Endometriosis is associated with infertility at all stages. With minimal endometriosis the cause of the infertility is not known. There is some evidence that the presence of endometrial cells in the peritoneal cavity leads to an inflammatory response that may not be an ideal environment for eggs. However, there are a number of theories that still need to be investigated. With advanced endometriosis, patients often develop pelvic adhesions that can decrease the amount of communication between the tubes and ovaries. Other patients develop large ovarian cysts and also limit the amount of ovarian surface that is accessible to the fallopian tubes. Infrequently, the distal fallopian tubes can become blocked. That said, as long as some eggs can find their way from the ovaries to the fallopian tubes it is possible for a woman to get pregnant. In vitro fertilization is an ideal therapy for women with advanced endometriosis because it bypasses the peritoneal cavity where the endometriosis resides. Once pregnant, women with advanced endometriosis often do very well. In fact, the high progesterone state of pregnancy is very similar to the hormonal states that we employ to treat endometriosis in women who are not pregnant. I hope this helps.View Thread
This is an excellent strategy. For those who want to understand why, here is an explanation. If a woman is having normal ovulatory cycles, i.e. she is releasing an egg every month, her ovulation will occur 14 days before her next menstrual period. Her fertile window is the 3-5 day period leading up to the ovulation, i.e. release of the egg. The fertile period starts when the water content of the cervical mucous increases to allow the sperm to get into the cervix. Some women notice this increase in mucous because the vaginal secretions become more slippery. The cervix is a reservoir for sperm that holds sperm and releases them continuously for days after intercourse. The couple's goal is to fill the reservoir not to time the insemination of the egg. The sperm live for days but the egg is receptive to the sperm for less than 24 hours. That said the sperm need to wait for the egg, not vice versa. Intercourse in the fertile window is procreation and intercourse outside of the fertile window is recreation. Good luck!View Thread