Endometriosis doesn’t have to be painful.
If you have endometriosis, you may experience
- Severe period pain
- Chronic pelvic pain
- Pain on intercourse
- Impaired fertility
- Bloating
- Diarrhoea or constipation
Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the endometrium (lining of the uterus) grows in other parts of the body.
This tissue usually proliferates in and around the pelvic region, and can be present in or around the ovaries, fallopian tubes, bowel and bladder.
The most common complaint I hear in my clinic from endo sufferers is pelvic pain.
Endometriosis associated pain is due to the release of inflammatory pain causing signals known as ‘prostaglandins.’
I remember the excruciating pain I suffered from during sex. I would have to psyche myself up knowing that my partner wanted to be intimate with me. He was so lovely, and, I felt horrible that I would often tear up in pain when we were intimate.
The premenstrual pain was out of this world. If I didn’t have a hot water bottle, a bed, and pain medicines I felt like I needed to be emitted to the hospital.
The pain for me is something to get answers on.
The pain literally stops many women from living.
And the Mirena, hormone injections, and IUDs often don’t work. Four doctors, also, couldn’t explain the pain.
Here’s what every woman with endometriosis needs to know about where the pain is coming from…
Pre-Menstrual Pain
Cramping is caused by lack of oxygen and how the blood flows through the uterus when prostaglandins are realised to prepare our body for bleeding.
Our hormone levels have a direct impact on these prostaglandins.
Our hormone levels are highly sensitive to our chemical loads and/or toxicity in the body.
So let me explain (I’ll share more specifics the key areas that can be altered in the next page).
If your body can’t digest mushrooms or tomatoes properly, for example, and the metal levels, nutrient levels (think Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Vitamin C) , or essential minerals in the body aren’t absorbed properly, it offsets the hormone levels.
Most of us don’t know looking at modern pathology that you had a problem with these things. Standard levels are used to detect life-threatening levels of hormones, metals and nutrients.
Endometriosis is not seen as a life-threatening condition in most cases. (Although you and I both know it feels like a death sentence when you are in it!)
So the prostaglandins effect the level of oxygen and blood flow through the uterus. And this is where really bad cramping happens.
Prostaglandins, after all, are a hormone essential to the menstrual cycle.
This is why we look so closely at your menstrual cycle in our consultations. It tells us so much about what hormones are out of balance.
And if you experiencing that severe pain before you start bleeding, there is probably a key nutrient deficiency or nutrient intolerance in the blood stream causing this.
The release of pain producing prostaglandins may be associated with:
- Hormones – having too much of the hormone oestrogen, or producing the wrong type of oestrogens, stimulates the release of pain signals.
- Diet – a diet high in inflammation causing foods like gluten, dairy, bad fats and refined sugars increases prostaglandin production. Poor gut health – the gut neighbours the pelvic region and reproductive organs. Any irritation in the gut can cause irritation in and around the uterus.
- Poor gut health – the gut neighbours the pelvic region and reproductive organs. Any irritation in the gut can cause irritation in and around the uterus.
- Stress – stress hormones in the body can directly stimulate the release of pain causing signals, and may cause hormonal imbalance.
- Imbalanced pelvic immune system – studies suggest the pelvic immune cells in endometriosis have gone awry, and release more pain causing signals than usual.
Approximately 10% of Australian and New Zealand females have endometriosis, and it typically takes 7-12 years to diagnose.
This means many females have prolonged suffering as their diagnosis is delayed by confusing symptoms, or medical professionals who won’t listen.
As your naturopath, we listen…
The medical treatment for endometriosis associated pain is the oral contraceptive pill and painkillers, both of which come with a variety of side effects.
These treatments fail to address the underlying cause of endometriosis associated pain, and act as a mask. Once these treatments are taken away, the pain usually starts again.
Recent university studies have actually begin to say endometriosis is actually NOT a hormone condition, but rather a immune inflammatory response to the gut microbiome, which could be due to a variety of factors.
This is where we come in and start our work – to identify what happened, fix it, and then help you stop all the frustrating challenges endometriosis brings!
If you are suffering from any of these symptoms and would like to see how we can support you, please organise a Free Introductory Consultation with us today here: https://calendly.com/nz-naturopathy/intro-consult
I hope you enjoyed today’s email :). And we look forward to connecting with you soon.
Warmly,
Tiaan
