Myths and Facts About Endometriosis

UPDATED ON 28TH APR 2025

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Endometriosis is a commonly found illness in women that is chronic, painful, and gets steadily worse. The inner lining of the uterus is called the endometrium.

Abnormalities can occur when it overgrows outside or behind the uterus, on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, or in areas surrounding the uterus. This abnormal growth of the endometrium is termed deep endometriosis.

 Getting pregnant may be more difficult if you have endometriosis. Infertility affects 30% of women with endometriosis. So, endometriosis has a huge impact on fertility. Let’s find out more about endometriosis misconceptions and realities.

What is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a painful condition in which tissue that looks like the inner lining of your uterus grows outside of your uterus. Endometriosis affects your ovaries, fallopian tubes, and the tissue lining your pelvis. 

It inhibits the passage of menstrual blood. As a result, the blood color shifts from red to brown. This is mainly due to the presence of altered blood due to a chronic presence in that particular location, leading to severe pain during periods. This is typically called dysmenorrhea. Endometrial expansion occurs behind the uterus, also typically involving the large intestine, especially the rectum and the sigmoid. 

Endometrial enlargement in the vaginal canal creates great discomfort during sexual activity. Unfortunately, the fallopian tubes are the next ones to get affected. 

It is very important to note and understand that the majority of the time. This disease is going to be picked up because it is associated with a severe amount of pain, but where does this pain usually occur?

However, approximately 10% of the women who encounter deep endometriosis as well as severe endometriosis may be completely asymptomatic.

Endometriosis: Myths vs. Facts

Endometriosis is the subject of several myths. As a result, many women have difficulty finding accurate information regarding the disease, its diagnosis, and treatment options.

Here are some popular myths and facts related to endometriosis. The majority of these myths and facts are predominantly propagated across several support groups that are run by patients who do not specialize in the study of the disease and base their entire science on their particular experience of the symptomatology of the disease.

Myth 1: Complementary medicine has no place in endometriosis treatment

A variety of alternative therapies (such as naturopathy, acupuncture, yoga, and herbal medicine) can help you cope with endometriosis and enhance your quality of life. Some studies have shown certain herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that include corydalis, Cnidium, bupleurum, Dong Quai, and perilla, accompanied by acupuncture, can reduce the symptoms of endometriosis. 

As allopathic professionals, we typically have a natural tendency to deviate from alternative and complementary medicine. However, endometriosis is more of a systemic disease as compared to a pelvic disease. Many of the women after the surgery have a great benefit if they follow a particular endometriosis diet, which predominantly involves them having a high-fiber diet with low oestrogen. 

A lot of these women have also greatly benefited from doing endometriosis yoga. Wearing specific exercise. Exercises are given to them to increase the blood circulation in the pelvis. However, both of them are going to be typically warranted for an extended period. at least for more than 9 to 11 months for a patient to experience a sustained benefit. 

In my personal experience, there are a lot of patients who have taken and switched to homeopathic medication to prevent the recurrence of endometriosis.

After a complete surgery has been done by a super specialized surgical team like ours, the vast majority of them have, on their follow-up visits, informed us that they are feeling extremely good when they have been on homeopathic medications in order to prevent the recurrence, though we have not published this data. 

Our internal analysis has shown that women and homeopathic medication also tend to have an excellent remission of the disease. However, I am not a qualified doctor to comment on what type of homeopathic medication is provided to the women, and women who wish to exercise this option should primarily consider the first thing, which is getting operated on by a super specialist, and only then switch to therapy, which may help them prevent a recurrence.

Myth 2: Endometriosis is nothing more than a terrible period

Endometriosis, adenomyosis, and uterine fibroids cause heavy bleeding and severe pain during periods for many women. However, painful periods may not always indicate the presence of the disease.

Besides killer cramps, endometriosis can induce many other signs and dangers. In addition, women with endometriosis frequently have menstrual cycles that interfere with attending school, working, performing other daily tasks, or having a regular social life. But this isn’t the norm! Endometriosis is more than just a lousy period. 

