Endometriosis - What You Should Know
Do you experience brutal periods, cramping, and maybe even a heavy flow month after month that you dread getting your period every month and wish there was a way to stop your period but still be able to have the option of conceiving when the right time comes? Maybe your family doctor has even thrown the word ‘endometriosis’ out there but hasn’t really explained what it is. This post is for you. Share it with anyone you know who has endometriosis or brutal periods too.
Regular painful periods and/or heavy bleeding are non-specific and can be a sign that something may be going on that should be investigated such as ovarian cysts, fibroids, endometrial cysts, adenomyosis, endometriosis, or, tumours. The focus here will be on endometriosis as 1 in 10 females have the condition [1]. Endometriosis is a condition where endometrial tissue from the uterus lining is found OUTSIDE of the uterus. It can be found on the ovaries, in the fallopian tubes, in the abdomen, liver, gallbladder, and maybe even the nose. This endometrial tissue responds to estrogen in the same way as the endometrial tissue in our uterus lining. In the past, the condition was associated with estrogen dominance or an increase in estrogen levels relative to progesterone however now, new research is showing that endometriosis is actually an inflammatory condition that shifts estrogen metabolism. This can lead to more estrogen metabolites that are proliferative rather than the healthy estrogen metabolites, yet on a blood test, estrogen shows up as normal. Endometriosis has also been shown to be associated with autoimmune diseases [2].
SYMPTOMS OF ENDOMETRIOSIS
Menstrual pain
Chronic pelvic pain
Back/leg pain during your period
Increased frequency to urinate
Infertility or recurrent pregnancy loss
Trouble conceiving
Fatigue
Pain with sexual activity
Gas, bloating, diarrhea, or constipation
Pain with bowel movements
Nosebleeds (These can be cyclic towards the end of the period and around ovulation)
TREATMENT
Conventional medical management for ‘endo’ may have your MD prescribing you an anti-inflammatory/pain reliever such as Tylenol, Advil, Motrin, or Naproxen and suggested the birth control pill to regulate your hormones. Unfortunately, the birth control pill suppresses your own hormone production so now your endometrial lining responds to synthetic hormones in controlled doses so a bleed is not really a period but a ‘withdrawal bleed’ during the time when you are not taking the estradiol or progestin component of the pills. Since endometriosis is an inflammatory condition, in my practice, I have seen many with endometriosis still have a heavy flow even when on birth control due to all the proliferative estrogens.
Naturopathic management for ‘endo’ is similar in terms of using an anti-inflammatory to help with the pain and bringing down the inflammation but rather than a pharmaceutical option, this is done through herbs in therapeutic doses. While we are doing this though, we are also working with you to get to the root cause of where the inflammation is being generated from - Gut inflammation or dysbiosis like too much yeast, bacteria or mold overgrowth; A coexisting autoimmune disease; Fatty liver; Post-vaccine inflammation; Or a chronic infection such as COVID, the flu, or another infection. Once we identify this, we can treat the root.
Working to balance your own body’s production of estrogen and progesterone along with balancing other hormones is also an integral part of treatment along with supporting the immune system and restoring balance when needed.
Testing options are also offered to assess estrogen metabolites, inflammatory markers and other immune markers as needed.
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REFERENCES:
[1] The Endometriosis Network Canada (2022). Retrieved on April 4 2022 from https://endometriosisnetwork.com/
[2] Shigesi N, Kvaskoff M, Kirtley S, Feng Q, Fang H, Knight JC, Missmer SA, Rahmioglu N, Zondervan KT, Becker CM. The association between endometriosis and autoimmune diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Hum Reprod Update. 2019 Jul 1;25(4):486-503. PMID: 31260048.
