Abstract
Endometriosis, a disease of reproductive-age women, is defined by the identification of aberrant growth of endometrial glands or stroma in sites outside of the uterine cavity. Endometriosis is a spectrum of disease spanning from minimal disease (stage I; <5 mm of peritoneal implants) to severe disease (stage IV; ovarian endometriomas and pelvic adhesions). Often, women with endometriosis require IVF to conceive. However, to date, there is a lack of large, randomized controlled trials that assess the efficacy of IVF in the treatment of infertility in women with endometriosis. Whether endometriosis is culpable in depressing the natural fecundity of affected women remains controversial. Similarly debated are the adverse effects of endometriosis on the success of IVF. This review examines the purported means by which endometriosis may render a women either subfertile or infertile. These associations include: embryotoxicity, altered endometrial receptivity, dysfunctional implantation, poorer oocyte quality and structural limitations, such as pelvic adhesions.
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Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.