March is Endometriosis Awareness Month
Because this month is Endometriosis Awareness Month, our Virginia fertility center wants you to know that there is hope and help for the pain and frustration of endometriosis.
Facts for endometriosis awareness month
An endometriosis diagnosis requires a laparoscopic examination of a woman’s organs. As a result, some patients who visit us for fertility treatment first learn from our Virginia fertility center that they have the disease. While symptoms can differ, all women with endometriosis have endometrial cells growing where they should not be.
The endometrium is the lining of the uterus. Over the course of your menstrual cycle, hormones trigger the endometrium to build up, thicken and shed during your period.
For women with endometriosis, endometrial cells grow outside of the uterus. While these cells build up, thicken and shed like regular endometrial cells, there is no way for them to escape the body. Nearby tissues can become irritated or inflamed, causing pain and creating scar tissue that can impair fertility.
- Endometriosis affects more than 6.5 million women in the United States.
- It can cause very painful periods and pain during sexual intercourse.
- Endometriosis is often in a woman’s pelvic cavity, but it can develop elsewhere.
- 33%-50% of women with endometriosis suffer from infertility.
- The causes of endometriosis are unclear. However, they could include genetics, the migration of endometrial cells during abdominal surgery or retrograde menstruation, where blood and endometrial cells back up into the ovaries.
Both the pain and infertility of endometriosis can be managed through professional medical care.
Hope for women with endometriosis
Our Virginia fertility center can use hormone therapy to help you manage endometriosis. When scar tissue is impeding ovulation or pregnancy, our providers may surgically remove it. There are many options for the treatment and management of endometriosis, and successful fertility treatment is possible.
To learn more about treatments for endometriosis, schedule an appointment with our office. Every month is Endometriosis Awareness Month at our practice.