Reproductive Outcomes Following Minimally Invasive Surgery for Deep Endometriosis: A Cohort Study.

Objective

To evaluate reproductive outcomes following fertility-sparing surgery for deep endometriosis (DE), specifically assessing the impact of bowel resection on spontaneous conception rates and the predictive value of the Endometriosis Fertility Index (EFI).

Design

Retrospective observational cohort study.

Setting

High-volume tertiary referral center for endometriosis. Patients: A total of 507 women with histologically confirmed endometriosis and documented infertility or active desire for pregnancy, managed between 2018 and 2025. Patients undergoing hysterectomy were excluded. Interventions: Laparoscopic complete excision of endometriotic lesions using a nerve-sparing technique. The surgical strategy for bowel involvement was tailored to nodule characteristics: 194 patients (38.3%) underwent segmental colorectal resection, 38 (7.5%) underwent rectal shaving, and 9 (1.8%) were treated with advanced organ-sparing techniques (lateral rectal resection or extra-mucosal excision-EMEB). Main Outcome Measures: Postoperative pregnancy rate (PR), mode of conception (spontaneous vs. ART), and factors influencing fertility.

Results

The cohort presented with severe disease (mean rASRM stage 3.4) and a high prevalence of primary infertility (79.3%). During the follow-up period, 310 patients achieved pregnancy, resulting in an overall pregnancy rate of 61.1%. Notably, 70.3% of these pregnancies were achieved spontaneously. Radicality did not compromise fertility: the segmental resection group achieved a pregnancy rate of 91.2% (177/194), while patients treated with rectal shaving achieved 100%. The EFI score was identified as a robust predictor of success (mean score 5.5 in pregnant vs. 4.9 in non-pregnant patients, p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Comprehensive nerve-sparing excision of DE, including segmental bowel resection, is associated with high pregnancy rates and a predominant restoration of natural fertility. Surgery should be considered a first-line strategy to reduce dependency on assisted reproductive technologies.