Guest Blogger: Link between Food and Endometriosis

Good morning! I wanted to take a little time out of my blog to discuss endometriosis again. Tania, a registered nurse who runs the blog Trying to Conceive, was so kind to write a piece for me on endometriosis.

I wrote a short piece on endometriosis and my personal struggle with it last month; but, the topic has been weighing heavily on my mind lately, as I'm pretty sure mine has come back. I am not trying to conceive (yet), but I definitely know I will change my diet in light of this study to do everything possible to protect my fertility. This may be a little more difficult because I am a vegetarian--but flax seed oil, here I come! Her blog has a lot of interesting things about women's health and endometriosis specifically, so check it out!

Endometriosis: Foods a Woman Eats Can Have an Effect on the Disease

In the United States of America, more than 5 million women must deal with a painful pelvic disease called endometriosis. Some women will experience chronic pelvic pain, which is one of the most prevalent side effects of the disease, while others will have no outward symptoms and are considered asymptomatic. Often times a woman will receive a diagnosis of endometriosis after undergoing laparoscopic exploratory surgery because of having trouble, when trying to conceive.

Endometriosis happens when pieces of endometrial tissue travel from the uterus to other parts of the body and become attached to other organs. The patches of tissue are referred to as “endometrial patches,” and each month when the woman undergoes menstruation the patches react by bleeding. When the disease is not treated, a woman can suffer from indefinite pain and if left untreated for a long period of time, endometriosis can lead to infertility.

While there are many medical treatment options for addressing endometriosis, there are also natural methods as well. A woman needs to explore making certain dietary changes and lifestyle accommodations which can help to alleviate the symptoms of endometriosis and improve the quality of life. Certain foods can aggravate the symptoms of endometriosis, while other foods can minimize or even completely alleviate the pain and suffering caused by the disease.

Dairy products and red meat can stimulate the female body into producing prostaglandins which can increase inflammation and pain. Eating oily fish can protect women against endometriosis, according to a Harvard research study, a link was established between a woman’s diet and the disease. The study found that women consuming a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids were at a much lower risk of developing endometriosis by as much as 22%, as opposed to women that ate other types of fat in the diet. The information found in the study concluded that the amount of fat consumed in the diet of a woman with endometriosis did not matter so much, as the type of fats she ate.

But, for vegetarians and vegans, fish is not an option. Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids are also nuts, almonds, flax seeds, walnuts, soybeans, and tofu. Vegetables high in omega-3 fatty acids are kale, cauliflower, cabbage, cloves and mustard seeds, radishes, spinach, broccoli, collard greens and Brussels sprouts.

When trying to conceive, eating food rich in omega-3-fatty acids protect women against endometriosis and infertility related to the disease. Millions of women all over the world can develop endometriosis at any time. Because of the link between diet and the disease, it is something a female needs to consider when looking at all the options available and discussing it with a physician could also provide beneficial information which can also help in many different ways.