Endometriosis is a disorder wherein tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows somewhere else outside the womb. This situation impacts around 176 million women worldwide and approximately half of those women suffer from infertility. Women with endometriosis often exhibit mental illness because of the lack of ability to conceive a child. Infertility because of endometriosis may be the end result of endometrial lesions blocking the fallopian tubes or damaging the ovaries. Endometriosis may cause infertility through affecting egg quality.
What Is The Relation Between Endometriosis And Egg Quality?
Eggs retrieved from women with endometriosis for in vitro fertilization (IVF) are more likely to fail in quality. Evaluation of eggs retrieved from women with infertility due to different causes are superior to these oocytes. When using donor eggs women with endometriosis attain fewer successes. Compared with women without endometriosis undergoing IVF treatment to women with endometriosis; success rates are considerably reduced. This shows that the quality of oocytes might be affected by endometriosis and makes a contribution to low fertility.
Can You Conceive With A Low Ovarian Reserve?
Ovarian reserve indicates the quality and quantity of eggs a woman has. The fundamental issue that causes low ovarian reserve is age. Even though different elements along with genetics, certain treatments, also can play a role, natural aging is irreversible. Low ovarian reserve reduces a woman’s chances of having pregnancy, but still be capable of conceiving. In sure cases, assisted reproductive techniques together with IVF can help.
What is the cause of infertility?
Endometriosis may also have an effect on egg quality through 3 important mechanisms: through developing an inflammatory surroundings withinside the reproductive tract, through affecting hormonal balance, and through decreasing the blood flow to the ovaries.
Inflammation
Endometriosis is taken into consideration to be an inflammatory disorder in which the body activates an immune reaction towards the endometrial lesions that form in different components of the body. There are numerous biological elements which are produced in excess during an inflammatory reaction and its concept that those elements can reduce egg quality.
Hormonal Imbalance
Women with endometriosis regularly have endometriomas or cysts that form in or across the ovaries. It is a concept that those endometriomas might also additionally disrupt the capacity of the ovaries to provide the right quantities of reproductive hormones which include estrogen and progesterone, therefore, growing surroundings of hormonal imbalance. This, in turn, may have a poor effect on egg development and quality.
Reduced Blood Flow
Endometriosis reasons for the formation of scar tissue in different components of the reproductive tract. This scar tissue can compromise regular blood flow to or in the ovaries and decrease oxygen supply. This can hinder the maturation of eggs and decrease their quality.
Can endometriosis affect egg count?
Endometriosis is an inflammatory reaction which destroys your normal ovarian tissue surrounding it. In the ovary, it gradually damages the oocytes and reduces their number significantly. At times, women may lose one ovary completely when a large chocolate cyst occupies it. Young women with endometriosis may present with very low AMH, low follicle count and short menstrual cycles. All these are due to diminishing egg count in the ovary.
How to measure egg quality?
There is no direct manner of measuring egg quality however a woman’s fertility may be assessed with the aid of measuring the ranges of the anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) and the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) withinside the blood. AMH is secreted through cells and growing egg sacs and is a great indication of a woman’s egg reserve. FSH is secreted through the brain and stimulates egg improvement withinside the ovaries. If ranges of both hormones are low, this may suggest a decreased risk of embryo implantation, that is occasionally called egg quality. However, AMH ranges aren’t the simplest indicator of egg quality and are an extra reliable marker of egg quantity.
What Is A Good AMH Level For IVF?
AMH ranges decrease naturally with age. Normal AMH ranges are among 7.14 pmol/L and 28.fifty six pmol/L infertile women, and AMH ranges under 7.14 pmol/L suggest decreased ovarian reserve. According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), much less than Five. Four pmol/L of AMH will typically cause a low reaction in IVF at the same time as AMH ranges of 25 pmol/L or better will result in a high response.
Does endometriosis affect embryo quality?
Quality of the embryo is of utmost importance in IVF treatment and success. Embryo quality depends on the egg and sperm quality of the couple. In addition it may depend on the IVF laboratory conditions, expertise of embryologists and techniques used. Endometriosis may affect egg quality and hence the developing embryo. It is important to discuss all these aspects with your IVF specialists before you start the procedure.
Can IVF Improve Egg Quality ?
Although IVF treatment can assist a woman conceive, the method itself does now no longer have an impact on egg quality. In fact, the achievement rate of IVF is closely connected to the quality of a female’s eggs. In cases in which egg quality is simply too low, women can become pregnant using donor eggs. Eggs collected from oocyte donors are fertilized with the sperm of the woman’s partner using IVF or ICSI procedure.
Options for women with endometriosis to preserve egg quality
- Antioxidants – Endometriosis is an inflammatory process, it releases a lot of oxygen radicals to damage the tissue. Antioxidants like Vitamin C & E can help reduce these damages. It is always advisable to take a lot of vegetables and fruits along with supplements for women suffering from endometriosis.
- Egg freezing for future – Since this is an ongoing process, your doctor may advise you to freeze your eggs to avoid the damage. You may use these eggs for fertility treatment when you plan for a pregnancy.
- Medical treatment of endometriosis to suppress the process- Certain medical treatments are available which can halt the ongoing damage and preserve the remaining oocytes. However these treatments take a long course and the disease may return after you stop the medications.