But what does that actually mean for you if youre dealing with this condition?
What is endometriosis?
Endometriosis is commonly thought to happen when the inner lining of the uterus grows on other organs.
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This tissue can bleed and cause symptoms like incrediblypainful periods.
Doctors arent entirely clear on why these growths crop up where they shouldnt.
Wherever this misplaced tissue comes from, its clear that it can impact fertility in some people with endometriosis.
Endometriosis doesnt always make it hard to conceive.
You may not need any kind of fertility treatment at all, even with endometriosis.
However, endometriosis can affect fertility in a few ways.
Doctors are still investigating exactly how endometriosis can affect fertility.
There appear to be several ways that endometriosis can throw a wrench into the process.
The added difficulty is largely because conceiving requires a chain of complicated events to take place successfully.
For pregnancy to occur, a long series of perfect steps has to happen, Dr. Goldstein says.
All of this happens before you even get a plus sign on apregnancy test.
Endometriomasare one possible obstacle in this process.
Cysts are not the only concern.
Some endometriosis treatment options, like hormone therapy, may reduce endometriosis impact on fertility.
Endometriosis is a progressive disease that may get more severe with time.
Hormone therapy is one of them.
Hormonal contraceptivesand other forms of hormone therapy are common treatments for endometriosis.
And both estrogen and progestin in hormonal treatments can prevent the growth of endometriosis lesions in some people.
That said, youd need to stop hormone therapy once youre ready to start trying to get pregnant.
Your doctor may recommend minimally invasive surgery.
This can be especially important for anyone going off ofhormonal contraceptionthat reduced endometriosis pain for conceive.
Egg or embryo freezing is another potential option.
Embryo freezing is similar to egg freezing.
In this scenario, doctors fertilize eggs with sperm before freezing them.
you’re able to read about the similarities and differences between egg and embryo freezinghere.
Your doctor may recommend IUI or IVF to conceive with endometriosis.
Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is often a precursor to IVF.
This is when a doctor places sperm directly into a persons uterus during ovulation, according to theMayo Clinic.
Since endometriosis can make that less likely for various reasons, doctors sometimes suggest trying IVF instead.
However,IVF can be even pricierthan egg freezing, which is another component to factor into your decision.
It was a long road, she says.
But I am so grateful it was successful.
If you have endometriosis and hope to get pregnant at any point, talk to your doctor.
This is a lot of information to process on your own.
Dont lose hope, says Dr. Herndon.
Not all women with endometriosis experience infertility, and treatments for endometriosis-related infertility can often lead to success.
