You want to have a child, but wondering how to get pregnant with endometriosis naturally. Can you get pregnant? The short answer is yes, but it might be difficult. The good news is that there are treatment options, but each has different rates of success.
Endometriosis is one of the most common gynaecological diseases, and it’s the leading cause of infertility. It affects about 5 million women in the United States, many in their 30s and 40s. Nearly 2 of every 5 women who can’t get pregnant have it.
How endometriosis affects fertility
Endometriosis is associated with infertility. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine states that endometriosis is found in 24 to 50 percent of women who are experiencing infertility. While it is not entirely clear how endometriosis affects fertility, there are some possible explanations. Women with endometriosis may have a harder time becoming pregnant.
Endometriosis is a very common, chronic gynecological condition that mostly affects women of reproductive age. It occurs when the endometrium (inner uterine lining) grows outside of the uterus. The most common places for this abnormal tissue to grow are the ovaries, fallopian tubes, pelvic peritoneum (lining of the pelvic cavity), uterine ligaments and its outer surface, bladder, intestines, and rectum.
Chances of getting pregnant with endometriosis
Although endometriosis and infertility are connected, most women with endometriosis are still able to get pregnant. Nearly 70 percent of women with mild to moderate endometriosis are able to become pregnant without treatment.
It’s a painful condition in which tissue that should be growing inside the uterus grows on the outside. These growths can block your fallopian tubes or cover your ovaries. If you have endometriosis, you know that the condition can be stressful all on its own. But once you start thinking about getting pregnant, it’s completely normal to wonder how endometriosis might affect your ability to conceive—not to mention whether you or your baby will be at risk once you do get pregnant.
Having the facts just might help ease some of your concerns. Here’s everything you need to know about conceiving with endometriosis.
What causes endometriosis?
The cause of endometriosis is still unknown however there are some theories which include:
- Retrograde menstruation: The term for when some of the lining of the womb flows backwards through the fallopian tubes and into the abdomen rather than leaving the body as a period. This occurs in most women as a normal monthly process, but normally the body clears the tissues naturally. However, for some this tissue attaches onto pelvic or abdominal organs or wall resulting in endometriosis. It is unclear though why this happens in only some women.
- Genetics: It is more common to be affected by endometriosis if a female member of your family (especially a parent or sibling) has endometriosis.
- Immune system: It may be that some women’s immune system is not able to get rid of the tissue therefore women with low immune system may be more at risk of endometriosis
- Environmental: Certain toxins in the environment that affect the immune systems and reproductive system are thought to cause endometriosis but this has not been proven in humans yet.
- Lymphatic or circulatory spread: It is possible that some cells of the tissue can travel around the body in the bloodstream or other vessels to different parts of the body
- Metaplasia: This occurs when one type of cell can change and become a different kind of cell; the cause of this is largely unknown.
How endometriosis affects fertility
Although endometriosis can have an effect on your chances of getting pregnant most women who have mild endometriosis are not infertile. An estimated 70% of women with mild to moderate endometriosis will get pregnant without treatment. If you know you have endometriosis and are failing to conceive, talk to your doctor who can advise you or refer you to the necessary fertility specialists.
The exact nature of the link between infertility and endometriosis is unclear but the severity of the condition and location of the tissue appears to have an effect. For example, it is not fully known how a few spots of endometriosis may affect your chances of getting pregnant, but if you have severe endometriosis your chances are likely to be affected by the changes to your anatomy. However, even with severe endometriosis natural conception is possible. Here is how to improve your chances of conceiving with endometriosis
How to get pregnant when you have endometriosis
Currently, there’s no evidence that taking medicines can improve a woman’s chances of getting pregnant. But doctors may prescribe medications, as a means to increase the amount of pregnancy hormones in a woman’s body.Getting pregnant when you have endometriosis may be difficult, but it is possible. Deciding how to proceed depends on timing and the severity of your endometriosis. Speaking with a fertility specialist is an important part of the process.
It’s also important to live as healthy a lifestyle as possible when you have endometriosis and are trying to get pregnant. This can reduce inflammation in your body and prepare it to help your baby grow and thrive throughout a healthy pregnancy.
Examples of steps you can take include:
- maintaining a healthy weight
- eating a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins
- engaging in moderate exercise on a daily basis (examples include walking, lifting weights, and participating in an aerobics class)
Keep in mind that age can be a factor for all women wishing to get pregnant. Higher fertility rates are associated with younger age. Women ages 35 and older are at greater risk for both infertility and miscarriage than younger women.
how long did it take you to get pregnant with endometriosis
People with endometriosis can become pregnant and carry a healthy pregnancy to term. Endometriosis is a complex disease that can cause pain and infertility, but there are treatment options, and pregnancy is possible. Read on to learn more about endometriosis and infertility, including how endometriosis causes infertility.
Endometriosis & fertility
About 30% of women with endometriosis have trouble getting pregnant. It is thought that the reasons are related to:
- scarring of the tubes and ovaries from endometriosis
- problems with the quality of the egg
- problems with the embryo travelling down the tube and implanting in the wall of the uterus due to damage from endometriosis
- changes of the organs in the pelvis such as adhesions with scarred pelvic tissue and blockage of the fallopian tubes.
It is important to remember that most women with endometriosis will become pregnant without any medical assistance. For women diagnosed with severe endometriosis (stage III/IV) who do want to become pregnant, about 75% will be able to do so – two-thirds naturally and one-third with the help of IVF.
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Getting pregnant with endometriosis – treatment
There is no cure for endometriosis but there are treatments to help manage the condition.
· Managing the pain
If your endometriosis causes pain and you are taking painkillers, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), paracetamol or Codeine. You will be advised to stop taking NSAIDs and minimise the use of codeine as they may have an effect on the baby if you conceive.
· Hormonal treatments
There are lots of different types of hormonal treatments that can be offered to those who have endometriosis however as they either mimic pregnancy (such as the contraceptive pill) or menopause they are not suitable if you are trying to get pregnant.
· Surgery to improve fertility with endometriosis
For those with minimal or mild endometriosis surgery can improve fertility and should be discussed with you if you are failing to get pregnant and the condition has been found to be a possible cause of your infertility. This clears the way for the sperm to fertilize the egg.
- In vitro fertilization: (IVF) is also another option. It can increase your chances of conceiving, although the statistics on IVF pregnancies vary.
How can I get pregnant if I have endometriosis?
Many women with endometriosis have successfully gotten pregnant thanks to IVF treatments. IVF is often recommended for women with moderate to severe endometriosis, or for women whose bodies haven’t responded to other treatments.
So, would you like to improve your chances of getting pregnant fast with endometriosis? Click here to learn how you can increase your success rate naturally now.