endometriosis can affect any menstruating woman, from the time of her first period to menopause, regardless of whether or not she has children, her race or ethnicity, or her socio-economic status. Endometriosis can sometimes persist after menopause; or hormones taken for menopausal symptoms may cause the symptoms of endometriosis to continue.
Current estimates place the number of women with endometriosis between 2 percent and 10 percent of women of reproductive age. But, it's important to note that these are only estimates, and that such statistics can vary widely.
About 30 percent to 40 percent of women with endometriosis are infertile, making it one of the top three causes of female infertility. Some women don?t find out that they have endometriosis until they have trouble getting pregnant.
If you have endometriosis and want to get pregnant, your health care provider may suggest that you have unprotected sex for six months to a year before you have any treatment for the endometriosis.
The relationship between endometriosis and infertility is an active area of research. Some studies suggest that the condition may change the uterus so it does not accept an embryo. Other work explores whether endometriosis changes the egg, or whether endometriosis gets in the way of moving a fertilized egg to the uterus.
