Endometriosis - What is it? | Part One

hormone health Jan 15, 2021
endometriosis

Where are our ENDOMETRIOSIS WARRIORS?

Firstly ➡️ we love you, we're here for you + empathize with the pain you may be dealing with all too often.

Did you all know that 1/10 women of reproductive age have endometriosis + it is often misdiagnosed or dismissed?

🗣On av. it takes 9.28 YEARS before the patient receives a proper diagnosis!

So as coaches, we want to do our ABSOLUTE BEST to bring more awareness + understanding of what endometriosis is + how we can live a life that eases the symptoms. So this will be [PART 1] of a little mini-series.

WHAT IS ENDO?

🤍 When tissues similar to your endometrium (uterine lining) grow in different places of the body that they're not supposed to be like ovaries, surface of your uterus, + fallopian tubes (literally anywhere, even your bladder or lungs). But wherever your endometrium lining is located, it's going to respond to the same exact hormone fluctuations that are running the rest of your menstrual cycle.

💭 Think: if your endometrium lining grows + sheds blood inside your uterus during normal menstruation...that's going to happen EVERYWHERE ELSE that lining is misplaced in your body, too. With no place to go, that blood is essentially trapped. Your immune system will then create cytokines + other immune factors to bring inflammation to the lesions.

 

SYMPTOMS OF ENDO:

*Painful periods

*Chronic pelvic pain

*Pain w/ sex

*Heavy or irregular bleeding

*Diarrhea/painful bowel movements during periods

*Infertility

 

...with the #1 symptom reported = PAIN 😞

 

CAUSES?

Although no one knows for sure yet what causes endometriosis, scientists have theories about the connection to some of the below factors...

➡️ENVIRONMENTAL ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS  - Studies are showing that chemicals like dioxins (industrial byproducts + can accumulate in animal products) + polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are thought to increase the risk of endometriosis by altering cytokines, immune function, hormones & growth factors.

➡️ESTROGEN DOMINANCE - Endo is also estrogen-dependent. Estrogen is stimulatory in nature, causing growth (like your normal uterine lining). But unfortunately today EXCESS estrogen is very common today for women due to stress, poor sleep, and environmental toxins. It may contribute to disease progression.

➡️GUT MICROBIOME - Anything that causes issues with the state of your gut microbiome will disrupt your immune system, which causes more creation of cytokines (inflammatory response).

➡️Also-AUTOIMMUNITY, GENETICS, & INFLAMMATION.

As you can see, endometriosis is very complex + while science is unable to point to one root cause or provide a cure, diet & lifestyle adjustments can help improve quality of life + reduce/ease symptoms for many. There may not be a way to cure endo, but we can try to live in partnership with our hormones to make it a little bit better each day at a time.

Hoping to bring you some more info in the coming weeks about ways you can reduce inflammation in your body that may help.

_______

References: "Beyond The Pill" by Dr. Jolene Brighte, "Period Repair Manual" by Lara Briden.  "In The Flo"  by Alisa Vitti, "Fix Your Period" by Nicole Jardim.

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