Endometriosis & Fertility
Endometriosis is a chronic condition, that particularly affects women of child-bearing age – the condition has been known to go into remission post menopause as it is largely impacted by our hormones.
Often women are not sure, or even aware they have endometriosis until they experience difficulties with fertility.
How can Endometriosis impact fertility?
Dysbiosis: Endometriosis patients have been shown to have higher levels of gram-negative bacteria in the pelvic microbiome. This means their gut microbiome carries an increased chance of infections, pathogenic bacteria and insufficient beneficial microbes. All of which have been linked to unsuccessful conception, miscarriage, and pre-term birth. Having endometriosis triples your risk of ectopic pregnancy.
Inflammation: When you think of pain; think inflammation. Endometriosis is a condition linked to immune dysfunction – this creates systemic inflammation in the body – strongly related to health of the gut again. 70% of immune system resides within the gut. The release of inflammatory markers such as macrophages and cytokines are linked to oxidative stress that can negatively impact egg quality as well as impacting the health of the uterine lining.
Scar tissue: Inflammation can lead to scar tissues which makes it difficult to fertilise the egg within the fallopian tube. Scarring/damage to the ovaries from endometriomas may also inhibit ovulation and could deplete ovarian reserve.
it is important to note that not all women with endometriosis struggle with their fertility and that many who do can be supported though a mix of allopathic and holistic treatment. Nutritional Therapy can play a huge role in reducing dysbiosis, inflammation and overall optimising fertility for women with endometriosis.
Treatment options
A laparoscopy incision surgery can be key for removing any lesions and cysts that are causing pain and blockages. However, the endometriosis can grow back if the root causes and drivers of inflammation within the body are not addressed.
How can a Nutritional Therapist help my chances of conceiving with endometriosis:
Symptoms can be significantly reduced, fertility odds increased, and the endometriosis itself even go into remission with the correct investigations and targeted nutritional and lifestyle changes.
Although Nutritional Therapy is always incredibly helpful for endometriosis symptom management, it can be most effective when committed to post laparoscopy surgery. Trying for a baby is recommended within 6 months of the operation to ensure higher success rates.
With all my endometriosis client I like to run functional tests to assess biomarkers for inflammation levels, gut and vaginal microbiome diversity, hormone metabolism, and nutrient insufficiencies.
As a Nutritional Therapist, I work on addressing endometriosis by creating a tailored anti-inflammatory diet protocol; including targeted supplements, alongside working on lifestyle factors.
What I do I usually focus on improving with Endometriosis clients:
Gut health - many women with endometriosis have food sensitivities and we find that gluten, dairy, coffee, alcohol, processed foods and sugar can often be triggers for flare ups. Symptoms commonly improve upon an elimination diet and a gut healing protocol.
Oestrogen metabolism - excess oestrogen in ratio to progesterone can promote endometriosis lesions to grow. Increasing foods such as cruciferous vegetables and antioxidant rich plants can help prevent oestrogen metabolites going down more inflammatory pathways and prevent aromatization via testosterone.
Essential fatty acid balance can be key for helping dial down inflammatory prostaglandin pathways. Our modern diet is often skewered to consuming excess omega-6 oils and trans-fats, and insufficient in omega-3 fatty acid, which have anti-inflammatory benefits.
Histamine intolerance is also highly correlated with endometriosis so a low histamine diet, especially during high pollen count months, can offer some relief.
Reducing environmental toxins is also key, as many household/personal care products contain xenoestrogens, which can exacerbate inflammation and cause hormone disruption.
Lifestyle factors such as: sleep, posture, movement, circulation and reducing stress are also extremely important to work on to reduce inflammation.
Every woman with endometriosis is unique, and what works for one may not work so well for another – this is why it is so important to treat the individual.
If you are struggling with endometriosis related sub-fertility issues/ concerned about trying for the baby in the future alongside your endometriosis diagnosis - have a look at my packages and consider booking in for free mini consultation with me to discuss your concerns.