Learn About Endometriosis and Infertility
If you know anyone with endometriosis you may know that it may cause painful cramping during their menstrual cycle. In fact, some girls are completely paralysed by this pain. But what’s endometriosis and why do we care?
Endometriosis is when the endometrial lining from the uterus is located growing some place else in the body. Regularly it’s found growing on the ovaries or some place else in the abdomen and the discomfort that women feel is because these cells are doing their job every month by losing along with the endometrial lining in the uterus. Fantastic how those crazy cells know their job even if they are in the wrong place!
The other reason we care about endometriosis is that it is a common finding with girls who are sterile. It’s thought that 5-10% of women may have endometriosis, but it’s’s thought that twenty percent of women who aren’t able to conceive have endometriosis.
So how does one know if you have endometriosis – or endo? Some ladies might suspect they have endo due to intense cramping during their menstrual cycle. But there are other symptoms, too. Some girls do not have any cramping during their cycle in any way. Some ladies have back discomfort. Some girls might have discomfort during intercourse. Some girls could have agony during stool movements or urinating. Are you seeing a trend? Naturally, the flip side of the coin is that you may not have any symptoms.
I speak from experience here. I had none of the classic symptoms of endo except that I was not ready to fall pregnant. How is endo diagnosed? A laparoscopy is the only possible way to really diagnose endo because it doesn’t show up on any test. A lap is done under general anesthesia with a scope put in through a small incision under your navel. Another incision is formed at your bikini line which permits the doctor to use a tool to move things around if need be. Once the scope is on the doctor can take a look around and if the endo or other scaring is present they can remove it.
Endo is ’scored’ in stages from 1-4 based primarily on the location and a complex point system. Just so you know, when you wake up in recovery and your physician gives you this number it won’t translate to how much pain you have been in. It will just give you an idea of how broad the endometriosis was in your system. That is’s all.
What you will actually need to talk to with your health practitioner is how the removal of the endo will impact on your fertility. Many ladies find that the next three to 4 cycles after they’ve recovered are their most comfy and their doctor may need to exploit the removal of the endo and push ahead. Continuing with interuterine insemination ( IUI ) is a smart idea or perhaps heading off to in vitro fertilization ( IVF ) – just depending on what you are most happy with – because even though the endo has been removed there is no way to really know how endo is affecting fertility. Doctors all have good guesses but there’s no answer yet. One answer is there though – now that the endo is removed you will feel better and now you know one of the likely reasons you were not able to become pregnant on your own.
So, let your physician give you good counsel. Learn what you can about endometriosis as it is possible to Conquer barrenness.
Alana Reyer is an infertility expert. For more great information on infertility message boards, visit http://www.infertilityhelp-alana.com/infertility-information/.
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