Endometriosis: A Silent Cause of Infertility
Painful periods, heavy menstrual bleeding and pain during defecation--all symptoms suggestive of that notoriously painful uterine lining disorder called endometriosis. Affecting up to one in 10 women, you probably know someone--a sister, aunt or friend--who suffers from these crippling cramps. What you may not know about endometriosis however, is that it is a leading cause of infertility.
The relationship between endometriosis and infertility is a little confusing. Several studies have shown that 30 to 50-percent of women with endometriosis are infertile and that 25 to 50-percent of all infertile woman have endometriosis. So, while there is a definite association between the two, having one does not necessarily mean you have or will develop the other.
One really useful way to look at the effect that endometriosis has on fertility is through a concept called fecundity. Fecundity is the probability of a sexually active woman achieving a live birth in any given month.
For healthy young women, that rate is 15 to 20-percent per month. This is often surprising to many people given that you probably also know someone who has gotten pregnant by accident or even through failed contraception.
The reality is that numerous steps need to go right for conception to occur. One of these steps is having a clear pathway for egg and sperm to meet. If inflammation or adhesions block the passageway, infertility can result, and this is likely the reason that fecundity for a woman with untreated endometriosis is only two to 10-percent per month.
The reason for such high infertility rates among endometriosis patients likely has to do with dense adhesions from endometrial tissue implants that seed the pelvis and interfere with the normal fertilization process.
Other proposed causes that have not yet been proven include having distorted pelvic anatomy from these adhesions, a higher than normal volume of peritoneal fluid with increased white blood cells and protein enzymes, and deficiencies of certain molecules within the endometrium itself.
With such a significant risk for infertility, the next question is what to do about treatment.
We value and respect the experiences of all of our HERWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.
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