A common condition, endometriosis is named after the endometrium, the spongy womb lining that develops every month. Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the endometrium starts growing outside the womb. It is most commonly found around the ovaries, womb, bowels or bladder. It is thought that 15 per cent of women may suffer from endometriosis, and many of them conceive naturally without any problems, but in some cases it can affect fertility.
 |
| Infertility With Endometriosis |
The most common symptom of endometriosis is pain, either in the abdomen, the lower back or the pelvis. Some women find they have painful, heavy periods that may last longer than usual. There may be spotting or bleeding between periods, pain during sexual intercourse, and painful bowel movements or urination. Endometriosis can make you feel very tired or even exhausted. You are more likely to get endometriosis if you have heavy or long periods and a short cycle, if you began your periods at an early age and if you have a close relative who has endometriosis.
'I'd always suspected that everything wasn't quite right and started getting a lot of pain. I looked my symptoms up on the Internet and I kept coming up with endometriosis, It was the only thing that seemed to be related to bowel pain and period problems. There was at least a year when I was struggling on with pain every month, thinking that there was nothing wrong with me and I should be able to cope with it. Eventually I got referred to hospital and had a laparoscopy and I did have endometriosis,' Gillion, 30
Fibroids
Fibroids are benign tumors that grow in the womb. They are often found inside the layers of the wall of the womb, but they can also grow in the cavity of the womb or on the outer wall. Fibroids sometimes develop in the cent, or neck of the womb. They are made up of womb muscle fibre, and can grow as big as a melon. Fibroids are only extremely rarely cancerous, but they can affect your fertility because they can make it difficult for embryos to implant, and they are also associated with miscarriage.
The majority of women who have fibroids have no symptoms and are completely unaware that they have them. Symptoms may be more or less common depending on the size of the fibroids and their position. When there are symptoms, the most common is heavy menstrual bleeding. You may also have painful periods, bloating and lower back pain. Some women experience constipation or bladder problems. Studies have found that there is a higher incidence of fibroids among black women, although the reasons for this are not clear. Women who are overweight are also more at risk.
Blocked or scarred fallopian tubes
If your fallopian tubes are blocked, scarred or damaged, eggs will find it difficult to get through them on their way from the ovaries to the womb. Fallopian tubes can be harmed by infection or by scar tissue if you have had any previous surgery in the pelvic area. Sometimes endometriosis can lead to tubal damage.
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a major cause of tubal problems, as it can lead to adhesions, or scar tissue, around the fallopian tubes. PID can be triggered by bacterial infection, but by far the most common cause nowadays is chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease.
Young women are particularly at risk from chlamydia, as it is estimated that around 10 per cent of sexually active young people may have the disease, which often has no symptoms at all. A woman who has chlamydia is often completely unaware that she is infected, and yet it may be seriously damaging her chances of having a child in the future.
'I'd never heard of chlamydia until I was given a leaflet saying you could have it and not know about it, so I thought I might as well have the test. It came back that I had it. I had a course of antibiotics, but about two years after that they discovered the chlamydia had never cleared up. They said it was like a gluey substance that was sticking to everything like superglue, and sticking everything down. It had got so bad that it was untreatable. It was actually sticking to my internal organs.' Jeanette, 24
Those most at risk of getting pelvic inflammatory disease are younger women who have multiple sexual partners, who had their first sexual experience at a young age and who have a high frequency of intercourse. It can lead to ectopic pregnancy and women who have had PID often have repeated attacks. As with chlamydia, there are often no symptoms, although some women with PID have pain in the lower abdomen, painful intercourse, fever and vaginal discharge. To find out more, you can check out Infertility With Endometriosis.
