What is Endometriosis?
Dr. Natalie Crawford, MD - board certified OBGYN and REI, discusses endometriosis. Endo impacts 1/10 women - but likely more, as the diagnosis is surgical and often women go undiagnosed for years (or for forever).
There is so much confusion on what endometriosis is, how it develops and what is means for your reproductive life. But the top thing that I see is women suffering in silence or without support.
Signs of endometriosis include:
Painful periods (dysmenorrhea)
Painful intercourse (dyspareunia)
GI changes on your period
Endometriosis is associated with other autoimmune diseases and runs in families. Please get help if you are suffering. If your doctor won’t listen - find a new one. And if you know you have endo and want to get pregnant, make sure you know how to optimize your chances.
References discussed or quoted:
Yamamoto A, Harris HR, Vitonis AF, Chavarro JE, Missmer SA. A prospective cohort study of meat and fish consumption and endometriosis risk. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2018;219(2):178.e1-178.e10. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2018.05.034
Parazzini F, Chiaffarino F, Surace M, Chatenoud L, Cipriani S, Chiantera V, Benzi G, Fedele L. Selected food intake and risk of endometriosis. Hum Reprod. 2004 Aug;19(8):1755-9. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deh395. Epub 2004 Jul 14. PMID: 15254009.
Marziali M, Venza M, Lazzaro S, Lazzaro A, Micossi C, Stolfi VM. Gluten-free diet: a new strategy for management of painful endometriosis related symptoms? Minerva Chir. 2012 Dec;67(6):499-504. PMID: 23334113
Fritz and Speroff, Clinical Gynecology Endocrinology and Infertility, 8th edition, 2011