Endometriosis is one of the top 3 causes of infertility. This may be news to you, but the best place to start when dealing with infertility related to endometriosis is your diet.
Endometriosis occurs when the tissue that lines the uterus (tissue called the endometrium) is found outside the uterus. This tissue can cover or grow into the ovaries or distort or block the fallopian tubes. This can lead to pain, irregular bleeding and problems getting pregnant. This causes fertility problems in about 30% to 40% of women.1
Symptoms include very painful cramps, heavy periods, chronic pelvic pain (which includes lower back and pelvic pain), intestinal pain, pain during or after sex, and infertility.1
If you feel like you are running out of time and are trying to have a baby.
Here are my top strategies for getting pregnant faster and naturally with endometriosis.
Could it be the gluten?
Studies have shown that many women with endometriosis are intolerant to gluten.2 It is best to avoid gluten and wheat for three months to determine if pain is reduced or eliminated. Many women with endometriosis are either intolerant to gluten or may have celiac disease.
What about dairy – many people say they do not consume a lot of dairy – but what about cheese?
Dairy consumption causes inflammation and congestion in the body, and dairy contains estrogen, which is inflammatory to the system. Many women with endometriosis notice improvement in their symptoms when they eliminate dairy.
Could your daily cup of coffee be impacting your endo?
One study found that women drinking two or more cups of caffeine from coffee per day were found to be twice as likely to develop endometriosis than other women.3
No – you don’t need to become a vegan – but what about reducing your meat consumption?
Studies have found that red meat and ham consumption is associated with endometriosis risk. One study found that women eating red meat seven times a week or more were more likely to have endometriosis than women who ate red meat three times per week.4
Time to throw out the fake soy meats – not so great for endo
Soy is not the wonder health food that we once thought. Most soy is genetically modified and not organic. Soy is mildly estrogenic and can increase estrogen in the body, which may contribute to pain associated with endometriosis. Eliminate soy, and determine if there is any improvement with symptoms.
Learn more about Candida
Endometriosis may also be linked to candida. My book Fabulously Fertile has a meal plan with a 10-day challenge to help you eliminate the candida and start to rebuild your health and fertility.
Now all this may seem scary. What is left for you to eat? You can take action now and with the support of the Fabulously Fertile 10-day challenge you can discover foods that will help your endometriosis. The foods are delicious and easy to prepare. You don’t need to sit back and wait you can take back your power today. What steps do you need to take?
- Eliminate dairy, gluten and soy for 3 months
- Eliminate caffeine
- Reduce meat consumption
- Follow the candida diet – Download a FREE chapter of my book to get started
Book your free Supercharge Your Fertility Discovery call here! Learn how functional medicine can help you have your baby.
Sarah Clark empowers couples to discover how lifestyle and diet can dramatically impact their chances of conceiving. She was diagnosed with premature ovarian failure at 28 and had both her kids with donor eggs. Not until years later did she discover that the root cause of her infertility was a food intolerance. Ready to gaze into your baby’s eyes….but struggling. Download 10 step Checklist here
References
1. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/endometriosis/basics/symptoms/con-20013968
2. http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/23334113
3. http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/137/12/1353.short
4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3374872/
For more information about Candida visit – Body Ecology Diet – http://bit.ly/1sriZRQ
