Getting pregnant with endometriosis is possible with the right endo treatment
Endometriosis is a common condition in women, and those affected know that the symptoms can be uncomfortable and inconvenient. Unfortunately, this condition can also cause infertility in women. For those who are wondering about getting pregnant with endometriosis, take heart: Our Texas endometriosis specialists have many endo treatment options that can reduce symptoms and help you become a parent when you are ready.
What is endometriosis, and why does it cause infertility?
Every month, when you have your period, your uterine lining exits your body because it’s not needed to support a pregnancy at that time. Your body’s hormones tell the cells of your uterine lining what to do: to shed and regenerate. With endometriosis, those same types of cells are growing elsewhere in your body, and they react to your monthly hormone shifts in the same way as the cells inside your uterus. But, when they are growing outside of the uterus, they can’t come out with your monthly period.
These misplaced cells can cause a variety of symptoms.
- Pain, including severe menstrual cramps or pain during intercourse
- Unusual bleeding, such as very heavy periods or intermittent bleeding between periods
- Digestive or urinary issues, such as pain, constipation or diarrhea
- Fatigue
- Infertility
Endometriosis tissue can take root around your ovaries, fallopian tubes, on the outside of your uterus, or even on your intestines and bladder. This can mean getting pregnant with endometriosis may be difficult, due to scarring, inflammation, and blocked ovaries or fallopian tubes. It can also interfere with egg development, or grow into the uterine wall and prevent embryo implantation. Thankfully, our Texas endometriosis specialists have endo treatment options that can help.
What types of endo treatment are available?
To definitively diagnose endometriosis, a surgery is needed to see the endometriosis. This is usually through a laparoscopy, which is a minimally invasive surgical procedure in which we use a tiny camera to take a look inside your abdomen. If we see endometriosis tissue, we can remove it during the same procedure, which may provide some symptom relief and improve fertility.
But surgery isn’t always needed to successfully treat endometriosis. There can be ultrasound or history findings that hint to the diagnosis of endometriosis, and your doctors can try non-surgical treatments to help alleviate the symptoms.
For women who aren’t actively trying to get pregnant, we can prescribe medications that can help relieve symptoms. These work by shutting down the hormones that “wake up” the cells in your body that are in the wrong place. Because these medications usually act as contraceptives, like birth control pills, hormonal intrauterine devices (IUDs), injections, vaginal rings and implants, they are not ideal choices for women who want to have a baby immediately.
Some women with endometriosis need IVF to conceive after fertility tests reveal that their fallopian tubes are blocked. Fallopian tubes are the pathway for an egg to meet with sperm and travel to the uterus. IVF allows us to retrieve eggs directly from your ovaries, expose eggs to sperm outside the body, and then transfer a resulting embryo to your uterus to achieve an intrauterine pregnancy.
If only one fallopian tube is blocked, you may be a good candidate for intrauterine insemination, or IUI, which allows us to monitor egg development in your ovaries and insert sperm into your uterus at exactly the right time.
Reach out for help getting pregnant with endometriosis
If you are experiencing pain, severe cramps, or unusual or heavy periods, and think you may need help getting pregnant with endometriosis, we are here for you. Contact our Texas endometriosis specialists to schedule an appointment.