It’s Hard to Enjoy Being Pregnant When You’re in Just as Much Pain as You Were Beforehand

are pregnancy symptoms different with endometriosis

When I first found out I was pregnant back in January, I was in a small state of shock. Of course, my husband and I were absolutely over the moon! But because it was something we’d both wanted for so long, we couldn’t believe it had actually happened.

However, being pregnant with Endometriosis (and other chronic health conditions) is not plain sailing. I’m nearly five months pregnant now and we’ve been through all sorts of complications. (Many of which were directly related to my conditions.)

Can pregnancy cure Endometriosis? NO.

When we told people we were having a baby, everyone assumed that my Endometriosis was cured. (HA! I wish!) And that I no longer needed to bring it up because our little miracle baby had magically erased all traces of my disease. The sad thing? This assumption mostly came from healthcare professionals – who are clearly uneducated about the disease. I became bored of telling people I wasn’t cured and that I was still experiencing problems, but it simply fell on deaf ears.

How does pregnancy affect Endometriosis?

The myth about pregnancy being the “No. 1 cure” for Endometriosis stems from the simple fact that the hormones released during pregnancy are thought to “dull down” Endometriosis symptoms. When a woman is pregnant, the steroid-type hormone progestogen suppresses ovulation ultimately maintaining the pregnancy. (This hormone has been noted to aid inflammation reduction.)

You know how some forms of contraceptive can be useful for Endometriosis pain? It’s kind of like that. When you’re pregnant, your period vanishes for a bit… Which means that the amount of pain, inflammation, and hormone levels should be reduced.

Are pregnancy symptoms different with Endometriosis?

Don’t listen to the hype. When an Endometriosis patient falls pregnant, it’s very much an individual thing. Relief during pregnancy depends on hormone levels, the severity of the disease and the location of adhesion, and any anatomical distortion. After doing quite a bit of research myself, I found that there is a large variation in what women experience. Some women really did have relief, some experienced more problems in their third trimester as the baby grew, while a handful of others had no relief at all.

Backed by this knowledge, I was able to fight back against the healthcare professionals who were adamant that my Endometriosis had magically disappeared. Thankfully, when I was rushed into hospital at six weeks, the maternity nurses and consultants were completely different. They knew that the relief I was feeling from my Endometriosis symptoms was not guaranteed; they took everything seriously.

Pregnancy Complicated by Chronic Illness

Being pregnant with chronic illness has been hard. We’ve rushed to the hospital, have had multiple appointments with all sorts of obstetrician specialists, and I’ve been monitored closely by our midwife team. What people don’t realize is that when your body is already fighting long-term illnesses, it doesn’t leave a lot for pregnancy.

We were told Endometriosis put me at a higher risk for ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, and pelvic girdle pain. (Hence the midwife team.)

In my five months of pregnancy, I’ve had about six weeks of being Endometriosis-pain-free. (Before it returned with a vengeance. that is.) I’ve had to come off of all my pain relievers due to the risks they pose to our baby, so my management options are limited, and it really doesn’t help when people keep telling you that “it’s a happy pain” or to “just get over it because a baby is on the way.”