Young woman recovering from endometriosis after pregnancy; A case without a medical explanation – news

A 21-year-old girl, from Taupate, in the Valle de Paraíba region of São Paulo, has been completely cured of endometriosis after an unplanned pregnancy. There were years of suffering with the disease, and for her, it was not possible to achieve treatment or pregnancy.

Giovanna Santos has had symptoms of endometriosis since 2015, but only received a diagnosis in mid-2019, when she sought out a doctor to understand what could be causing the intense pain, discomfort, vomiting, and even fainting she had during her period. .

“he is [o médico] She asked me about some tests, and it turned out that I had endometriosis, a cyst in the right ovary, and the uterus had increased in size significantly. He told me that I could not get pregnant, that I would have to undergo treatment, however, there would be a small chance of pregnancy, because the uterus was out of the ordinary, ”recalls the young woman.

Although it wasn’t a dream at that moment, Giovanna lost hope after the news. In order to try to reverse the situation and allow for a possible pregnancy in the future, I decided to start treatment to control the disease.

Before I do the treatment [para poder engravidar] Some tests were ordered and I had to be on the waiting list. A month later, one month out, and I was still on the waiting list. When it took me a year and nine months to wait, I found out I was pregnant, in April 2021,” says Giovanna.

After a high-risk pregnancy, several threats of miscarriage, placental abruption, and constant trips to the hospital, the young woman was able to have the baby and, as she says, “I could see my miracle in my arms.”

Shortly after the birth of the baby, who was named Antonella, Giovanna decided to repeat tests to assess endometriosis and was surprised.

When my baby was born, I went back to the doctor and asked for new tests to see what he would look like, and to undergo treatment to reduce the symptoms of the disease. Some tests were done and I had an ultrasound, which showed that I had nothing, the size of the uterus was already normal, I no longer had a cyst, and nothing was included in the first scan in the second scan,” says a young woman.

Giovanna did not have the opportunity to do all the tests that she wanted to accurately detail the causes of each problem, but the variable size of the uterus, for example, according to Patrick Bellis, a board member of the Brazilian Endometriosis Society, can be. Indicative of adenomyosis, the “cousin” of endometriosis, which is characterized by the infiltration of the endometrium into the walls of the uterus.

“These are diseases that can usually be together. There are studies that show that up to 90% of patients with endometriosis have some degree of adenomyosis,” says Biellis.

The main symptoms of this condition are menstrual cramps, pelvic pain not associated with a period, difficulty getting pregnant, and increased menstrual flow. Like endometriosis, adenomyosis hinders trying to conceive and is not treated overnight.

The doctor explains that “the pregnancy will act as a hormonal block during pregnancy and in the puerperium, during lactation, but the disease will continue there.”

Regardless of whether or not a gland is present, Biellis claims that the chances of endometriosis being cured naturally are, in theory, nil.

“Spontaneously, nothing [chance]. Endometriosis is not resolved spontaneously or with medication. When we treat the disease chemically, we aim to improve the patient’s quality of life, i.e. reduce pain and try to stabilize endometriosis,” explains Biellis.

He adds, “It’s impossible [há uma explicação para a cura]. Pregnancy actually works like “nine-month use of contraceptives” – it may make endometriosis “sleepy,” but it won’t cure it. And pregnancy is in no way considered a cure for endometriosis.”

Even without scientific explanations, the feeling for Giovanna is one of relief.

“I felt liberated, because it was something holding me back – every month I had to go to the hospital to get the medication in my veins and I was in such extreme pain. After pregnancy, when my period came back, I had no other symptoms, any unusual bleeding, I didn’t I feel anything. Today, I have a normal life.”

According to the young woman, her 8-month-old daughter is now doing well, calm and a smiling baby.

“Besides being a miracle for me, it also brought another miracle into my life, a healing,” he celebrates.

Endometriosis is described by Anvisa (the national health monitoring agency) as a chronic disease that affects about 10% of females in Brazil.

“Although it is considered benign, because it is not cancer, Endometriosis is a highly aggressive disease And that can significantly affect a woman’s quality of life,” says Billis.

* Trainee in R7 Under the direction of Fernando Meles.

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