If you’ve been diagnosed with moderate to severe endometriosis, you might want to think about freezing your eggs to keep your future fertility options open. Endometriosis impacts nearly 48% of women facing infertility, and it’s crucial to recognize that surgical treatments for endometriosis could potentially harm your ovarian reserve.
But here’s the good news: you don’t have to choose between enduring pain and risking your fertility with surgery. Freezing eggs before tackling your endometriosis could be a game-changer.
Understanding How Endometriosis Affects Fertility
The exact reasons why many women with endometriosis struggle with fertility are still unclear. When endometriosis tissue bleeds in the pelvis, it can cause inflammation and scarring, with the potential for ovarian cysts known as endometriomas to develop. This inflammation and the changes in hormone levels can create an environment where it’s tougher for sperm to fertilize an egg and for a fertilized egg to implant in the uterus. Additionally, scar tissue can distort the Fallopian tubes that transport eggs from the ovaries.
When endometriomas occur, the number of eggs in the ovaries may decrease.
Advantages of Freezing Eggs Before Surgery
Endometriosis surgery is often performed via laparoscopy, a minimally invasive outpatient procedure. This technique allows doctors to look for and sometimes remove scar tissue or endometriosis implants using a small fiber-optic telescope.
While laparoscopic surgery can alleviate pelvic pain and improve the chances of natural pregnancy, any surgery on the ovaries risks damaging healthy tissue, losing eggs, or even losing an ovary entirely. By freezing eggs before surgery, women with endometriosis can protect the quantity and quality of their eggs and preserve their fertility for the future.
The egg freezing process involves vitrification, a rapid freezing technique that ensures good survival and fertilization rates when the eggs are thawed. While pregnancy rates are generally highest for women 37 and younger at the time of freezing, it’s a viable option for women of any age prior to endometriosis surgery.
Since endometriosis varies from person to person and treatment success rates differ, your healthcare provider will help you create a tailored plan that suits your needs.
If you’re interested in learning more about related topics, check out this blog post on makeup remover wipes, which is another aspect of self-care during treatment. And for those looking into home insemination options, make sure to visit this site for an artificial insemination kit that can help.
In summary, if you’re facing endometriosis treatment, consider egg freezing as a proactive step to safeguard your fertility. It’s a decision that could make a significant difference in your journey to parenthood.