Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a common cause of infertility in women. According to Fertilitycommunity.com's article Endometriosis, 30-40% of women with endometriosis will likely have problems conceiving. I am one of those women.

So, what exactly is endometriosis? Endometrial tissue is the tissue in your uterus that provides a soft cushion for a fertilized egg to attach. Women with endometriosis have endometrial tissue outside of the uterus. I had this tissue located on the outside of my uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes. My doctor took pictures during the laparoscopy, which I have posted here. As you can see, the endometriosis looks like small patches of dark tissue on the outside of my organs.

Here is what the doctor's notes say about each picture:

• Upper left: Right ovary

In my last post, Laparoscopy, I talked about having a laparoscopy so Dr. F could determine the cause of my infertility. The results shocked me. I had never experienced particularly painful periods, so my fertility doctors from my hometown had ruled out endometriosis as a possible cause. They were wrong.

Dr. F found a significant amount of endometriosis, which is uterine tissue that is located outside of the uterus, and scar tissue all over my reproductive organs. As part of the procedure, he had removed all of the endometriosis and scar tissue, so my organs were as good as new. I jokingly called this my "spring cleaning."

Dr. F said that I had a large amount of endometriosis on my fallopian… [more]