National Endometriosis Awareness Month of March 2019

Infertility is a classic and devastating symptom of endometriosis. National Endometriosis Awareness Month in 2019 is a movement to increase knowledge about this leading cause of female infertility. Every March, a movement for awareness about endometriosis takes place worldwide. The aim of the movement is to increase awareness and highlight the symptoms of this debilitating condition that affects the fertility of an estimated 176 million women worldwide – 1 in 10 women. Endometriosis has a devastating effect on the quality of life of sufferers due to painful symptoms and infertility.

National Endometriosis Awareness Month

• 60 percent of women suffering from endometriosis have no symptoms other than the inability to conceive naturally.
• An estimated 6.5 million women in the U.S. – and 200 million globally – are affected by endometriosis
• The most common symptom of endometriosis is painful periods
• Endometriosis often goes undiagnosed or is misdiagnosed for years because women and teenage girls believe painful periods are normal – this myth must be denounced

Avid Promoter of Endometriosis Awareness

The fertility specialists at New Hope Fertility Center are avid promoters of Endometriosis Awareness, with the specific goals of:

• Promoting a greater awareness and understanding of endometriosis as a real and debilitating disease
• Highlighting the consequences of living with endometriosis for the women suffering from it
• Creating a greater awareness and understanding of endometriosis among the medical profession, employment sector, and society in general
• Seeking a best practice and consistent care and treatment for women suffering from endometriosis
• Providing an opportunity for those whose live have been affected by endometriosis to play a key role in helping make a difference

Endometriosis Awareness

Endometriosis affects a woman’s reproductive and surrounding organs when uterine lining tissue (endometrium) grows outside of the uterus and into other areas of her body.

• Abdominal cavity and pelvis
• Ovaries
• Fallopian tubes and supporting ligaments

This errant tissue is generated by hormones creating endometrial cells. The disease causes adhesions (scar tissue), lesions, and blood-filled cysts. Endometrial cells appearing in abnormal locations cause endometriosis. When these errant endometrial cells grow and then sluff off, there is no escape outlet from the body, and internal bleeding leads to:

• Inflammation
• Pelvic pain
• Formation of scar tissue (adhesions)

Symptoms of Endometriosis

Infertility is a classic and devastating symptom of endometriosis. Other pelvic pain symptoms:

• Pain in the lower abdomen and/or lower back that can radiate to the legs
• Pain before and during periods
• Mid-cycle pain as a woman’s monthly egg ruptures through the ovary (ovulation pain – Mittelschmerz)
• Lengthy and heavily bleeding periods, with or without clots
• Irregular periods with spotting before period begins
• Fatigue and/or depression

Infertility Caused by Endometriosis

Women with endometriosis are three to four times less likely to conceive or maintain a pregnancy. Endometriosis causes infertility in several different ways.

• Anatomical pelvic/tubal adhesions – tubal infertility
• Diminished ovarian reserve – reduced egg supply
• Toxic pelvic peritoneal factors – toxic pelvic environment
• Autoimmune implantation dysfunction – embryo implantation failure

Diagnosing and Treating Endometriosis

The suspicion of endometriosis usually begins based on a woman’s symptoms and is followed up with blood and ultrasound testing to detect ovarian cysts. Laparoscopy is the definitive method of accurately diagnosis endometriosis and determining its severity.

• Endometriosis is usually treated by prescribing anti-hormonal drugs with the purpose of blocking estrogen production and shrinking lesions
• When medications fail, lesions are can be removed through laparoscopic surgery

More Helpful Pregnancy Resources

It is important to work with a fertility doctor having the expertise required to design a customized fertility treatment protocol meeting your personal needs. To schedule your initial consultation with Dr. John Zhang at New Hope Fertility Center – call 917.525.5496.