Jessica Mitchell has a lot to be grateful for thanks to Emad Mikhail, MD, director of gynecology in USF Health Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

After being married four years ago, Ms. Mitchell and her husband tried to get pregnant with no success. She was diagnosed with endometriosis and referred to Dr. Mikhail last year for treatment.

Dr. Mikhail determined that she had severe endometriosis that had spread to other organs in her body including reproductive organs causing her infertility issues.

Endometriosis is when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. The tissue can be implanted in the ovaries, fallopian tubes or other organs. This misplaced tissue can cause inflammation, scar tissue, infertility and extreme pain.

Watch the above video to meet Ms. Mitchell’s 2-month-old son, Arius Mitchell, after Dr. Mikhail and a multidisciplinary team of USF physicians used laparoscopic surgery to remove the infiltrating endometriosis from several of her organs.

Jessica Mitchell holds her son Arius Mitchell in October 2020 in their Bradenton, Fla., home. Mitchell was diagnosed with severe endometriosis, which caused several years of infertility and relentless pain.