What is endometriosis?
Endometriosis occurs when cells that normally line the womb (the endometrium) are found elsewhere, usually in the pelvis and ovaries. Common symptoms include painful periods, pain during sex, pain in lower back, bleeding or pain while passing urine or stool.
How endometriosis is related to Infertility?
It may be related to the adhesion, causing difficulty in picking up the eggs from the ovaries by the fallopian tubes. Pain during sex may be the reason for avoiding regular intercourse.
How endometriosis is treated?
Pain-relieving medication works by reducing inflammation. Hormone treatments allow the endometriosis to shrink or disappear. Most hormone treatments will also stop you from becoming pregnant as long as you use them and can stop your periods temporarily. Before surgery, usually, medicines are given to reduce the size and to reduce the blood loss during surgery.
Surgery can remove areas of endometriosis, usually done by laparoscopy. It needs properly trained and skilled surgeons. Laparoscopic surgery improves the pain and also increases the chance of natural conception. The disease can come back again after a few months or years and you may need repeated operations.
What happens if I cannot conceive even after laparoscopy?
Immediately after an operation is the best time to conceive. If natural conception does not happen, you can have a short trial of treatments like ovulation induction and IUI. If with all these, you fail to get pregnant within one year, you should consider IVF seriously. You also need to consider IVF earlier, if you have extensive endometriosis.
What is the success rate after treatment?
Endometriosis(even after medicines or surgery) can interfere with any form of infertility treatment- ovulation induction, IUI and IVF. So, it’s better to start treatment earlier.