Today I have found some unusual information regarding another possible contributory factor in endo. This time a mutated gene is implicated. I tripped over the information by chance when dabbling in xenoestrogens and the anti-oxidant glutathione on the internet. I'll try to explain as best I can but best to check for yourself.
Methyltetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR) is the gene in question. A particular mutation (there are a variety of mutations and you can have more than one) of this gene may cause deficiency in SAMe and glutathione which both help eliminate xenoestrogens. Endometriosis is oestrogen dependant so if our levels of oestrogen are high in relation to progesterone, that can be a contributory factor in the spread of endo. If the gene is faulty then our ability to methylate is poor. Methylation occurs at a cellular level and turns one substance into another so it is detoxified and eliminated from the body.
Some believe that a fault with this gene has something to do with many conditions due to the reduced capability to detoxify the body. There's a very long list that includes conditions that can be concurrent with endo such as IBS, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome etc.
I was surprised to discover that attempts to limit the impact of this gene mutation can be made by using supplementation. In particular, methyl folate (an active form of folate) and Methyl B12 and N Acetyl cysteine (which is name checked on another thread I started). However, I don't think getting dosage correct is straightforward and I still need to understand this. It is the sort of thing that needs to be done carefully with a doctor who understands this or is open to learning about it as it is quite complex. Inflammation needs to be reduced first.
I will be raising the whole subject with my doctor in March. I would not recommend treating this gene mutation without a decent doctor. If I manage to decipher anything materially useful I will report back. It would be interesting to know if any of you have heard anything about this.
Here are just some of the sites I came across. If you have a lot of tim! do have a good read and if makes any sort of sense, build your case and badger your doctors.
This whole site is dedicated to this subject
mthfr.net/endometriosis-mth...
An excellent mindmap
mindmeister.com/12694596/mt...
A couple of informative articles
doccarnahan.blogspot.co.uk/...
stopthethyroidmadness.com/m...
Faulty methylation
backtolifehealth.com/Methyl...
Methyl Folate side effects