Endometriosis and Gut Health with Stacey the Naturopath.

By Shopify APIJun 9, 2022

Endometriosis and Gut Health by Stacey the Naturopath.

The link between gut health and your endometriosis!

When it comes to hormones, your gut health is a key piece to the puzzle.

Having a healthy gut microbiome is not only essential for overall health and wellness but it is critical for the overall health of Endo sufferers; as it reduces inflammation and regulates our hormones by assisting with healthy detoxification pathways.

It is well established that Endometriosis is a whole body inflammatory disease . We know gut health is the seat of good immunity and the link between gut health and immunity as a driver of endometriosis is becoming clear as hormonal treatments such as the pill, mirena and natural hormone supplements aren't the long term answer when it comes to lessening the well-known symptoms of endometriosis

“70% of IBS sufferers have SIBO”

Digestive disorders and complaints are very common in endometriosis sufferers, and are often dismissed by many practitioners leaving women with a diagnosis of IBS but offering no other solution.

Irritable bowel Syndrome is a syndrome and therefore it still has drivers that need to be uncovered such as:

Stress

Food Intolerance

SIBO

Histamine Intolerance

Dysbiosis

Interestingly, several studies have linked a significant correlation between IBS symptoms such as bloating, constipation, diarrhoea and abdominal pain to SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth).

An alarming 70% of IBS sufferers have SIBO and are unaware as it's not viewed by General practitioners here in Australia as a legitimate digestive disorder.

So what is SIBO?

Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) is an unwanted amount of bacteria that has migrated into the small Intestine not commonly found in this part of the digestive tract, causing all sorts of digestive grief similar to IBS.

In particular, women with Endometriosis have this particular bacteria in their gut that produce a pro Inflammatory toxin called LPS (Lipopolysaccharide).

A recent study showed the inflammatory LPS bacteria measured in an Endo patients menstrual fluid was 40x more, compared to a women without Endo.

Can I test for SIBO?

Testing for SIBO via a breath test in Australia is not covered by Medicare and your standard GP will not order this test for you. However if you have a Naturopath, Clinical Nutritionist or Integrative GP - they will have more details for you and you will be out of pocket by $150-$200.

If you have a healthy gut microbiome that hasn't been damaged from stress, food intolerance or medications then these bacteria and their toxins known as LPS won't pass through the gut's natural protective barrier - the problems start to arise though when the gut lining becomes damaged and digestive symptoms associated with IBS start to appear.

Hormones are detoxified via the liver and then go via the bowel for proper elimination as nature intended. These untreated digestive complaints start to create a recycling effect of oestrogens, creating a bigger problem for Endometriosis sufferers.

Having a higher amount of unnecessary Oestrogen, has the ability to drive symptoms of Oestrogen Excess like the following:

Breast Tenderness

Heavy Periods

Painful Periods

Mood disorders

Endometriosis

Adenomyosis

Hormonal Headaches

Weight Gain

The immediate goal by treating SIBO or any underlying digestive complaint is to lessen the symptoms so your life isn't controlled by what you eat every day, in turn working towards healthier hormones so you can reclaim your life and start unravelling this Endometriosis Puzzle.