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(Text on screen): Fertility Authority: Your Most Trusted Source
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Ask the Experts
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If I am trying to conceive, how is endometriosis treated?
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Dr. David Keenan, Atlanta Center for Reproductive Medicine: Treatments for endometriosis
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for someone who's trying to conceive can consist of superovulation with medication in combination with intrauterine insemination,
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and if someone is primarily having pelvic symptoms of painful periods or painful intercourse,
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then some of those patients might also wind up having treatment for endometriosis with laparoscopy,
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if that's so required based on their symptoms.
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But many patients with infertility and early-stage endometriosis are treated nonsurgically
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with insemination in combination with medications.
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With later-stage endometriosis, many of those patients require in vitro fertilization to conceive
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because of the physical changes that occur in the pelvis with more advanced disease.
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So many of those patients are going to go through in vitro fertilization with success,
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and, certainly, age plays a role in deciding what type of treatment is instituted and when that's instituted.
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So, that's also an important factor.
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Surgery certainly can be used as a treatment for endometriosis when a patient's primary complaint
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is painful intercourse, painful periods, pelvic pain.
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You know; many times patients want relief from that and they choose surgery as a primary treatment.
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And then, of course, as far as conceiving after surgery, if they don't conceive promptly after surgery,
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then they are treated with medications and intrauterine insemination at that point.
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If someone has advanced disease involving the ovaries, many times those patients might have to have surgery performed
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before they can actually do in vitro fertilization if they did have advanced disease.
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But that's not the most common route.
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Most people are able to undergo in vitro fertilization without any surgery ahead of time.
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(Text on screen): Fertility Authority: Your Most Trusted Source
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