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Chapter 8 - Fertility Preservation in Women with Ovarian Endometriomas

From Surgery to Oocyte and Ovarian Tissue Freezing

from Section 3 - Fertility Preservation in Cancer and Non-Cancer Patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2021

By
Jacques Donnez ,
Javier García-Solares  and
Marie-Madeleine Dolmans
Edited by
Jacques Donnez  and
S. Samuel Kim
Jacques Donnez
Affiliation:
Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels
S. Samuel Kim
Affiliation:
University of Kansas School of Medicine
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Summary

Endometriosis is a benign estrogen-dependent gynecological disease, known to occur in 7–10% of women of childbearing age [1, 2]. This percentage may rise to 30–50% if only women presenting with pelvic pain and infertility are taken into account [3]. The condition is histopathologically defined as the presence of endometrial tissue (glands and stroma) in ectopic locations outside the uterine cavity. It is now widely recognized that three different forms of endometriosis can occur in the pelvis, namely peritoneal endometriosis, ovarian endometriosis, and deep endometriotic nodules of the rectovaginal septum, each with its own pathogenesis [4].

Although the clinical presentation of endometriosis includes dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation), dyspareunia (painful sexual intercourse), and chronic pelvic pain, infertility is still regarded as the biggest concern for endometriosis patients [5, 6]. The presence of intraovarian endometriomas in particular can cause follicle loss, diminishing the ovarian reserve and consequently leading to infertility [7, 8].

Type
Chapter
Information
Fertility Preservation
Principles and Practice
 , pp. 79 - 89
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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