The Bachelor’s Lexi Young Shares Heartbreaking Challenges With Stage 5 Endometriosis – Health Digest

Complications with becoming pregnant when you’re diagnosed with endometriosis are not unheard of. Per a 2022 study published in The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 35% to 50% of women with endometriosis are infertile. 

Ovarian cysts can prevent pregnancy by blocking the release of an egg or obstructing its passage to the fallopian tube. Adhesions can do the same while also obstructing sperm from reaching the egg. Additionally, the quality of your eggs can be compromised because of the condition. However, women with endometriosis, even in the advanced stages of it, can get pregnant, especially when surgery is involved. Although there is no particular data pertaining to stage 5 endometriosis and infertility, according to Dr. Heather Hilkowitz of Hilltop Obstetrics and Gynecology (via Premier Health), “It may be a little more of a challenge in some patients depending on how severe the condition is. But there are lots of different ways, medications and procedures that can be used for women who need them to achieve pregnancy in a minimally invasive way.”

Lexi Young has been quite candid and vocal about her endometriosis journey on her social media, discussing the symptoms she deals with regularly and what she’s had to go through in terms of surgery. She specifically referred to endo belly, also known as endometrial bloat (severe bloating of your belly), which is one of the symptoms of this medical condition. Other symptoms (also known as flare-ups) include severe pain during periods, pain during sex, painful urination and bowel movements, heavy and irregular menstruation, pelvic pain, and digestive issues during menstruation.