Endometriosis and Pregnancy

Endometriosis and Hormones
Endometriosis is stimulated by three types of estrogen that the body produces during a usual menstrual cycle: estrone, estradiol, and estriol. When these three hormones stimulate a cell receptor, they produce endometriosis, which can then grow.

Estriol is produced several times more during pregnancy. The body also produces eight times more progesterone during pregnancy than during a normal menstrual cycle. Why is this important? Because of the change in the amount of hormones produced during pregnancy, endometriosis can be temporarily cured.

What Pregnancy Does
Progesterone stimulates cells to grow into adult cells and signals the ovaries not to ovulate. This in turn also tells the ovaries not to produce estradiol -- the key hormone that causes endometriosis. The estriol signals the estrogen receptor to block the estradiol and xenoestrogens from triggering the estrogen receptor, thus not allowing endometriosis to grow.

Natural Progesterone
Natural progesterone is available for female patients as this can fool the body into thinking it is pregnant and stops the endometriosis from forming. This kind of progesterone is a bioidentical hormone that is produced by the body during pregnancy as well as during the second half of the menstrual cycle. Natural progesterone indirectly signals the ovaries to not produce eggs and estradiol. Because estradiol is not produces, endometriosis cannot begin.

Natural progesterone is different from the progestin and estrogen in prescription birth controls, which are chemically modified hormones for bulk sale. Natural progesterone is almost completely identical to the human body, so there are fewer side effects and no harsh chemicals involved. Not only does natural progesterone ward off endometriosis, it also halts pregnancy as no eggs are produced.

When taking natural progesterone it is strongly advised to avoid xenoestrogens as they can worsen current endometriosis. Natural progesterone re-sensitizes the estrogen to a normal state. Constant long term exposure to xenoestrogen causes these receptors to desensitize and causes endometriosis to form.

Natural progesterone may not permanently stop endometriosis, but it can treat it in long term prescriptions.

Endometriosis Cure?
Pregnancy is not a long term cure for endometriosis. Even though the hormones produced during pregnancy can halt endometriosis, it is not a permanent cure because once the pregnancy ends, so do the excess hormones produced. The endometriosis is not reversed.

Endometriosis also can begin in women who have already been pregnant. To the disbelief of some, endometriosis does not always cause infertility. Women have conceived while having endometriosis, but it is difficult a majority of the time.

Indecision Around Endometriosis
Physicians and researchers still debate on whether or not endometriosis causes infertility. Previous research points in this direction while recent research proposes that it may not. Published studies state that there is a predominance of infertility among endometriosis sufferers. However this leads some to question whether endometriosis causes infertility or if pregnancy causes endometriosis.

These theories are under research and all circumstances are being taken into account to find a cure and the reason behind endometriosis -- the illness that affects and changes the lives of so many women.