Each woman we work with is unique, but there are certain areas that we like to investigate since they are more likely to cause issues in women with endometriosis. Here are the areas we like to dig into!
One of the first areas we look to support in women with endometriosis is digestion. It is very common for women with endometriosis to have sluggish digestion, which is a big concern when it comes to gut health and inflammation in the body. Sluggish digestion means less digestive juices are produced, which slows down the movement of food through the GI tract. This leads to an opportunity for bacteria to overgrow and create imbalances in the gut. This further fuels inflammation in the gut and can exacerbate endo symptoms.
We like to have clients experiment with using one or more of the following for supporting digestion:
-using 1 tsp – 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar prior to meals (we don’t recommend this if someone has histamine issues, which can be common in endo)
-digestive bitters prior to meals
-digestive enzymes prior to meals
Why is supporting gut health and reducing inflammation critical for endometriosis? They can both fuel immune system issues, which will then worsen endometriosis growth and symptoms.
We find hair mineral testing and supporting minerals to be very helpful for women with endometriosis. We always start by prioritizing potassium, which many women find helpful right away as far as digestion goes and bloating. We also often find that women with endo do well with a low dose of iodine, especially while TTC. We don’t start with iodine though since it increases the metabolism. We first work on digestion, supporting minerals, eating enough, getting good light exposure, etc. These are all of the basics we cover in our free fertility foundations series.
Supporting your minerals is a huge part of supporting thyroid function. We use minerals to make thyroid hormone, convert it to the active form, and get it inside our cells to actually use it. So a big part of how we focus on thyroid health for our clients with endometriosis is via minerals. We convert some thyroid hormone in our liver and a significant amount in our gut as well. This is why supporting digestion and gut health is key for supporting thyroid health in women with endometriosis. We do ask our endo clients to get thyroid labs done, so we can compare to their hair mineral test and understand what an appropriate dose of iodine would be. Getting good light exposure and supporting a healthy circadian rhythm is another big way we support thyroid health in our clients too. We cover this in more detail in our free fertility foundations series.
Estrogen receptor beta levels are 100x higher in endometrotic tissue (endo lesions), which often leads to excess estrogen levels and progesterone receptor resistance. This leads to estrogen dominance, inflammation, and puts a bigger burden on the liver, which is why we like to use appropriate liver detox support and strategies to combat inflammation. The liver support depends on the person and what we see on their hair mineral analysis. For inflammation, we find turmeric to be very effective. We also love broccoli sprouts since they not only reduce inflammation, but they also support healthy estrogen detox. They are a win win for this population!
It can feel like there’s a lot to address when it comes to supporting your fertility with endometriosis, but we promise it’s not incredibly complex. The best place to start is with episode 1 of our free fertility foundations series.
Here is another great resource from the are you menstrual? podcast where you learn about nutrition for endometriosis.
reminder: i’m currently accepting people into my Nurture Your Fertility program. you can learn more here about the program and fill out an application!
