I've made a few posts before about trying the pill and all the different options available and quite a few people have given really good advice on self management of pain and trying more natural option (specifically for cramps during a period.)
I have started to research different things that people have suggested but there really isn't a lot of information out there on supplements and herbs, does anyone have any stories and pro's and con's to help me decide if any of them are right for me.
some of the Herbs I have been researching include: Evening primrose, chasteberry/Agnus castas and some more natural things like ginger.
I'm not sure what you've been advised previously but I've been looking into this too so I thought I'd share what I've found.
Have you already heard about estrogen dominance and all the things that can lead to this? That's all the 'things to avoid' but there's also the role of increasing natural progesterone to help balance this using bio identical progesterone cream. I'm sorry if this is old news to you.
When I was looking in to all this I found a naturopath who specialises in women's hormones. I found this really helped as I didn't know where to start and what to trust. I had a Skype consultation with her and she has provided me with a herbal medicine drink which I take twice a day. I'm only on my second day so I can't speak for its effectiveness but she told me it contains Eltheuthercoccus – to help energy levels and lift moodo. Corydalis – pain killer and anti-inflammatory. Avena sativa – gentle mind calming herb. Viburnum opulus – for severe cramping.
She made it specific for my issues so it could be different for you. My main problems are fatigue, back pain and abdominal pain. I don't have any period related issues so I'm a bit unusual that way.
I also take kelp and b12 for fatigue and magnesium and d3 for herbal functioning as they're wonder supplements really.
Actually I haven't heard of estrogen dominance, i'll definitely have to look into that.
Is this drink something that you make yourself or something that is sent to you?
Did you consult with your doctor before taking any of this as well? I'd like to start trying different things but they all say to speak to your doctor first and with the waiting times it seems silly to make loads of appointments every time I find something else to try
I'll send you a pm that had all the info on estrogen dominance and the links to what I've read etc. There's no point in someone else doing more of the same research, I'm sure you're exhausted as it is. If sent the info to someone else recently so I'll just copy it to you.
With the herbal medicine, it's something I think you'd only get through a qualified naturopath. I haven't told my doctor. My GP really knows nothing about endo and I'm already battling trying to get a specialist appointment as it is. I've really got no faith in doctors anymore when it comes to endo tbh.
Thank you, I feel like I'm going in circles with my research at the moment. I just need a good list to sort through and find something that's right for me.
Hello, I thought I'd just copy this message I sent to someone else. Hopefully it will be helpful. It's a lot of info!
Basically, I've come to believe the Dr's have it wrong in the treatments the often offer women with endo and we may benefit hugely from a much less harmful and less invasive treatment by taking a holistic approach - diet, emotional work, lifestyle changes and using bio identical progesterone cream.
I've not tried it yet,I'm just waiting until the right time in my cycle (8-13 days into cycle). I bought mine through this site progesteronelink.com
It's through the naturopath I spoke to who specialises in women's hormones there are other sellers but I went with her because I was just keen to speak to the seller before hand, to try make sure as much as possible it could be trusted. I had a Skype consultation with her which did help me feel more confident in what I was doing but it's £50 and you don't need to. She also provided me with herbal medicine that supposed to help my inflammation, pain, sleep and spasms. You also don't need to do this but she seemed to know her stuff so I thought I'd try it. It was £36 for 2 bottles that look like they'd last quite a few months.
The progesterone cream is based on the research of Dr John Lee. He's wrote a few books on it which I've yet to read fully but what I've read so far is amazing
amazon.co.uk/What-Your-Dr-P...
I also read Wendy Laidlaw book
amazon.co.uk/Heal-Endometri...
I'm not a fan of her writing style, I feel she's a bit sensationalist and preachy about her claims but it's all based on stuff I've read elsewhere relating to autoimmune diseases and Dr Lees work, so I do think what she's saying is essentially sound.
I've done a lot of research myself over the 4 years I've been ill. I have a science/medical type of background so I'm used to reviewing technical, medical articles etc. There is obviously not the level of research on this compared to medicines but they've got big pharma behind them. No one can compete with that.
The theory is all based on estrogen dominance which has really blown my mind. Diet, stress, chemicals and even hormones in the water can all lead to estrogen dominance. Estrogen makes things grow and progesterone is supposed to keep the estrogen in balance throughout the cycle but when this goes wrong, estrogen isn't kept in check and that's when endo starts to grow, fibroids and other nasties. It's like a viscous cycle. With stress in particular, if the body needs to make cortisol, the stress hormone, it will do that rather than progesterone, which is fine for a short while but if its over long periods of time, the estrogen just keeps building unchecked. And obviously being ill is very stressful, so it's just a horrible cycle that's hard to break. All the cream does is add progesterone back into the body to balance the estrogen. Which apparently stops the endo growing, and reduces symptoms and shrinks fibroids (I also have fibroids). There are no side effects to it apparently and as its bio identical, it can be fully processed by the body. It can make us feel a bit ropey in the first week, 2 weeks max, especially if things are really unbalanced but that's just things balancing out. There are guidelines online about how to use it.
