Influencer Ana Johnson has been trying to conceive for years. In a heartbreaking video series, she talks about the reason she couldn’t have children: endometriosis. What is behind this insidious disease and why so many women are affected.
The 29-year-old influencer Ana Johnson has been trying to have a child with her husband Tim Johnson, whom she married in 2018, for four and a half years. But so far her wish has remained unfulfilled. The young woman made this personal and highly emotional topic public in two YouTube videos “our fertility journey”. The last appeared on Sunday.
In it, Ana describes her fertility odyssey. When it became clear that she was not going to get pregnant naturally, the couple sought medical treatment. In October 2021, Anna received the shock diagnosis during a hysteroscopy. Her doctor told her that she could never have children naturally.
In addition to blocked fallopian tubes and adenomyosis (growths in the uterine muscle), Ana was also diagnosed with a very pronounced form of endometriosis. A devastating diagnosis for a young woman who desperately wants children.
However, Ana is not alone in this fate. Endometriosis is one of the most common diseases in women between the ages of 15 and 45. According to the Endometriosis Association, nearly 40,000 women develop it every year. Endometriosis refers to benign but often painful growths of the uterine lining outside the uterine cavity.
These spots of endometriosis can appear almost anywhere in the body, but they are most commonly found on the outer wall of the uterus or a fallopian tube. The ovaries and the area between the uterus and the intestines can also be affected.
The insidious thing about it: the disease is often noticed late and it often takes years before a diagnosis is made, since it cannot be determined by a test, but only by a tissue examination. The symptoms that occur with endometriosis are also completely unspecific and can spread through
to express. However, there is often no pain at all. Due to these imprecise symptoms and the difficult diagnosis, the disease is often referred to as the “chameleon of gynaecology”.
The causes of endometriosis are still unknown today. But there are different assumptions. For example, the cells of the lining of the uterus reach other parts of the body via the bloodstream. Disorders of the hormonal balance and the immune system as well as genetic factors could also play a role.
The worst thing about endometriosis is that it often leads to infertility in women. According to the Endometriosis Association, 40 to 60 percent of women who do not want to have children have this disease.
Although it is not known exactly why women with endometriosis do not become pregnant, there are indications that egg cell and embryonic development could be disturbed.
What is certain, however, is that the adhesions and adhesions of the ovaries and fallopian tubes that often accompany this represent a mechanical problem that prevents fertilization of the egg cell.
In many cases, however, affected women can still be helped to become pregnant. By removing the endometriosis as completely as possible, the chances of conceiving naturally can be increased.
In the case of pronounced endometriosis, growths often form quickly again after an operation. Instead of another operation, doctors then advise artificial insemination.
According to “Netdoktor.de”, women with endometriosis have a higher risk of early miscarriages and pregnancy complications such as an incorrect position of the placenta (placenta previa).
According to the medical diagnosis, Ana’s only option was artificial insemination. In her video, she tells how she has already undergone five fertility treatments since the beginning of 2022. In fact, the influencer also became pregnant twice as a result. But in tears, she tells in her videos how she lost the embryos in the sixth week of pregnancy on both occasions. The last miscarriage was only three weeks ago.
With her videos, Johnson now wants to encourage other women and share their pain. “For anyone going through similar times. I feel your pain, your sadness, the misunderstanding of others, your many question marks in your head, the feeling of injustice, the psychological stress, the great hope and then losing everything again, the roller coaster of emotions and the energy that it robs you of ‘ she posts under her first video. Nevertheless, Ana does not give up hope. She therefore urges other affected people to: “Stay strong”!
