This month has seen an increase in clients with Endometriosis (or endo), so as a Fertility Acupuncture Practitioner, I wanted to raise the awareness for those TTC, as around 25% with unexplained infertility could have endo.
Endometriosis is a condition where cells similar to the ones in the lining of the uterus are found elsewhere in the body.
The most common sign that people are aware of is painful periods. The reason why it can be hard to get a diagnosis for endometriosis is that it often shows up in a more systemic way, meaning it’s not just localised pain but wider spread inflammation that can affect the whole body.
Some have no symptoms at all, and the only reason they get a diagnosis is because they have been struggling to conceive.
Other symptoms of endometriosis include:
The prevalence of endometriosis in women with infertility can be as high as 30-50%. Having excision (removal) is important but lifestyle and dietary factors also need to be established to help stop the endo from regrowing.
As endo is an oestrogen dependant condition (it grows with oestrogen) it’s important to help the body keep oestrogen levels in check. Ways to help this are ensuring you are having at least one bowel movement a day (this is how we rid ourselves of excess hormones) and supporting the livers detoxifying function.
Endometriosis is an inflammatory condition and is linked with a disordered immune system, if the immune system is imbalanced then patches of endometriosis won’t be cleared by the body which leads to an inflammatory response by the body in it’s attempts to rid of the body of cells that shouldn’t be there.
Fertility Acupuncture can help to manage endometriosis and support your fertility by:
If you’ve been TTC for a while and you suspect endometriosis, then ask you GP for a referral to a gynecologist to help investigate further.
Did you know that we also offer Fertility Acupuncture support during the early stages of pregnancies?
“I can’t thank Anna enough for her help both pre-pregnancy and during. Not only did acupuncture help to relieve stress and calm my body but I truly believe it helped to maintain my pregnancy in those early weeks, particularly during a few complications. It really helped to have a focus and to have someone to openly discuss things with. Anna is incredibly knowledgeable and made many recommendations of things to support my body and pregnancy. She was always on hand to offer guidance and answer any questions and really made me feel that whatever path my journey was going to take, things would be OK and I would reach my ultimate end goal or having a healthy baby. I now have an 8 week old baby boy! Thank you Anna for being a big part of my journey“. Jess.
