This EndoLife

Do you get full body pain? Does it affect your muscles, nerves or joints? Do you find that you need to rest after walking or find you tired more easily than others? It might not just be endometriosis. Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is a group of 13 conditions which all affect connective tissue (collagen) in the body. Most are rare, but one type called hypermobility EDS is common - and out of those with th...

You all know I’ve been fascinated with the world of chronic pain science for a long time now. In fact, I did an episode on lowering pain signals through calming the brain and nervous system back in 2019 but I’ve been on a continuously evolving research journey since. And this research has led me to Curable, an app for chronic pain, that works by helping to reprogram the brain and nervous system so...

Today we’re continuing with our series on low micronutrient levels and the impact on period and endo-related period pain. Vitamin A is an antioxidant, which may have significant benefits for endometriosis pain. Read more. Show notes Oxidative stress, endo and period pain https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1477-7827-7-54 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5625949/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm...

Today we’re continuing with our theme of micronutrients and their impact on endo pain and period pain. Today, we’re talking about B12. Research on the use of B12 for pain suggests that B12 can reduce chronic pain (and menstrual pain) through various methods. Firstly, B12 can inhibit the production of the inflammatory prostaglandins which are responsible for pain and inflammation, and are found to...

Today we’re continuing our series on nutrients and their effects on period pain and endo pain, and this episode is about B6. Now, we’ve already talked a lot about the powers of B6 for hormonal health, but what about its effects on pain? B6 can support us with pain reduction in a number of ways. Read more. Show notes B6 pain relieving/anti-inflammatory properties https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articl...

Today we’re continuing on with our discussion around micronutrients and their impact on endo and period pain In this episode, we’re beginning with the first of the B vitamins, B1, otherwise known as thiamine. Read more. Show notes B1 properties https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.21.639433v1.full https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5625949/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PM...

Today we’re continuing with our series on endo and period pain and their associations with low nutrient levels. Today, we’re talking about vitamin C. Vitamin C is an anti-inflammatory antioxidant, which means it can help lower inflammation and also prevent oxidative stress - a process that triggers inflammatory reactions in the body and is involved in endo pain and progression. It also has antiang...

Today we’re continuing with our series on endo and period pain and their associations with low nutrient levels. And I was going to make today’s episode all about vitamins, but there are so many vitamins to cover, that I thought it would be less overwhelming to break them up, so today, we’re starting with vitamin E. However, before we get into today’s episode, if you haven’t listened to the previou...

Today we’re continuing with our discussion on low nutrient levels and their association with period pain. Menstruation is often (though not always) one of the most painful parts of the menstrual cycle, for people with endometriosis - and a connection we see between both dysmenorrhea (which is the medical term for period pain) and endometriosis, is low omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are t...

This week I want to highlight three key minerals that when you’re low in, can cause you more period pain. These have all been associated with endo in the research too, and of course, as a classic symptom of endo is horrific period pain, replenishing these minerals could help you improve your experience of your period with endometriosis, Read more. Show notes Magnesium https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.g...

Okay so last week we looked at foods to eat more of to support progesterone production. Today, we’re going to discuss the supplement forms of these nutrients and the doses to take. Before we get into it, I have given a lot of warnings for each supplement. This is because I want you to have all the information, including possible side effects, so you can make an informed decision and so you underst...

The past two episodes we’ve been talking about low progesterone levels and some of the signs to watch for. Today, I want to talk about how to raise your levels with specific nutrients. Read more. Show notes Zinc https://ovarianresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13048-024-01442-z https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36920672/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3275394/ https://ods.od.nih...

In our last episode, we discussed spotting before your period and what’s normal and what could be a sign of low progesterone or even endo. Today I want to discuss spotting around ovulation and again, this is going to be a nice and easy to digest bite sized episode. So, ovulation occurs roughly midway in your cycle, though that’s just the average. Statistically, the average ovulation day is around...

Today is one of my shorter episodes, a bite size episode! Recently I started working with two new clients and they were both really concerned that they were spotting one to two days before their periods. First up, what do I mean by spotting? Spotting is typically spots of blood appearing in your underwear - it’s light and is typically not very consistent. Often it’s dark red or brown, and we’ll ge...

At the end of last year I released a series on dairy and its possible effects on endo pain, endo belly and hormones, as well as its benefits - as I know so many of you are confused about the topic. Today, I want to provide you with a summary of these episodes, so you can get the top lines in one place, and then of course you can deep dive into the individual episodes if you need to. So, a big, BIG...

Today’s episode is continuing with the theme of why some of your conditions may be worse in January, and today, we’re focusing on endometriosis. Before we get into it, this is a short episode where I am giving you an overview of some of the ways these things can affect people with endo, but it’s not an exhaustive list. In fact, each of these topic areas could have their own episode with a deep div...

It’s a New Year and perhaps you’re feeling the pressure to get up and go, but you can’t get yourself out of bed. Maybe you’re in more pain than usual, perhaps you’re more depressed than usual or maybe you’re experiencing extreme fatigue and energy crashes? If this is you, please know you’re not alone. As I return to work, I’ve received many emails from endometriosis clients telling me their sympto...

With a new year beginning, I am resharing a very old meditation episode. This episode is a visualisation meditation to help you envision how you want to feel in 2024. I use this visualisation exercise with every one of my clients, to help them see the big picture they want for their health and then to take that big picture and break it down into small, attainable goals. I also use this meditation...

The Christmas season is typically, a time of excess for those who celebrate – and even for those who don’t, New Year’s is right around the corner. For many people, we increase our intake of sugar, alcohol, processed foods, etc. and that’s okay – this episode isn’t about judgement. I love Christmas, including all the food that comes with it, but for many of us, the result can be more pain and a wor...

So, for those of us who feel social pressure or simply enjoy having a drink with friends or family, I wanted to share some tips that can help lessen the impact of alcohol. Remember, these are just tips and tricks and if you just want to have a drink and not worry about it, you absolutely can – that’s totally your choice! Show Notes https://www.fixyourperiod.com/castor-oil-packs/ Need more help or...

In this penultimate instalment on our dairy series, I’m going to cover the effects of dairy on pain, and what to be aware of when managing endo. And yes - it’s not straight forward! In our first episode on dairy and endo, we discussed A1 casein, but for those who haven’t listened to that episode, let’s cover it again. A1 casein is a type of milk protein which research suggests some people find tri...

Today I want to shine a spotlight on maca, a herb you’ve probably heard lots about in the wellness space, but for those of us with endo, it can be confusing to know if it’s helpful or whether we should avoid it. Because maca can help us handle stress and burnout, I thought this busy time of year is a perfect opportunity to talk about it! Maca is an adaptogen herb, which means it helps our bodies t...

Today is a quick episode but hopefully a helpful one. Today I want to talk about the glycemic index and the glycemic load of foods, and how you can use these tools to help you manage endo. The glycemic index and glycemic load are two tools to help you understand how food can affect your blood sugar levels and how quickly they can do so. Read more. Shownotes Glycemic index and load resources https:...

Okay so today we’re continuing with our series on dairy and endo, and today we’re taking about hormones. And I’m going to warn you up front - the research is mixed, and it really comes down to your personal response to dairy. That being said, non-organic dairy can be treated with extra hormones, which may influence our own, so it goes without saying that organic is preferable when possible. Of cou...

This week we’re taking a pause from the dairy series to give those who don’t want to learn about diary or who feel distressed by the topic for ethical reasons, a bit of a break, as I appreciate it might be a bit much to go back to back with this topic. So today, I want to answer a question that was asked of me on a call the other day. And that’s when you’re starting to manage endo, and you put in...