My concerns have finally been validated. I now have confirmation that there is a reason for my years of pain followed by 2 agonizing years of infertility. I have stage 3-4 endometriosis.
What does this mean? Well, in a nutshell, this means that my endometrium (the inside lining of the uterus) is growing in places outside of my uterus. In my case, it's growing all over the place. In front of the uterus, behind the uterus, on my ovaries, or where else it feels like growing. I imagine it as a little monster (kind of like the mucus monsters in the Mucinex commercials) that jumps around my abdomen, leaving behind trails or webs of endometrium sludge wherever it goes. It also laughs fiendishly while doing it. It is an asshole.
The kicker is, there doesn't seem to be any real agreement about why endometriosis causes infertility. I've read many different stats which seem to indicate that somewhere between 5 and 15 percent of women have some degree of endometriosis. And many of these women have no trouble at all getting pregnant. However, when severe enough, endometriosis may interfere with the essential organs required in reproduction -- blocking a tube, taking over an overy, etc. Mostly, though, what I'm learning is that a prominent theory is that endometriosis actually interferes with fertility by secreting chemicals that create some sort of autoimmune response. This response may prevent a sperm and an egg from joining together or prevent implantation.
So... to all of you who thought you were being helpful by telling me...
"It's not happening because you want it too badly" or
"It would happen if you just stopped thinking about it" or
"You just need to go on a vacation" or
"There's nothing wrong with you. It just takes time." etc...
...Fuck you. This is not helpful, and it's not accurate.
(I still love you, though. I know you were trying to be helpful and make me feel better.)
No comments:
Post a Comment