Endometriosis and pregnancy are two inter-related health issues that millions of women of child bearing age struggle with every year. The simple fact is endometriosis can and will make conceiving a child more difficult in most instances. This does not mean a woman cannot have a baby but it can throw a monkey wrench in the process.
Exactly how endometriosis affects a woman’s chance at pregnancy is not fully known but studies that have been conducted in to the issue show that she is less likely to conceive then a woman who does not suffer from this disease. These studies show that about twenty percent of women with endometriosis will be unable to conceive and that of all infertile women 21 years old to forty four percent have this disease.
What isn’t known is excatly why endometriosis affects a woman’s ability to conceive a child. Is it the endometriosis itself or will there be something else at work together with it. It does not mean that a woman cannot successfully conceive a child and make it to term.
The path to getting pregnant for women with endometriosis varies. A lot of women get pregnant naturally without the outside medical help. For women that are fighting endometriosis and pregnancy it’s important that they talk to their doctor /gynecologist about medical interventions that may help increase their chances of conceiving a child.
Women with endometriosis who are looking to get pregnant naturally may increase their odds should they consider the following:
1. Get started early in life – Studies have shown that ladies in their twenties will get pregnant then women in their thirties and older. Since endometriosis is proven to interfere with a woman’s fertility it is surmised that it will continue to make conceiving harder the older she gets.
2. Get healthy – A lot of women have success in managing their condition when eating an endometriosis diet. A healthy diet, combined with regular exercise, might help minimize the effects of endometrial growths and her body with the required nutrients to successfully nourish an embryo.
If over time of six months to per year a woman has still not gotten pregnant naturally she can change to her gynecologist or infertility specialist for help. There are various treatment or procedure options available to help increase the chance for a successful pregnancy.
1. Laparoscopic endometriosis surgery – This minimally invasive surgical procedure is done to not only definitively diagnose endometriosis but also to excise and remove endometrial growths from the abdominal organs. This sort of surgery is not a cure but it can provide a window in which a woman can successfully conceive. Studies do indicate that laparoscopic surgery can increase the likely hood of a successful pregnancy.
2. Fertility drugs – The use of drugs such as Clomid and Serophene might help stimulate ovulation in women who are having difficulty conceiving.
3. In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) – IVF can be an assisted reproductive technique which has shown good results in women with endometriosis and pregnancy issues. It should be noted that the success rate of IVF for women with endometriosis is approximately half that of other women with infertility issues. A newer technique called intracytoplasmatic sperm injection seems to garner higher success rates with studies showing that success rates are equal among women with the disease and those without.
There are risk factors for pregnant women with endometriosis that can result in serious complications throughout their pregnancy. A recently available study by medical researchers in Sweden discovered that women with endometriosis are in a higher risk for the following:
1. Premature Birth -Women with endometriosis are in higher risk for having their baby’s preterm. They also discovered that women who also underwent IVF procedures to become pregnant were at a much greater risk for preterm birth then women who did not.
2. Preeclampsia – This is high blood pressure that develops in women that are pregnant during their second and third trimester. Women with endometriosis are at a higher risk for developing this dangerous condition that also contains protein within their urine and an elevated risk for post birth.
3. Caesarean Section – In the analysis it was discovered that almost twice as a lot of women with endometriosis had their babies delivered via C-section. It was also found that these women had an increased incidence of induced premature birth then spontaneous premature birth. The exact why of this is not known however the researchers conducting the study have theorized that complications with the placenta could be at the main of it.
It’s estimated that over 9 million women worldwide have problems with endometriosis. Every year an excellent percentage of these women get pregnant and deliver healthy babies. With signs of endometriosis and care it is possible to beat the odds that this disease presents. Remember that endometriosis and pregnancy are not mutually exclusive.