Does Pregnancy Cure Endometriosis?

Dr. Natalie Bozinovski ND. MSc.

The answer is “NO”. Pregnancy does not cure endometriosis. So feel free to ignore the inappropriate advice your doctor may give you to “have a baby” before you’re ready (if you even plan on having a family).

Patients tell me stories like this all the time.

Here’s a story from my patient Jenn. One day Jenn walks into her gynecologist’s office to ask about a better treatment for her endometriosis. She’s been taking birth control for a couple of years but the endo seems to be getting worse. She’s in more and more pain and relying on more and more painkillers (she also read that drugs like Advil can suppress ovulation and cause digestive issues).

Her doctor tells her that the best thing she can do is to try to have a family now because there’s a good change she won’t be able to in the future. Plus, the pregnancy may cure her symptoms.

Chrissy walks away feeling alone, confused and totally misunderstood. She’s in college, her boyfriend is also in college…neither of them have a steady job. Her boyfriend is definitely not ready for kids and she’s not even sure she wants to start a family.

How disempowering is this? It breaks my heart every time I hear a story like this.

We need to do better with our female patients. We need to work with them not dictate to them about what their treatment should be. And most of all, we need to be up-to-date with our information so that we are making accurate recommendations.

The truth is, pregnancy may temporarily suppress the symptoms of endometriosis…especially while you’re growing your baby. But it does not eradicate the condition. Pregnancy is not a cure for endometriosis.

However, there can be impacts to fertility. So if you know you have endometriosis and you know you want to have a baby one day, it’s smart to make sure your body as healthy as possible.

In health,
Dr. Natalie Bozinovski ND., MSc.