Endometriosis is a chronic disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, causing inflammation, scarring and pain. In May 2024, Shamita Shetty underwent surgery for this disease.
Taking to Instagram, the actor advised women to seek information about the disease and said, “When there is a cause in the body, listen to your body and be positive. Did you know that almost 40% of women suffer from endometriosis and most of us are not aware of this disease?
She recently appeared on Soha Ali Khan’s All About Her podcast with her medical professional, Dr. Nita Varty, to talk about endometriosis, surgery, lifestyle changes, fertility, and everything else that comes with the condition.
Shamita said her doctor advised her to have a baby to cure endometriosis
Sokha said many women worry that if they have endometriosis, they may have trouble conceiving. She asked the doctor and Shamita, “How true is this fear? Did that bother you, Shamita?”
She also said many doctors advise women with PCOS or endometriosis to have a baby, claiming it will cure the condition. Shamita jumped up and said, “It’s endometriosis. Have a baby, this is the cure. The doctor told me this and I said, “Okay! Where can I find a man?
Dr. Worthy said she was old school and believed that any problem could be solved through marriage and having a child.
Sokha laughed and said: “Terrible advice. I just want to say that this is bad advice.”
The expert said that she advised Shamita to do the same because doctors do not want excess estrogen to affect the tissue. She added that during pregnancy, the lesions tend to dry out.
“It’s like being given a pill for nine months… it all depends on how your epigenetics work, how your environment works and how you take care of other things,” she added.
According to a study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, progesterone levels increase during pregnancy, which may suppress the growth of endometrial lesions and provide temporary relief from endometriosis symptoms.
Soha also asked Shamita if she was worried about her fertility when she was first diagnosed with endometriosis. She replied: “I don’t think anything bothered me then. I didn’t think it would be a problem.”
Can endometriosis affect fertility?
Dr Varty agreed that endometriosis can affect fertility. “Because anatomically everything is glued together,” she said. She explained that a number of factors can make it difficult for a woman to conceive due to tissue growth associated with endometriosis.
She went on to say that in 80-90% of cases, endometriosis affects the ovaries. “You develop chocolate cysts,” she added. These cysts affect the ovaries as they continue to grow and damage the ovarian tissue. Inflammatory markers in cysts can cause a decrease in the number of eggs and their quality, leading to fertility problems in women.
A condition called adenomyosis can also occur, in which the tissue that should line the uterus begins to grow into the muscular wall of the uterus. This increases the chance of miscarriage.
The expert said that when a couple plans to conceive, they should monitor the timing, because while a woman is taking medication for endometriosis, she cannot conceive a child, and after stopping the drug, the disease may return.
Also read | Sumona Chakravarti, 38, had endometriosis surgery: ‘She has 3 visible scars’