Causes of Infertility

Endometriosis and Infertility

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Endometriosis is a painful, fairly common condition that affects millions of women. It is difficult to diagnose and treat. Many women simply live with agonizing menstrual periods and believe they are normal. Other women do not want to go through the necessary steps of diagnosis and treatment until they discover they are unable to conceive.

Source: PRWeb.com

Endometriosis, a condition caused by a back flow of menstrual tissue into the reproductive organs, afflicts over 5 million women in the U.S. Additionally, it is a factor is 25%-50% of all cases of unexplained female infertility. Recent research offers new insights into why some women develop endometriosis and how to treat it more effectively to restore fertility.

NORWALK, CT (PRWEB) According to the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 5.5 million women in the U.S. have been diagnosed with endometriosis – a condition that is a factor in 25%-50% of all cases of unexplained female infertility. What’s more, because its main symptom is pain during menstruation – a common and normal occurrence – and because definitive diagnosis requires invasive laparoscopic surgery, many women go undiagnosed for years, even decades. While the disorder has remained much of a mystery to the medical community, recent research is shedding new light on why women develop endometriosis and how doctors can more effectively treat it to restore fertility.

“Endometriosis is an enigma on several fronts,” notes Dr. Mark Leondires, MD, a board-certified endocrinologist and medical director at RMA of CT. He explains that the basic cause of endometriosis is the back flow, or reflux, of menstrual tissue into the reproductive organs, namely the fallopian tubes and the ovaries. “This occurs at one time or another in about 95% of women,” Dr. Leondires says, “But only about 5% of women develop endometriosis.
That’s the first mystery; why does this occur in some women, but not in others?”

“Another puzzling aspect of the condition, Dr. Leondires adds, is that endometriosis does not pose an obstacle to fertility for some women, yet for others, getting pregnant is a significant challenge.”

Finding the Answers
“Scientists have been working to answer these questions, and as they have begun establishing a better understanding of the disease, we are able to develop more effective treatment protocols for endometriosis- related infertility,” Dr. Leondires explains.

For example, because endometrial tissue grows in response to the rise in estrogen during a woman’s cycle, researchers have been working to uncover ways to better regulate estrogen levels in women with endometriosis. A new Japanese study, published in the April, 2005 issue of Fertility & Sterility, found that an immune-enhancing compound called Interleukin-6 (IL-6) was effective at regulating those levels.

Other recent studies have pointed to genetics as a differentiator between women who develop endometriosis and those who don’t, as well as between endometriosis sufferers who have difficulty achieving a pregnancy versus those who are fertile. In one study reported in the July, 2003 issue of Endocrinology, Stanford University researchers studied the uterine tissue of fifteen women with endometriosis-related infertility, and found that certain genes which controlled implantation, immune response to the embryo and other pregnancy-related factors were malfunctioning. In addition, the scientists found that a certain enzyme needed to ensure healthy implantation was missing in the women with endometriosis. “These are important
discoveries that have led to new treatment approaches for endometriosis sufferers who want to become pregnant,” Dr. Leondires explains.

And research reported in the April 2005 edition of Human Reproduction confirms that oxidative stress can lead to or exacerbate endometriosis. The medical community has suspected such a link for years, theorizing that a healthy lifestyle and diet rich in antioxidants – which can counteract oxidative damage to the body’s cells – could protect some women against endometriosis-related fertility.

A comprehensive treatment approach With these new discoveries in mind, Dr. Leondires notes that a comprehensive approach to endometriosis-related infertility is often most successful which stands to reason since there is not one single identified cause of infertility, there will not be one single identified cure or therapy. Women who experience this painful condition may have to experiment with many treatment options before landing on the combination that is right for them.

He recommends the following four-step plan:

Surgical Intervention
“Once we determine that endometriosis is a contributing factor to infertility, the first step is often surgery to remove the endometrial tissue that might be blocking the ovaries or fallopian tubes, and any endometrial masses in the uterus” Dr. Leondires explains. Many women do not like to rush to surgery and for them, this option should be a last resort, particularly when so many women respond well to dietary changes.

Lifestyle Changes
As with anyone struggling with infertility, patients are also encouraged to adopt healthy
lifestyles and switch to an antioxidant-rich diet of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. “Good nutrition and fitness supports the entire process of infertility treatment,” Dr.Leondires notes.

It is especially important to only choose organic versions of an animal products you eat to avoid an unnecessary hormones. Eggs and chicken for example are loaded with hormones unless you choose organic.

It is also exceptionally important for any woman suffering from endometriosis to avoid plastics, soy and other estrogen mimics. Do not ever eat or drink anything that was microwaved in plastic or with plastic wrap either.

Drug Therapies
Medications can be prescribed that have been shown to ready the lining of the uterus to make it more receptive to implantation, including the breast cancer drug Letrozole, along with Lupron and Danazol. These have been shown to increase implantation rates when used in conjunction with the next step, assisted reproductive technologies.

ART Approaches
“Once these initial steps have been taken to address the effects of endometriosis on the reproductive system, we tend to see more successful results with assisted reproductive technologies like In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) or Intrauterine Insemination,” Dr.Leondires says.

Bio:
Dr. Mark P. Leondires, M.D., FACOG, is a leading authority on reproductive medicine. Dr. Leondires is board certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. He is a member of the Society of Reproductive Endocrinologists, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Dr. Leondires earned his medical degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine and completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine. Dr. Leondires completed a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

After completion of his training, he fulfilled his military obligation by serving as the ART Director for the largest and most successful program in the military health care system at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. During this time he was an Assistant Professor at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences and clinical faculty for the Combined Fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology. Dr. Leondires is currently Medical Director and lead physician with Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut (RMA-CT) in Norwalk. Along with numerous teaching and research activities, Dr. Leondires has published articles in professional medical journals, national consumer magazines and newspapers, as well as abstracts and book chapters. More information about Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut is available at www.rmact.com.

Sheryl’s comments
If you have been diagnosed with this frustrating and often debilitating condition, please research your options prior to resorting to drugs or surgery. It may seem like a fast solution but like many modern medical procedures, it only places a band-aid on the problem rather than eliminating the cause. Nutrition can play an enormous role in endometriosis. Many studies have found an overwhelming correlation between animal products like meat and dairy and endometriosis, perhaps from the estrogen mimics they contain that do not allow your own estrogen to do its job. In any case, a healthy organic diet can improve anyone’s health but if it can reduce or eradicate endometriosis, then isn’t it worth a try?

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