'Keyhole' Surgery for Colorectal Endometriosis Can Increase Chances of Fertility, Report Says

Main Category: Fertility
Article Date: 31 Oct 2005 - 17:00 PDT

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Women who have endometriosis that affects the bowel could increase their chances of conceiving by undergoing "keyhole" surgery to remove the affected segment of the bowel, according to a study conducted by Emile Darai of Tenon Hospital in Paris and colleagues and published in the medical journal Fertility and Sterility, Reuters Health reports. Endometriosis is a condition caused when tissue that normally lines the uterus develops in other places in the body. Researchers examined the fertility results of 22 colorectal endometriosis patients who wanted to conceive and underwent laparoscopic colorectal resection. Within about eight months, 10 of the 22 women, or 45%, became pregnant, and a total of 12 pregnancies -- nine of which were through natural conception and three by in vitro fertilization -- occurred over the course of the 24 months in which the patients were monitored. Researchers reported a live birth rate of 82%. Although the researchers said they will need to conduct additional studies to identify the patient population most likely to benefit from laparoscopic colorectal resection, the initial results of removing a section of the colon for endometriosis patients "tend to confirm that extensive surgery can enhance fertility" (Reuters Health, 10/24).

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