Antega South Africa · Learning Videos
Endometriosis, PCOS and female fertility
Professor Zozo Nene, reproductive medicine specialist at Steve Biko Academic Hospital and the University of Pretoria, explains how endometriosis and PCOS each affect fertility.
Endometriosis and PCOS are two different conditions that are often mentioned together because both are common and both can affect fertility. PCOS is a hormonal condition, usually recognised through irregular or absent ovulation, signs of raised androgens and ultrasound findings; where ovulation is the problem, treatment often starts with weight and insulin management and ovulation induction rather than IVF. Endometriosis is tissue similar to the lining of the womb growing outside it, causing pain and sometimes distorting the pelvis or affecting the ovaries; the effect on fertility varies enormously from person to person. Having either condition does not mean you are infertile, and neither one automatically means IVF or surgery. Professor Nene heads the reproductive and endocrine unit at Steve Biko Academic Hospital and has been involved in South African national safe-conception and infertility guidance, so this is a local specialist's view of how the two conditions are assessed and managed here.
This talk was recorded in 2022. The way these conditions are described is unchanged, but treatment decisions belong with your own gynaecologist or fertility specialist.
Key takeaways
- PCOS and endometriosis are separate conditions with different causes and different effects on fertility.
- Many people with PCOS conceive, often with help to restore ovulation rather than IVF.
- Endometriosis affects fertility very differently from person to person, and surgery is not automatic.
- Assessment is individual: irregular cycles, pain and imaging findings all guide what is offered.
Related Antega guides
- Endometriosis and fertility in South Africa
- PCOS and fertility in South Africa
- Ovulation induction in South Africa: letrozole, clomiphene and injections
- Oral ovulation induction medicines in South Africa
- Progesterone testing and confirming ovulation in South Africa
- Hormone and ovarian reserve testing in South Africa
- IVF and ICSI in South Africa: what treatment involves
Use these guides for general background, and check the South Africa organisations named on this page for local detail.
References
- Fertility Show Africa Expert Talks — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az9k3cveAGI
This video was produced by Fertility Show Africa Expert Talks (programme curated with IFAASA and SASREG) and is shared for education only. It is not medical advice and does not replace guidance from your own doctor or fertility clinic. Naming an organisation does not imply a partnership with Antega.