In fact, there are so many women in whom the periods may be completely normal because endometriosis has not developed and affected the inner lining, which is called the endometrium.

A lot of women also will encounter a lot of fatigue during menses, and a lot of women experience it. Something called chronic pelvic pain. These are women who have chronic pelvic pain during their menstrual cycle and are completely ignored for endometriosis. 

We often notice as a referral unit that these women who have been suffering with chronic pelvic pain for over 5 to 7 years have simply been ignored, stating that there is nothing inside, but the only difference was they were never examined by a super specialist, nor was an expert ultrasound done in order to map the entire endometriosis, and a lot of these women end up having deep endometriotic nodules, and as a result of this, it needs to be given special attention that if there is chronic pelvic pain, do not ignore it, and please go and visit an endometriosis specialist, Dr. Jay Mehta. 

In a country like India, many women have access to their local doctors, who may or may not be optimally trained in understanding and management of endometriosis, and as a result of this, the obvious endometriosis often gets missed, giving rise to a great deal of agony to the patient and her entire family.

Myth 3: Endometriosis patients should avoid physical activity

Workout is beneficial to your overall health and your ability to cope with endometriosis symptoms. In addition, exercise helps reduce estrogen levels, a change that could help ease endometriosis symptoms, as estrogen is directly linked to the inflammation that causes pain in endometriosis. Exercising for at least 30 minutes each day can be of great help. Select activities that will not bring you any discomfort. 

However, at this juncture, it is important to note that many women experience such a severe amount of fatigue and pain due to endometriosis that it affects their overall daily routine, as a result of which they are not able to carry out their physical activity very effectively. 

Women, once they are completely operated on for deep penetration, should understand that there is no limitation on physical activity, even after an extensive surgery has been performed on their bodies.

Usually, women tend to recover following an endometriosis surgery and can get back to almost all their activities within seven days of the procedure. As a result of this, women are strongly encouraged in a country like India to visit referral units for endometriosis, and we often see, because we operate endometriosis across India, that a lot of women are given negative counseling after the surgery. 

Here all the women and their family members should note that the surgery, predominantly when done by an expert, is going to be either an advanced laparoscopic surgery or a minimally invasive robotic surgery, and the cuts that are going to be present on your body are going to be extremely small, and those small cuts will enable us to do a complete surgery and give you a complete radical clearance of the deep endometriosis.

Myth 4: Endometriosis rarely affects young women

Teenagers, adolescents, and young women can all be affected by endometriosis. Endometriosis can occur in a woman as soon as menstruation begins. Its symptoms usually appear in women in their early 20s or 30s, but they can appear younger, even before their first menstrual period. 

Adolescent endometriosis is now forming a special subset of women who we see with endometriosis. It is these women who are predominantly younger than the age of 20 years, and it is extremely difficult for us to counsel them as well as their parents about the need for surgery.

This is predominantly because in a country like India, it is also a social stigma to get a surgery done before marriage, as a result of which the parents are very scared that this may affect the future marital prospects; however, they should completely understand and note that endometriosis is often associated with severe endometriosis, especially when it occurs in adolescence. 

These young girls, especially those less than age 20, also require an extremely similar and strong protocol for follow-up, just like any other woman, and the vast majority of them after their primary surgery is done. We would like to keep them in remission of the disease by giving them oral contraceptive pills.

Myth 5: Endometriosis is cured by hysterectomy

While there is no cure for endometriosis, there are several therapies available. Some women experience severe symptoms even after taking medicine or undergoing typical surgical procedures. Extensive surgery (such as hysterectomy and ovarian removal) may be considered for these women. 

This is an extremely foolish myth, and one has to understand that this cannot even be offered as an option to women who are yet to get married or yet to consider fertility. As a result of this, we strongly urge women who have endometriosis to go to a referral unit where disease-based management is done in a protocol-based manner, which allows you to completely preserve the organs without having any risk of this coming back inside them.

Myth 6: Endometriosis can be cured by becoming pregnant

Although many women experience a reduction in endometriosis symptoms when pregnant, childbearing does not cure the illness.

