguration” or “ablation.” It’s important to note that while this may relieve symptoms temporarily, it does not completely remove deep infiltrating endometriosis. As a result, deeper lesions aren’t completely eradicated, and it’s very common to need additional surgeries as often as every 2 years since it’s likely your endometriosis will recur again.
Having properly done excision surgery involves completely removing and cutting out the endometrial tissue by a skilled surgeon. They’ll remove more than just the superficial endometriosis lesions while preserving the healthy tissue. Based on the research, this may be one of the fastest and most effective ways for you to conceive depending on what stage endometriosis you have and where it’s located. You can find the top-rated, vetted endometriosis excision surgeons all around the globe at iCareBetter.com.
ENDOMETRIOSIS AND INFERTILITY TREATMENT
Endometriosis is an incredibly complex inflammatory disease, and getting the proper treatment takes a lot of care and patience—which is unfortunately not how our medical system works.
In my experience, endometriosis is the most challenging fertility issue to deal with that I see. From a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, herbs can certainly be used to reduce inflammation, which has a direct impact on endometrial tissue. However, this can be time consuming and you need to be consistent (usually for 6-12 months). And quite frankly, many women don’t want to wait that long.
If you’re hesitant to have surgery, there are many things you can do to lessen the severity of endometriosis including cupping on the lower sacrum, pelvic floor physical therapy, acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and Mistletoe Therapy. There’s a profound connection between endometriosis and emotional trauma that’s worth looking into as well. German New Medicine suggests that resolving the underlying emotional conflict can reduce endometriosis symptoms.
Even if you do want to get excision surgery, treating the inflammation first will likely make your laparoscopy go more smoothly.
When you look at endometriosis in all of its complexities, Inflammation is driving all of it. From the creation of the endo-like cell, to the establishment of the lesions, to the progression of scar tissue adhesions. It all goes back to inflammation gone rogue. And this ongoing inflammation that never ends is what makes endometriosis act like more of an autoimmune disorder. Endometriosis triggers a whole autoimmune response. And if you don’t address the inflammation, your immune system will continue to go crazy and attack yourself. And that does not make for ideal baby-making conditions!
SO CAN ENDOMETRIOSIS CAUSE INFERTILITY?
Yes, it sure can. And it can leave you throwing a bunch of *gluten-free* pasta at the wall to see what sticks. If you’re trying to grow your family, but endometriosis is making that difficult, book a Fertility Consult. We can go over what options are on the table, what possible supplements and protocols you may want to consider, and how you can take a holistic approach to your treatment even while pursuing conventional surgery.