I did an estrogen dominance saliva test to check what my levels were and to give myself a baseline that I'll measure again once I've started the cream. Again, you don't need to do this, I'm just into doing things in a particular way because of my sciencey background. I got the test through this site verisana.co.uk/estrogen-dom...
It's £80 which is fairly cheap for a private lab test, I've paid for loads over the years in a bid to try understand what was wrong with me. I just cannot understand why doctors don't test this when women present with obvious hormone related issues.
Sorry if this is far too much info. I hope it's not overwhelming.
Feel free to ask me anything. I'm no expert in any of this, I'm just sharing what I've found out. There's so little info or there. I'll definitely be posting about how I get on with the cream.
Hi, I have endo for all of my adult life and after the laterst op and dr suggesting progesterone only pill (pop), I did my research and found bio identical progesterone cream, which I'm applying daily for 3 weeks, giving a week break. It has really made a difference with my pain and heavy periods, which are much lighter now and less painful. And it's natural. Unfortunately, conventional medicine doesn't accept that. All best progesterone cream come from the U.S. eith a price tag, but they worth it.
Thank you for your reply, StefaniaJW. I guess at my age birth control is no longer an issue. Different things work for different people. Just wanted to make people aware of another option to manage endometriosis.
It's not if it's bio identical progesterone cream and it's used to help balance the estrogen dominance which has been caused by various factors such as diet, synthetic hormones, stress etc. Once the estrogen dominance is in place, it's like a negative cycle and just keeps getting worse and that's when all the 'things' grow like fibroids, endo and other nasties.
I know that endo grows with estrogen and is stopped by progesterone. What I was trying to say is that the effects on the body are the same of a progesterone-only pill. I know many people (myself included) who feel the same when putting a progesterone cream on or taking a progesterone-only pill (e.g. I had extreme tiredness and fatigue). Bio-identical progesterone made me feel like I had PMS all the time. It's still hormones and it can still have side effects, that's what I meant. Obviously if it works for you and for Lizy, wonderful! But it did not work for me and many others, so I just wanted to let you know
I've yet to try it. I start next cycle. I tick I'm probably holding all my hopes on it as I so desperately want to avoid the treatment the Dr's have given me.
I'm sorry it didn't help you.
Do you mind if I ask if you have ever had your hormone levels measured eg estrogen dominance saliva test it cortisol test?
None of these but my estrogen dominance was quite obvious (incredibly sore breasts before my period, very heavy bleeding during period). Now my period lasts 1-2 days tops, is almost completely painless and no clots. I do still get sore breasts from time to time but I am able to manage that very well with vitex
Vitamins and minerals lacking in women with endo are: vitamin B6 (take it to reduce chronic fatigue and estrogen, therefore menstrual flow), folic acid (vitamin B9), magnesium (take at leaat 365 mg a day everyday to reduce cramping and estrogen, therefore menstrual flow), vitamin E (take it only a few times per week and only if you suffer from breast tenderness before getting your period), selenium and zinc (helpful if you if you get sick easily or have a lot of inflammation going on in your body).
I also advise taking vitex agnus castus if you suffer from breast tenderness, mood swings, water retention before your period because it will reduce estrogen as well.
These vitamins and minerals will help with both estrogen dominance and will help modulate the immune system too.
I suggest you avoid taking vitamin C as it prolongs the presence of estrogen in the blood (go for selenium, zinc, grapefruit seed extract to strengthen the immune system when the flu season comes along).
Some people use enzymes such as serraptase and nattokinase to get rid of clots in menstrual blood, make the flow less painful, get rid of adhesions and also modulate the immune system and reduce allergies (many women with endo suffer from them).
All women suffering from endo lack vitamin D: I suggest you ask for a blood check immediately and take it for a few months. Probiotics are also necessary to get rid of the leaky gut 100% of women with endo suffer from (according to a recent study).
I did a three-month treatment period with probiotics, vitamin D and the following diet before feeling better.
As far as food is concerned, avoid everything industrial, refined (non-whole), non-grass-fed meat and cow's dairy. Buy lots of fresh, organic, in-season veggies and fruit, wholegrains are ok a couple of times a day, lots of freshly caught and omega-3-rich fish such as mackerel, sardines and salmon, free-range eggs are good (around 5 eggs a week), peas/chickpeas/lentils are good (3 times a week), nuts such as peanuts and walnuts are excellent (2-3 a day tops), extra dark-chocolate is ok (a tiny piece a day). Try to avoid gluten if bothers your gut.
Bone broth is excellent. Fermented food are excellent too (e.g. kefir or goat's yoghurt).
Coffee should be avoided altogether because it raises estrogen levels and promotes inflammation, so it has a double negative effect on endometriosis.
I drink coffee around 10 times a year tops.
Use lots of turmeric everywhere. Parsley and extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil are ok too. Only use a tiny bit of marine salt, don't exaggerate.
That's what I do. I've been two years without birth control. My endo has not gotten much worse (I have no cysts nor nodules, just a few adhesions).
I do have to say this though: go for Visanne if you can. It actually reduces cysts and works great on endo in general. I had to go for the natural route because I went on five different types of birth control and could not stand any of them. I was desperate and had to choose this road, which is much more difficult because you have to change your lifestyle completely forever.
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