How to navigate endometriosis and fertility

Endometriosis and fertility struggles tend to go hand in hand. And honestly, that isn’t fair and just sucks,  but the good news is there are multiple ways to navigate getting pregnant even if you have endometriosis. 

Your diagnosis is not the end of your baby-making story my friend!

So here’s what you need to know on how to navigate endometriosis when you are trying to conceive. 

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The rundown on how endometriosis starts

Though there is no one diagnosis for how endometriosis happens, the main idea is that endometrium ( the lining of the uterus) grows outside the uterus. This is caused by “retrograde menstruation” which means when we have our period some flows back up through the fallopian tubes and into the pelvic cavity. Since this uterine lining or tissue is now in places it shouldn’t be, it causes pain and inflammation which can in turn cause:

• Painful periods
• Painful bowel movements
• Scars or adhesions
• And you guessed it, fertility issues. 

There are also theories that parasites contribute to endometriosis. Weird right? 

There isn’t a lot of information about this online which makes it harder to study and provide evidence-based information, but the fact is that we all have parasites. It’s just a byproduct of the quality of our food these days. But in the case of endometriosis and fertility, the idea is that these parasites ( specifically flukes) can travel to different parts of the body including the uterus, and transport the tissue as they move. 

I know that sounds really gross. Parasites are bleh. But the good news is that with the right protocol, they are actually easy to cleanse out. 

So those are the main causes of endometriosis and how it affects your body.

How endometriosis and fertility relate

The fertility issues usually come from the fact that we have estrogen dominance since we have more endometrium in our pelvis. The inflammation or adhesions can cause fertility issues because the inflammation could be blocking the tubes or maybe the scarring is making the reproductive organs more stagnant instead of flexible ( which we need). 

If we are sticking with the parasite theory then endometriosis also affects fertility because these parasites are keeping us deficient in certain minerals that we need to make quality hormones. Our organs are not operating at their best capacity because they’ve got these little boogers stealing their vitamins and fuel. Not to mention possibly transporting the endometrium around where it shouldn’t be.

Either way, endometriosis is a terrible disorder that no one should have to deal with. If you are reading this I’m assuming that you likely have endometriosis and are currently trying to get pregnant. So let me go ahead and remind you again that your endometriosis and fertility are not the end of the story! There is so much we can do to improve your pain and chances of conceiving so keep reading and know it’s going to be ok!

Can you get pregnant if you have endometriosis?

YES YES and YES! It may make things a little more complicated or take a little longer, but rest assured you CAN get pregnant. 

If I have a client who comes in with endometriosis and fertility issues, I love to consider and work on these 4 things:

4 to-dos with endometriosis and fertility

Balancing Hormones

As I mentioned before we are likely dealing with some estrogen dominance issues. I love using the Inito Monitor so we can see the estrogen ( and progesterone ) levels each month as we work together to make sure the numbers are in the optimal range for a healthy pregnancy. 

Using the Inito Monitor keeps you from having to go to the doctor’s office, get stuck by a needle, wait to hear results, and most likely pay $100 a visit or whatever your insurance doesn’t cover. Why not use a simple ovulation test at home with no drive or needle sticks and get instant results on your phone?

I then like to work on lifestyle changes and proper detox protocols to help balance those hormones and get them where we need them!

You can learn more about how to do this on your own with my Fruitful Fertility Course. It’s an 8-week course designed to help you take charge of your fertility by giving you the education you need on what tests to try, proper fertility-boosting nutrition, how to make sure you are exercising for hormone balance, how to lower your toxic load, and way way more. 

But I digress….back to the other things I work on for endometriosis and fertility.

Mercier Therapy

Mercier Therapy is a wonderful tool especially, especially for my endometriosis gals. This is a type of massage mixed with physical therapy that helps restore healing and mobility to the reproductive organs. 

The majority of my in-person patients state that they have less painful periods after receiving Mercier Therapy.

To learn more about how Mercier Therapy works and to find a provider near you, check out this article- The Best Natural Fertility Approach.

Proper Supplementation

Supplements should be tailored to each person. So without getting to know you and your personal health history, I can not tell you exactly what to take for your endometriosis and fertility. 

However, there are supplements that are known to help with endometriosis pain while also helping balance hormones and increase fertility. My top three favorites ( besides a quality prenatal like Needed) are:

Omega 3’s – helps with pain reduction (plus a whole lot of other great benefits)

NAC– Helps increase glutathione which helps us eliminate toxins from the body

Maca Root– helps balance the estrogen/progesterone ratio, especially in women dealing with estrogen dominance.

You can check out more supplement options for endometriosis and fertility in my Fullscript Dispensary.

***Always check with your provider before starting a supplement routine. 

Parasite Cleanse

You knew I was going to say it right? While there may not be sufficient evidence to prove the theories linking parasites and endometriosis, we still have them and can only benefit from a proper parasite cleanse if our levels are elevated.

Check out this parasite questionnaire and see what you score!

I love to use Cellcore’s protocols for my patients because they provide high-quality root-cause solutions! The kits make it easy to tackle an issue head-on with doctors and scientific-based steps. 

You can use my practitioner code bs3FmLjz  to order any items you may need, but please keep in mind that scheduling a coaching call for me to support you through your protocol is very important! 

Endometriosis and fertility can be a bit of a hurdle as you can see, but nothing we can’t tackle together. If you want to chat about your endometriosis history and find a fertility plan, schedule your free 20 minute chat with me today!

FAQ

How likely is infertility with endometriosis?

Well I don’t like the word infertility (because it creates a sense of finality and your fertility can change every single day) but to answer the question- struggling to get pregnant is likely but not a guarantee. It simply creates hurdles that we need to jump over to get pregnant, but nothing that is impossible!

What stage of endometriosis causes infertility?

Any stage can cause issues, but with the proper help and lifestyle changes you can get pregnant AND keep your endometriosis symptoms at bay. So don’t let your stage define your ability to get pregnant.

Does endometriosis make it hard to get pregnant?

Make it harder? Yes. Make it impossible NO!