When a woman finds out she has endometriosis, she may wonder “Will this cause infertility?”. If she has already been trying to get pregnant unsuccessfully, she may wonder if this is the root cause.
Endometriosis is a chronic, progressive reproductive condition that affects approximately 1 of 10 women worldwide. Approximately 30-50% of women with endometriosis experience infertility. Typically, couples have about a 10-20% chance of getting pregnant each month if there is no endometriosis. If there is surgically documented endometriosis, those chances reduce to just 1-10%. There are several ways endometriosis has been shown to affect fertility:
Ways endometriosis may reduce fertility
- Impact the anatomy. Because endometriosis triggers the growth of endometrial-like tissue outside of the uterine cavity, it can cause inflammation and scarring that interferes with fertility. An example would be, atypical growths or adhesions blocking the fallopian tube(s).
- Decline in egg quality and diminished ovarian reserve. Endometriosis has been shown to reduce oocyte quality and quantity. This ultimately will reduce the number of healthy eggs and opportunities for conception.
- Impaired implantation. Endometriosis can make it difficult for a fertilized egg to attach to the uterine lining.
Women with more advanced disease may see the biggest impacts to their fertility. Likewise, IVF studies have suggested that women with more advanced endometriosis have poor ovarian reserve, low oocyte and embryo quality, and poor implantation.
What should you do next
If you have endometriosis and you know you would like to conceive children, consult with experts. You may wish to engage with a gynecologist who specializes in endometriosis. You may use this link to the Endometriosis Network of Canada to help identify the right doctor. Perhaps, you may also wish to consult with a reproductive endocrinologist. Your treatment plan should always include a focused nutrition and supplement plan. When you improve your lifestyle habits, you will improve your well-being & quality of life. Additionally, naturopathic strategies have been shown to reduce endometriosis pain and improve IVF outcomes. Furthermore, improved lifestyle habits have many other benefits! Read more about naturopathic treatment of endometriosis.
Book an appointment with Dr. Bozinovski to discuss your naturopathic endometriosis treatment HERE.
