ENDOMETRIOSIS AND PREGNANCY

Does pregnancy cure endometriosis?

Many women are told by their doctors that the cure for endometriosis is pregnancy. Unfortunately, this is a myth which continues to be perpetuated in medical as well as popular literature.

The mistaken belief that pregnancy cures endometriosis appears to have arisen from the impressions and speculations of some of the early gynaecologists who had a special interest in endometriosis. In general, even those gynaecologists did not claim that pregnancy was a permanent cure. Rather, they said that their impression was that pregnancy usually led to an improvement in the condition and generally delayed its recurrence.

Such early speculations and subsequent assertions have never been proven in any scientific studies.

The reality is that pregnancy seldom ‘cures’ endometriosis and the effect of pregnancy on endometriosis varies widely.

Effect of pregnancy on endometriosis

In the majority of women with endometriosis, pregnancy leads to an improvement in the condition or a temporary disappearance of the disease, particularly during the latter months of the pregnancy.

It is generally believed that the beneficial effects of pregnancy on endometriosis are due to the high levels of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone that are present in the body during pregnancy. It is thought that these hormones suppress the growth and development of the endometrial implants causing them to gradually degenerate and waste away. The effects may also be due to the lack of regular menstruation during pregnancy.

During the first few months of pregnancy some women experience a worsening of their symptoms and an enlargement of their implants and cysts. In these cases it is thought that the high levels of oestrogen and progesterone cause an initial stimulation of the growth of the endometrial implants during the early months of pregnancy.

For most women the beneficial effects are only temporary.

The majority of women – at least 50% or 60% – will experience a recurrence of their disease and its symptoms within five years.

Some women are able to lengthen the time of their remission by breastfeeding as endometriosis will usually stay in remission if ovulation is suppressed by regular breastfeeding.

Unfortunately, if you have had trouble conceiving, having a successful pregnancy does not necessarily mean that you will be able to conceive again. Many women with fertility problems due to endometriosis are not able to become pregnant a second time regardless of whether their endometriosis recurs or not. To-date, the medical profession has no theories as to why this is so.

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