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If you’re trying for a baby for a very long time and happen to be unsuccessful, you may come across several reasons for it through tests and scans. It may be due to your age, lifestyle disorders, or medical conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), follicular disorders, as well as uterine disorders (uterine fibroids, septate uterus, or endometriosis).
Amidst all this, endometriosis is a condition where a tissue like endometrium (uterine lining responsible for menstruation) develops in ovaries, intestines or pelvis tissues. The endometrial tissue attaches outside the uterus. This is a painful situation, accompanied by heavy bleeding. Moreover, endometriosis may be a hindrance to healthy conceiving.
Studies have revealed that approximately 2 to 10% of women of childbearing age suffer from endometriosis. Up to 50%, of this condition may be associated with impairing the chances of your getting pregnant.
How Does Endometriosis Affect Pregnancy?
The exact causes behind endometriosis may be unknown, but the fertility issues related to endometriosis may be because of several reasons. So, the known causes of endometriosis include:
Your Age
Age is one of the main causes of endometriosis. After 30 or 35 years of age, fertility declines rapidly, as egg sacs start to disappear from the ovaries.
Retrograde Menstruation
In retrograde menstruation, the menstrual blood flows up during the period through the fallopian tubes, instead of the vagina and into your abdomen. Moreover, in this condition, the uterine lining flows downwards and outside the vagina causing endometriosis.
Hormonal Fluctuations
Oestrogen is one of the two main female sex hormones produced by the ovaries. Oestrogen levels rise during the menstrual cycle. As the oestrogen hormones reach their peak just before ovulation, the uterine line thickens. Progesterone hormones, on the other hand, help maintain the endometrium and prepare it for fertilization. Human endometrium and endometriotic cells and tissues are regulated by estrogen and progesterone hormones. Disruptions in endocrine and paracrine pathways lead to inflammatory responses, abnormal tissue remodelling, and therapeutic resistance in endometriosis patients. The urgency of better understanding and effective treatment of this condition is highlighted by these factors.
Immune System Dysfunction
Endometriosis is characterised by immune system dysfunction. There is an altered immune status in women with endometriosis, which may result in infertility, early pregnancy failure or abnormal tissue homeostasis.
Genetic
Although scientifically the true causes of endometriosis are still unknown there is a connection between family history and endometriosis. If someone in your family like your mother, grandmother or sister has had endometriosis, there are high chance of it coming to you through the genes.
As a result of endometriosis, you might experience pain in the lower part of the pelvis. As a symptom of endometriosis, you can also feel the pain during the period, during and after having sex with your partner and while you’re visiting the bathroom.
How Can You Treat Endometriosis?
Endometriosis is associated with hindrances in your becoming a mother for several reasons, as mentioned above.
Whether you are suffering from the condition, your healthcare practitioner can take you through a few tests like pelvic exams, ultrasound scans, laparoscopy, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a part of the diagnosis.
There are no assured treatment methods available for endometriosis and its symptoms. However, the probable treatment methods for this condition depend on the severity of symptoms. It could be medical or natural.
Medical Treatment
Amidst the medical treatment procedures of endometriosis, the healthcare practitioner will give you a few things to enhance your chances of pregnancy:
- Birth control pills, shots, patches and vaginal rings
- Surgery helps ease the symptoms
- Egg-freezing technique
- Intrauterine insemination is an option for mild endometriosis
- Ultrasound scans to make sure the eggs are mature
- In vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment. About half of the success rates of fertility are due to IVF treatments.
Eat Healthy and Nutritious Foods
Experts and healthcare providers will always recommend you eat high amounts of fats to produce chemicals known as prostaglandins. It may give rise to more oestrogen production. Include fruits and vegetables and keep your refrigerator stocked with prewashed and precut fruits and vegetables.
Be Active Regularly
Exercise is a wonderful way to treat endometriosis. Endometriosis is less likely to occur if you do high-intensity exercises like running or biking. Along with this, low-intensity workouts include yoga, meditation or simply creating a routine for self-care.
Don’t worry! Keep a check on your lifestyle and visit the healthcare practitioner to plan your family.