By the numbers, it’s hard to dispute that there’s some crossover between infertility and endometriosis. To start, slightly more than 13% of women ages 15-49 have fertility issues, alongside more than 11% of women in this same age group who have endometriosis. So, by coincidence alone, many women experience both issues at the same time.
But, is it just a coincidence, or is there a more direct connection? The answer is complex, but Dr. Ulas Bozdogan and our team at Advanced Endometriosis Center want to tackle it briefly here.
We’re going to kick off this discussion with more numbers, including the fact that 30-50% of women who are struggling with infertility also have endometriosis. With numbers like this, it’s a good assumption that we’ve moved beyond coincidence and into a connection.
There are several ways we can connect the dots between these two issues, such as:
With moderate to severe endometriosis, adhesions (scar tissue) can form around your fallopian tubes. This tough tissue can create blockages that prevent fertilization and also stop eggs from reaching your uterus.
If endometrial tissues collect around your ovaries, it can lead to cysts, including chocolate cysts. These types of cysts are filled with old blood and can interfere with ovarian function, including ovulation and egg quality.
Endometriosis can lead to pelvic inflammation. When this happens, the inflammation creates an environment that’s inhospitable to both sperm and eggs.
For example, inflammatory agents can slow sperm down and even attack and kill sperm. As well, these same agents can inflict damage on your eggs and embryos.
Lastly, inflammation and an altered immune function can change the hormonal environment, which can affect the quality of your eggs.
Endometriosis can affect your uterus, especially if tissue attaches to the outside, which can interfere with implantation and pregnancy.
This list is a working one, and new research continues to uncover links between infertility and endometriosis. So, while the connection between these two common conditions is there, it’s not a straight line, and it’s one we don’t fully understand the extent of yet.
Now let’s go in a more positive direction — millions of women with endometriosis have children, and we can help if that’s your goal.
For example, we can perform surgery to remove scar tissue or cysts that are getting in the way of your family building. Or, we can explore in vitro fertilization.
But we’re getting far ahead of ourselves, because the first step is to see whether your fertility issues are indeed connected to endometriosis. To do that, simply click here to schedule a consultation at one of our conveniently located offices in New York City or Paramus, New Jersey.
