Endometriosis — The Lifestyle Link

Endometriosis occurs when endometrial tissue, which is normally found within the uterus, is found in other parts of the body, such as the ovaries, the bladder, the pelvic cavity, or even on the skin and lungs.

Millions of women have endometriosis and it’s one of the very most common causes of infertility. Despite its ubiquity, there’s currently no known cause or cure.

Not exactly celebrating after reading that? I understand.

Even though the facts are scary, they’re not reason enough to condemn yourself to a life of pain or infertility! Simple lifestyle changes can make a huge difference for you and your body.

Endometriosis is an inflammatory condition that also has a strong autoimmune component. When your immune system gets irritated (from stress, environmental stressors, food allergies, and inflammatory foods), a massive inflammatory attack is launched, which in some cases affects your own tissue, causing the painful accumulation of endometrial tissue where it’s not supposed to be.

Your body is trying to tell you that it’s at its limit and is quickly losing its way.

While there’s no known cure for endometriosis, we do know that lifestyle can impact the severity of the condition—both for better and worse.

Several studies have found a strong association between diets low in vegetables and fruit and the development of endometriosis. A sedentary lifestyle can also be a risk factor for endometriosis. A 2010 study showed that women who exercise regularly experienced a 40 to 80 percent reduction in risk for endometriosis.

Lifestyle changes such as dietary adjustments, food intolerance testing, stress management, and paying close attention to the amount of hydration and sleep you’re getting can all have hugely beneficial impacts on the management of endometriosis.

When we attempt to treat endometriosis with only surgery and medications, we miss an opportunity to dig deeper into the underlying issues that affect women with this debilitating disease.

Without changing important lifestyle factors, the endometriosis will return again and again and will remain a barrier—both literally and figuratively—to our fertile selves.

If you have endometriosis, it’s important to consider an integrated and comprehensive approach to your diagnosis that includes lifestyle changes alongside conventional medicine interventions to control your symptoms.

Taking a peek at how your lifestyle can affect your endometriosis is not only good for your health in general—it’s absolutely great for your fertility. You and your physician will be pleasantly surprised by how much more effective your treatments are. And that’s a big reason to celebrate.

Conceivable's customized plans for women struggling with infertility are a great place to start for a holistic intervention that will pay tremendous dividends for your fertility, and your health in general.