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There are so many biomarkers that a FertilityCare practitioner can see on a client's chart. and sometimes it can seem impossible to figure out what they are or how to treat them. One vital sign that can be seen is unusual bleeding and brown bleeding, which can be caused by several different things. When a practitioner sees these markers on a chart, we want to get you into see one of our NaPro physicians. They have the ability to conduct a larger variety of tests than a non NaPro medical consultant and thus detect more conditions such as endometritis.
As we have discussed before, infertility can have many different causes. One of those is a condition called endometritis, which is the inflammation of the endometrium (the lining of the uterus). A woman can contract this after giving birth, a C-section, D&C, or uterine surgery. It can also be caused by STIs like chlamydia or gonorrhea, vaginal bacteria, or in rare cases, cancer.
Endometritis should not be confused with endometriosis even though the names are so similar. Endometritis is diagnosed with a hysteroscopy (a procedure during which a camera is inserted into the uterus) or a laparoscopy. During the procedure, they will take cultures and an endometrial biopsy if endometritis is suspected. Endometritis symptoms include swelling of the abdomen, abnormal or vaginal bleeding or discharge, fever, general discomfort, increased frequency of urination, uneasiness or ill feeling, and pain in the lower abdomen or pelvic region. Treatment of endometritis is often decided after the cultures and biopsy are completed.
Endometritis can be acute or chronic. Chronic endometritis tends to be harder to treat. This condition can cause infertility because it makes it difficult for the embryo to implant into the uterine lining due to inflammation and infection. Unfortunately, it can also be one of the causes of miscarriage as well as recurrent miscarriage. With antibiotic treatment of endometritis, there have been improved outcomes.
I encourage anyone who has these symptoms, have had one of the above procedures, or has experienced a miscarriage with no explanation to seek a medical evaluation. It is important to have an evolution sooner rather than later with endometritis as the symptoms can get worse and everything can become harder to treat.
If you are interested in finding out more or even finding a doctor who can do a medical evaluation for endometritis, please contact one of our practitioners. Sometimes it feels like there aren't any answers to the problems we are seeing or facing, but this is not one of them.