Endo supplements

[Endo_hub]

Hi all,

Just wondered if anyone take any supplements/vitamins or something that they find helps keep their periods regular.

I was on the combined pill for 8 years and decided to come off it as I wanted my body back. When on the pill I was taking breaks to have my period, but now I've been off for about 6 months and my periods have gone. I came off in April and had a period May and June, but not had one since.

I've spoken to my GP and he said that as a period occurs with your hormones levels increasing/decreasing he couldn't recommend anything other than going back on the pill. I don't want to do this as I haven't found my endo symptoms getting worse since coming off, if anything they've been better. I've had more energy, been able to exercise without pain, mental health has improved. The only thing is my missing periods.

I've looked into inositol and read reviews of people with PCOS having their periods back from taking these supplements, but wasn't sure if it would work the same with endo.

Thanks all,

Chloe

[BloomingMarvellous]

It’s a wide open question and the answer is there are some interesting studies out there with reported good results. As a past alternative practitioner with a specialism in infertility via acupuncture and nutrition I know it’s important to do due diligence, research and understand what you’re looking at tackling. The disease label maybe the same but we have differing needs , starting points and budgets!

These results like any treatment rely on a number of factors such as right dose, quality products ( many commercially available supplements are poor ) consistent use and the best combination of supplements to get the results. Three months is the earliest I would say to my patients that you can expect to see improvement and that’s only a start off.

Supplements alone can’t do it and most of us find it needs to be combined with pelvic physio, correct surgery, diet adjustments as well as time to get the effect needed. Desperation can make for poor choices here and a lack of dot joining which can really undercut the good effort which can be disheartening. Each of us is so different in our version of the darned thing . How to get past this excess of choice and get to where you need to be ? Most of us are doing the home brew version so I found Katie Edmonds approach in her book Heal Endo a great companion along the way. ( actually her book came after I had got my bundle of self care sorted but actually I ended up in the same territory ☺️) She’s done a whole heap of research, practices nutritional care and has endo herself. It will give you a whole bunch of info as to why certain supplements and diet adjustments and enables you to check out how helpful they might be for you.

I’ve found using mental hooks for my main issues a useful starting point so say anti-inflammatory, stress reduction , lesion shrinking, pain both local and neural, hormone processing support, gut and bowel , depression/anxiety etc. I did an in depth symptom list and scored across a month how things were before deciding what to tackle head on with supplements. After three months did the same thing and again at 9 months. Since my trial and errors I’ve now pretty much got to where I feel I can maintain a steady state and understand which supplements are key at their lowest possible dose to sustain wellness. I do have breaks even with these for a month to six weeks from time to time and feel the difference if I let it get beyond that. ( I invest in the best version I can afford of the Omega 3, Levagen and Resvatorol but use reasonable versions of the others. Omega 3 is particularly vulnerable to poor dose levels and production methods so am super fussy. Ironically, although I pay more up front the dose amount etc means it works out pretty well against apparently cheaper versions because it lasts longer especially if you keep in the fridge. )

Pretty much across the board for many hormone issues is an insufficiency of EPA| DHA properly balanced Omega 3. Plant based omega 3 does not have the correct make up of fatty acids to remedy this specific problem so that can be a problem for vegans or vegetarians. Omega 3 for example helps heal leaky gut restoring gut micro biome and needs to be done for a minimum of 3 months before trying to put in pre or probiotics. Often people miss this step and the leaky gut lets stuff into the bloodstream and it causes weird reactions ontop of other odd reactions already happening because of the leaky gut. I know that if I hadn’t done enough gut healing it didn’t matter what diet or other approaches I would take I’d always be chasing my tail. I also knew an inflammed gut was going to compromise my mineral and vit status because absorption would be challenging. If you’ve got suppressed oestrogen levels from hormone therapy that can affect tissue fragility in the gut and exacerbate micro biome problems. It’s a nasty side effect for many of us. Endo belly and bloating here I come.

Omega 3 also helps with nerve pain regulation, hormone regulation, is anti inflammatory when in good balance with the omega 6&9’s. Plant based diets are fantastic but understanding that they are rich in 6&9 and then people then take EPO or blackcurrant seed oil etc on-top exacerbating the omega 3 deficiency further. Omega 3 is required in larger quantities it seems by many who have endo to do the same job than those that don’t. Whether that’s because we naturally have a higher need or as a consequence of endo is unclear for now.

B12 can be at reduced levels for many older women, inflammation in the gut , those with autoimmune or gluten issues or using some medications. Sometimes our requirements are just at the higher end of the normal scale rather than lower end. As well as being important for iron uptake and use its key for helping the body to detox the byproducts of oestrogen which can be an issue with endo, using the pill , hrt etc.

In addition I use Quercitin, Resvatoral , Methyl B Vit and B12 ( helps process oestrogen side products ) and use milk thistle in the spring and autumn to again help my liver clear out the oestrogen leftovers. For the first year of supplements I did a whole year of milk thistle daily. For mast cell regulation and pain I use something called Levagen which is PEA and if am a bit extra achy will up the dose that day to deal with the activity side effects.

I tried the Scots trial supplement for some months at the dose recommendation, but found it tough to tolerate and no apparent improvement but I know plenty who really have done so well with it. I ensure I drink plenty of water( 3 litres daily but that’s a weight etc thing ) . Some people need extra Magnesium . I don’t usually because my diet is pretty varied and mineral rich.

I know am allergic to egg but found that as a consequence of the endo and uti bugs plus age that lactose is a no for me. Potato seems to make my gut sore so I don’t do much of that, however the related food family seem to be just fine so who knows that one 🤣but am grateful that gluten isn’t an issue . However, I have a friend who’s dandy with the eggs, potatoes but not okay with gluten , sugar, and lactose. She needs inositol, omega 3 and B Vits so it really can vary.

Hope that helps x