subject: Do You Have Endometriosis and What Can You Do About it? [print this page] Do You Have Endometriosis and What Can You Do About it?
Women have been told that they are unable to reproduce because they have what is called endometriosis. What is this condition and what can I do about it?
Endiometriosis is a condition where the lining of the uterus forms on the outside of the uterus rather than inside. The medical term for this lining is the endometrium and this disorder is known as endometriosis. Endometriosis and fertility are closely linked because of the effect this disorder can have on the uterus.
Each month, a woman in her childbearing years will produce an egg. The human species is reproduced by the fact that when this egg is fertilized by the male sperm, the egg will adhere to the uterine wall and begin to grow. If during a woman's normal menstrual cycle the egg is not fertilized, all of the tissue that was formed is no longer needed and is discharged during a woman's menstrual period. During this process, the body will also try to get rid of the endometrium, both the endometrial tissue that formed on the inside of the uterus, as is normal, and the endometrial tissue that formed on the outer part of the uterus.
Because this tissue has formed on the outside, there is a problem that has been created. When the body performs its normal sloughing of the reproductive tissue that is no longer needed because and egg has not been fertilized, it may not all be dispelled. Sometimes portions of this out of place endometrium gets caught in the surrounding tissue and it may form scar tissue or create cysts or forms adhesions that may bind parts of the reproductive organs together. All of these things can be responsible for forming blockages in the woman's reproductive system, hindering the flow of sperm, or preventing the egg from traveling the fallopian tube properly.
Some women can tell if they have endometriosis long before they try to become pregnant. It is a very painful condition causing their periods to become abnormally heavy and very painful. Also there may be a great deal of pain in the pelvic area even when you do not have your period.
Endometriosis causes infertility in half of the women who suffer from it, while the other half never experience any problems associated with it and still successfully conceive. Then, of course, there are women who have the pain of endometriosis but still conceive successfully. These conditions increase with age, so it may be advisable for a woman who is getting up there in age to try sooner to get pregnant, rather than wait. Some women speculate that a pregnancy helps to relieve endometriosis.
Laparoscopic surgery is the main treatment for women who have endometriosis. This is used to remove the scar tissue that causes so many of the barriers to becoming pregnant, such as hindering the flow of semen to the uterus, scar tissue that creates blocks in the fallopian tubes so eggs can't pass, reproductive organs that have adhered to each other, etc.
