Endometriosis

I’m Nikki Harris, I am a fully qualified, registered Nutritional Therapist, and I specialise in women’s hormone health. Supporting women with hormonal imbalances, perimenopause, menopause, and beyond. thyroid and gut health and weight loss, hormone imbalance does not happen in isolation.

What is Endometriosis?

It is when some of the tissue that lines the uterus grows outside of the uterus on other pelvic organs, such as the ovaries, fallopian tubes and occasionally the bladder, colon or abdominal wall, which is commonly linked with chronic pelvic pain and infertility.

According to recent data, endometriosis affects 10–15% of all women of reproductive age and 70% of women with chronic pelvic pain. Its exact cause is unknown, however, it is commonly seen in women between 30 and 40 who postpone pregnancy, yet pregnancy inhibits endometriosis.

What happens in the body?

During a woman’s regular menstrual cycle the endometrial tissue builds up and is shed if she does not become pregnant. Yet, women with endometriosis develop tissue that acts like the endometrial tissue and starts to break down, thicken and bleed with every cycle.

Endometriosis is stimulated by the levels of our sex hormones oestrogen and progesterone that engorge the tissue with blood as it becomes trapped and the blood has nowhere to escape and this can lead to swelling, inflammation and scarring of the normal tissue.

Did you know endometriosis can be linked to:

• Your immunity as it produces inflammatory immune responses known as cytokines that can aggravate the endometrial lining and increase its growth.

• Exposure to toxins within the womb can be a factor and hormone disrupting chemicals may also play a part.

• Increasing evidence that gut health plays a part as findings have shown that the gut microbiota may be altered in women with endometriosis.

• Oestrogen can make endometriosis worse but does not cause it.

Signs and Symptoms of endometriosis?

These can vary from each woman and pain can be anything from a dull ache to being bedridden with pain. Common symptoms are:

• Painful periods

• Excessive bleeding

• Dull ache

• Cramping

• Bearing down pressure in the pelvic area

• Pain with intercourse

• Pain with emptying the bowel and bladder

• Potential Risk Factors (see below)

Studies show that the following may contribute to the development of endometriosis.

• Caffeine and alcohol intake

• Starting your period at an earlier age

• A shorter length of the menstrual cycle

How can we support endometriosis naturally?

Addressing food and lifestyle can help to support this condition by:

• Avoiding foods that cause inflammation in the body

• Avoiding foods that can raise oestrogen production in the body

• Adding foods that can help to naturally block oestrogen receptors

• Increasing essential fatty acids

• Adopting an anti-inflammatory diet

• Adding in specific supplements, vitamins and minerals

• Addressing any toxic chemicals overload that may play a role in the development of endometriosis

Tips for endometriosis

• Introduce an anti-inflammatory diet

• Add turmeric to your diet - this is a powerful anti-inflammatory spice

• Omega 3s - oily fish - mackerel, salmon, sardines, trout - omega 3 is inflammatory

Also, recent studies show that endometriosis is consistently seen in women who have higher levels of oestrogen, which can cause an imbalance in other hormones.

If you would like to address any imbalances I highly recommend hormone testing to get clear results in terms of your hormone levels and also look at how you are detoxifying oestrogen safely from the body. Testing allows me to make better decisions to get quicker results for my clients and is a large part of my work, this helps me to clear results so we have a foundation to work from and from there we build your road map to success

It is important that diseases like this are explored with a fully qualified practitioner who can guide and support in a safe and ethical environment that is backed up by science so you can get the best results, this is something that I help my client’s with. As it is a multifactorial condition we need to address other factors like gut health and external factors as I listed above.

Knowing what foods that aggravate the condition and those to add in to support are extremely beneficial for your results. The same goes for supplements, when you are an experienced and fully qualified practitioner you know what needs to be added in to support this condition so you save time, energy and money.

Health conditions like this are not a quick fix and there is no silver bullet, time and commitment is required and the results can be life changing so yes, it is possible. It’s never one size fits all with nutrition and your symptoms are unique to you so I always tailored my clients needs to fit them, not their symptoms.

You deserve the time and attention to restore balance to your health, you are worth the investment in your health. I consider our health to be our greatest assets, let’s face it we cannot simply buy our health we have to take care of ourselves to reap what we sow.

If you would like to gain control of your hormones by getting to the root cause and no longer just “manage” your symptoms. It is possible to support this condition naturally once you have the right support. I have helped countless women get back into balance, covering a variety of different symptoms and helping women finally find success, empowering women to feel confident about themselves.

I want you to know that my help is personalised and not “one size fits all”, we are all individuals, so what works for your friend or sister may not work for you. When we work together you get a tailored plan that is as special as you are.

Get in touch with me if you would like to learn more and send me an email nikki@nikkiharris.co.uk