Painful intercourse or severe menstrual cramps? It could be a sign of endometriosis! Doctor: May be a stumbling block to pregnancy
Sexual intercourse with your partner is often painful and uncomfortable, and even pregnancy is affected. Could it be caused by endometriosis? Dr. Zheng Xinyi, the attending physician at Taipei’s famous fertility center Yousheng Clinic, pointed out in an interview that endometriosis refers to the presence of endometrial tissue in the ovaries, fallopian tubes, pelvic peritoneum, etc.; these ectopic endometrial tissues are affected by hormones. It will peel off and bleed repeatedly every month with the menstrual cycle, causing symptoms such as severe menstrual pain, pelvic pain, sexual intercourse pain, and infertility.
Potential Effects of Endometriosis? In severe cases, the pelvic cavity may be “devastated”
These ectopic lesions scattered in the pelvic cavity will peel off and bleed repeatedly every month, like extremely tiny explosive bombs inducing destruction again and again in the pelvic cavity. In the long run, these countless inflammatory reactions will not only damage the normal tissues. Destruction is more likely to cause severe adhesion and distortion between various tissues.
“It can be imagined that the Magpie Bridge (fallopian tube), which was originally for the Cowherd (sperm) and the Weaver Girl (ovum) to meet, was destroyed during the war (severe endometriosis) into ruins, and the bridge that meets every year (fallopian tube obstruction) has also been destroyed. Blocked!”
Dr. Zheng Xinyi said that as ectopic endometrium tissue is spread throughout the pelvis, it can be divided into three major types:
Chocolate cyst: Ectopic endometrial tissue runs onto the ovary, invades the ovarian tissue, and accumulates with each cycle of bleeding to form a cyst filled with old blood. It looks like chocolate sauce, so it is often called ovarian chocolate cyst. This type will directly damage the ovarian tissue, causing a decrease in ovarian function and affecting the quality and quantity of eggs.
Implantation endometriosis: Ectopic endometrial tissue is scattered in the pelvic peritoneum, uterosacral ligaments and other parts, or erodes into the organs of the pelvic cavity, such as the bladder, rectum, etc.; this type can cause The pelvic cavity is sticky or the function of the fallopian tube is damaged, preventing the egg from meeting the sperm smoothly.
Adenomyosis: Ectopic endometrial tissue travels to the uterus, which is the body of the uterine muscle layer, causing fibrotic changes in the uterus. This type can easily lead to chronic inflammation of the uterine environment, which may be detrimental to embryo implantation. bed.
How is endometriosis treated? Is it necessary to surgically remove the lesion?
Dr. Zheng Xinyi explained that the diagnosis of endometriosis mainly relies on ultrasound examination. Ultrasound can initially assess the structure of the uterus, but it cannot clearly detect the uterine cavity. If you want to further understand the situation inside the uterine cavity, you can use hysteroscopy to clarify it. As for the treatment method, it needs to be decided based on the patient’s age, family planning, chocolate cyst size, pain severity and other factors:
Surgical treatment: For young women who are not yet inclined to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment, because their eggs are large and they are young and easy to conceive, surgical removal of the lesions can be considered to increase the chance of natural pregnancy after surgery. In addition, if the following conditions exist, it is also recommended to remove the lesions as early as possible through surgery: including ovarian chocolate cysts that are larger than four centimeters, the shape of the cysts raises concerns about malignant tumors, and the clinical symptoms are unbearable.
Medical treatment: For women who need active fertility planning (for example, girls over 37 years old), or whose physical condition is not suitable for surgery, you can first use drugs to control symptoms, and discuss with your doctor whether to directly carry out in vitro fertilization treatment as soon as possible to help you get pregnant. Because surgical removal of ovarian chocolate cysts may also bear the risk of damage to the ovarian stock due to surgery, it is recommended that only those who need surgery undergo surgery first.
No matter which method is adopted, you need to fully evaluate and communicate with your doctor to understand the advantages and disadvantages of various treatment methods and choose the treatment plan that best suits you.
Can I get pregnant with endometriosis? Doctors advise ethnic groups to seek reproductive medicine as early as possible
As for suffering from endometriosis, is it still possible to get pregnant? Dr. Zheng Xinyi cited a 34-year-old patient in the clinic as an example: The patient underwent surgery for chocolate cysts on both ovaries at the age of 27. After the operation, her ovarian function declined significantly, and even follicles could not grow for one degree. Fortunately, Dr. Zheng Xinyi helped her with the treatment and collected 3 beautiful embryos through 3 egg retrieval surgeries. After implantation, the patient successfully conceived. Currently, there are still two embryos left to give birth to a second child.
Another 37-year-old female patient became pregnant after two IVF treatments, but she miscarried again at 6 and 7 weeks. Along with the recurrence of chocolate cysts, her CA125 index soared to over 1,000. After evaluation, it was recommended to undergo surgery to remove the cyst and freeze the eggs, followed by IVF treatment. However, after the operation, the patient’s ovarian function was severely damaged and it was no longer possible to retrieve eggs. Later, with the encouragement of Dr. Zheng Xinyi, she considered accepting egg donation. In the end, the patient successfully became pregnant and gave birth to a lovely baby.
Through the above two cases, we know that patients suffering from endometriosis still have a chance to successfully have a baby. If the female patient has a childbirth plan, it is recommended to consult a reproductive medicine doctor as soon as possible to realize the dream of having a baby. In addition, female friends are urged to seek medical examination and treatment as soon as possible if they have symptoms such as menstrual pain, irregular menstruation, or painful sexual intercourse. At the same time, you must maintain healthy living habits, avoid exposure to environmental hormones, and control your weight to reduce the risk of endometriosis.
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