Endometriosis: ambiguous symptoms

Particularly severe lower abdominal pain during menstruation, recurrent back pain, chronic pain in the lower abdomen... These complaints often suggest endometriosis - but they are not found in all cases.

The possibility of endometriosis should therefore be taken into consideration for all patients with fertility problems: estimations suggest that 7-15% of all sexually mature women are affected - that’s 2 million in Germany alone.

Endometriosis is one of the most common reasons for not becoming pregnant.

In approx. 40% of women who are unable to have a child, endometriosis is a possible cause. This benign, generally chronic disease is characterised by the displaced growth of uterine lining tissue (endometrium) outside the uterus. If this “stray” tissue is located in the fallopian tubes, the resulting chronic inflammation can cause significant impairment or even complete adhesion, making natural fertilisation difficult or even impossible. If there are patches of endometrial cells in the ovaries, these may appear on ultrasound images as cysts.

Even if the precise cause of the disease is not yet known, appropriate treatment (hormonal, surgical or a combination of the two) can significantly improve fertility!