Pregnancy can be problematic for women with severe illness, prior surgeries, deep endometriosis lesions, and cysts. These women should see a doctor during their pregnancy, as they have a higher risk of high-risk pregnancies.

One has to understand here that pregnancy is a state where there is an altered immunity and a high level of progesterone. As a result of this high-level progesterone in the circulatory system, what typically happens is that there is some amount of disease control that gets established, as a result of which the pain associated with the disease can go away once the patient becomes pregnant.

However, once breastfeeding for the child is stopped, which usually occurs after 12 to 16 months of childbirth, the majority of the disease returns to the women at the same location, and the majority of these women experience a similar or higher amount of pain.

It should also be understood very categorically that the presence of endometriosis itself is a very strong cause for infertility, and it makes getting pregnant in itself a very difficult prospect.

Surgical management of the disease in such situations can be a fertility-enhancing surgery for endometriosis, and as a result of this, the woman was strongly considered to go to a referral unit before they opted to go in for any form of fertility procedures.

We commonly see in a country like India, where limited expertise in endometriosis is available, that women who are suffering from fertility problems are often subjected to an unindicated in vitro fertilization (IVF), and if it fails, then these women end up with a lot of financial and mental agony.

In fact, the majority of the women who undergo optimal surgical clearance will be left with patent fallopian tubes, and approximately 70% of these women end up conceiving naturally if the surgical management has been correctly performed.

Getting Pregnant With Endometriosis: Is It Possible?

Myth 7: Endometriosis is a condition that only affects the pelvic area

Endometriosis lesions most commonly appear in the abdominal and pelvic regions. They can, however, form in other places, such as the lungs. These lesions are particularly dangerous since they can disrupt organ function and generate symptoms that aren’t always related to endometriosis.

Therefore, to avoid major consequences caused by this extremely complex disease, it is critical to learn about it and consult with a doctor specializing in it. 

Extra-pelvic endometriosis is one of the most common forms of endometriosis, and it is a severely painful disease process. Unfortunately, in a country like India, the maturity of these women is going to be put on temporary and painful separation. However, these women ultimately require surgical management only, and a patient should note that extra pelvic endometriosis may warrant extensive surgery based on the organ that has been involved.

Myth 8: Endometriosis is a simple condition to diagnose

Diagnosing endometriosis is difficult. It’s not uncommon for endometriosis to go undiagnosed for several years. However, ultrasound, laparoscopy, pelvic exam, and MRI can precisely identify physical clues of endometriosis. 

As mentioned before, chronic pelvic pain is one of the most common reasons, which is associated with a similar set of symptoms to endometriosis, and because the skill set to diagnose endometriosis is not available at many places in the country. 

Most of these women end up suffering for a prolonged period at a referral unit for endometriosis across India, like Dr. Jay Mehta’s Shree IVF and Endometriosis Hospital. What we normally see and do is that we have a dedicated team to perform this advanced ultrasound on these women, and this ultrasound helps us detect and diagnose endometriosis, to be very honest with the reader.

It even took us a time of approximately 2 to 3 years to set our expertise right for the correct protocols, and now we can proudly say that we end up picking more than 90% of the lesions based on ultrasound prior to the surgery. This helps us in extremely profound, clinically correct, and ethical counseling for the patient.

Myth 9: Endometriosis prevents women from having children

Endometriosis affects about 30% of women, making it difficult to conceive. However, it is possible to get pregnant and have a healthy baby even with endometriosis.

Endometrial cells developing outside the uterus can be removed with surgery, which may improve your chances of becoming pregnant.

Conclusion

If you know someone who has endometriosis, learning more about the disease might help you distinguish between reality and misconceptions. It’s critical to recognize that their suffering is real. Don’t give up on finding a treatment plan that works for you if you’ve been diagnosed with endometriosis. Instead, speak with your doctors and continue to look for answers to any questions you may have.

There are more treatment options for endometriosis today, with highly promising outcomes. 

For any further queries regarding endometriosis, get in touch with our team of experts now!

We at Shree IVF Clinic Mumbai, provide the best care for endometriosis. Book your consultation now at 099209 14115, and take the first step toward relief.

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