top of page
Mar 104 min read

Understanding Endometriosis: Symptoms, Stages, and How Diet Can Help.

Updated: Mar 12


What is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis (or endo for short) is a chronic inflammatory condition where tissue that is similar to that of the lining of your uterus grows in other areas of your body. However, endo is not just a reproductive condition and has been found in all major organs of the body including the brain, skin, eyes and diaphragm. It affects about 190 million women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) worldwide and is unfortunately common in Australia too, with one in nine women being diagnosed before they reach age 44. Even though endo is common, it unfortunately remains poorly understood with many women suffering a prolonged journey to answers, often experiencing misdiagnosis along the way. It takes on average 6.5 years to be diagnosed with endometriosis, this is thought to be partly due to the broad range of symptoms and the fact that diagnosis is only able to be confirmed via laparoscopy surgery.


What are the main symptoms of Endometriosis?

Endo is known to be one of the most painful conditions to live with, with endowarriors describing their pain as stabbing, burning, aching, cramping or stretching however, everyone living with endo may experience different types of pain. Common symptoms of endometriosis include; heavy menstrual bleeding, debilitating and ongoing pelvic pain, bladder or bowel pain, abdominal bloating, a feeling of heaviness in the abdomen, bowel or bladder, fatigue, nausea, lower back and leg pain and unexplained infertility. 


What are the different stages of endo?

When you have surgery, your specialist will classify the stage of your endo depending on the clinical presentation of your disease including the number and depth of lesions and whether or not you have adhesions. This is determined using The ASRM or American Society for Reproductive Medicine guidelines which classify the four stages of endo to be; 


  1. Stage 1: minimal endometriosis with few superficial lesions 

  2. Stage 2: in this stage, there are more lesions that are deeper than in Stage 1 

  3. Stage 3: in stage 3 there are even more, deep lesions. There also may be small cysts on one or both of your ovaries. There may also be adhesions which are a form of scar tissue that can cause your organs such as your fallopian tubes or uterus to stick together 

  4. Stage 4: Is severe endometriosis with many deep lesions, dense adhesions and large cysts on one or both of your ovaries. 


It is important to know that the stage of your endo does not correlate with the severity of symptoms. You could have stage 1 endo which is considered to be “minimal” and experience debilitating pain whereas others who are living with stage 3 or stage 4 endo may only have mild symptoms. 






How Can Diet Help Endometriosis?

There is still so much that we don’t know about endo and more research is needed into the causes and effective treatments in managing this disease. Although diet can not cure endo (there is no cure!), there’s evidenced to suggest that diet can have a positive impact in managing symptoms including pain levels. Diet can help reduce and manage inflammation caused by the condition, manage gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhoea, constipation and bloating and may balance hormones such as oestrogen which can play a role in endometrial growth and in turn may assist in managing pain.


Foods that are involved in increasing inflammation include; ultra-processed foods and foods high in saturated fat such as fried foods, red meat, butter and sweetened drinks. However, this does not mean that you should never eat these foods, we recommend reducing these and focusing more on increasing your intake of anti-inflammatory foods.


Following a diet such as the Mediterranean diet which is rich in antioxidant and fibre-rich plant foods (fruits, vegetables, legumes etc), nuts & seeds, omega 3's, lean proteins, low GI carbohydrates and of course, extra virgin olive oil, has been shown to be associated with lowered chronic disease risk and symptom reduction in those with Endo.  



What are a Dietitian's top 3 tips for managing Endometriosis?

  1. Focus on anti-inflammatory foods

Aim to include anti-inflammatory in your diet every day e.g. add berries to your breakfast, include salad on a wholegrain wrap for lunch and have salmon, vegetables and couscous cooked in olive oil for dinner.


2. Eat more cruciferous vegetables 

Veggies such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, rocket, kale, brussel sprouts and bok choy are all known as cruciferous vegetables and are known to assist in the excretion of excess oestrogen. Those living with endo are known to have higher levels of oestrogen. Too much oestrogen in the body may increase the growth of endometriosis and ovarian cysts.


3. Work with an Endometriosis Specialised Dietitian

Working with a professional that specialises and has experience in nutrition for Endometriosis such as our dietitians here at Hera Nutrition can help you to:

  • Identify specific food triggers you may have 

  • Tailor the Mediterranean diet and anti-inflammatory principles specifically to your needs and lifestyle

  • Ensure you are meeting your nutrition requirements 

  • Help you to utilise diet to manage Endometriosis symptoms without unnecessary restriction

  • Provide tailored advice on nutritional supplements that are appropriate for you specifically 


Endometriosis can be a debilitating and painful condition, however, it is possible to gain some relief from your symptoms. With nutrition principles tailored to you and your personal triggers and symptoms you can take back some of the control of your life and health. If you would like more information on how you can work with us, click HERE or shoot us a DM on Instagram @heranutrition_


You can find our 7-day Endometriosis meal plan with Recipe eBook HERE. Use code ENDOMONTH for a 20% discount for the month of March 2024.


This blog was co-written by Rachel Gearon (Endometriosis Dietitian) and Amelia Hill (Hera Nutrition Intern & Nutritionist).


References:


Comments

bottom of page