Endometriosis

[fatmaaaa16]

Hi all…

I have been dealing with severe bloating and nausea after eating for a couple months. Due to this, I often fast and just don’t eat as I prefer that to being / feeling sick. I also have very irregular and extremely heavy periods, which has only gotten worse. This time something really weird happened tho. I was bleeding rectally while menstruating …. Which never happened before. My gynecologist also told me I had cysts on my ovaries … but didn’t elaborate further. Anyway, I won’t be able to see the doctor as I’m currently out of my city, and going back in 2 weeks when I will see him. I have of course been doing research and my symptoms, especially the rectal bleeding, seem to be endometriosis. I started taking B6 which helps the most, and also zinc, magnesium, and D3/K2. I wanted to ask u guys if u think supplementing T3 / T4 / Peogesteone is a good idea for endometriosis or will only make it worse. My TSH last month was 2.5 (the range is 0.5-4)… so I suppose it’s not too good. I’m slightly underweight, so I don’t want to lose more, but this endometriosis is ruining my life to be honest. I had amenorrhea for 8 years and was prescribed estrogen 4 times, eventually giving me a period (I don’t take it anymore), however i honesty wish I stayed without a period at this point. I was healthier without it than I am now .. anyway I know very long post, but if anyone has any suggestions it would be so appreciated <3 thank you.

 

[L_C]

Hi all…

I have been dealing with severe bloating and nausea after eating for a couple months. Due to this, I often fast and just don’t eat as I prefer that to being / feeling sick. I also have very irregular and extremely heavy periods, which has only gotten worse. This time something really weird happened tho. I was bleeding rectally while menstruating …. Which never happened before. My gynecologist also told me I had cysts on my ovaries … but didn’t elaborate further. Anyway, I won’t be able to see the doctor as I’m currently out of my city, and going back in 2 weeks when I will see him. I have of course been doing research and my symptoms, especially the rectal bleeding, seem to be endometriosis. I started taking B6 which helps the most, and also zinc, magnesium, and D3/K2. I wanted to ask u guys if u think supplementing T3 / T4 / Peogesteone is a good idea for endometriosis or will only make it worse. My TSH last month was 2.5 (the range is 0.5-4)… so I suppose it’s not too good. I’m slightly underweight, so I don’t want to lose more, but this endometriosis is ruining my life to be honest. I had amenorrhea for 8 years and was prescribed estrogen 4 times, eventually giving me a period (I don’t take it anymore), however i honesty wish I stayed without a period at this point. I was healthier without it than I am now .. anyway I know very long post, but if anyone has any suggestions it would be so appreciated <3 thank you.

Did you get any blood work done? Especially for progesterone, prolactin, LH, fsh, thyroid etc.? It would be good to get this done first before supplementing.

Also, I would recommend reading the book by Roger Mason - Natural Health for women (free pdf online).

 

[fatmaaaa16]

Did you get any blood work done? Especially for progesterone, prolactin, LH, fsh, thyroid etc.? It would be good to get this done first before supplementing.

Also, I would recommend reading the book by Roger Mason - Natural Health for women (free pdf online).

Thanks. Will check it out.

Well, my thyroid (TSH) seems to be the same every year. Around 2 ish. I got blood work for iron, b12, vitamin D, minerals/salts, cholesterol, blood glucose, liver enzymes, uric acid, hemoglobin and T4. Pretty severe iron, b12 and D deficiency. Especially the iron which was 7 ug/L, range being 15-300. T4 was actually 0.8 (range is 0.7-1.4) so I guess it’s good ? I know these tests are kinda irrelevant tho so thanks for the recommendation I’ll get those done ASAP, I wanted to wait till I’m back in my city but I might just do it here.

 

[L_C]

Thanks. Will check it out.

Well, my thyroid (TSH) seems to be the same every year. Around 2 ish. I got blood work for iron, b12, vitamin D, minerals/salts, cholesterol, blood glucose, liver enzymes, uric acid, hemoglobin and T4. Pretty severe iron, b12 and D deficiency. Especially the iron which was 7 ug/L, range being 15-300. T4 was actually 0.8 (range is 0.7-1.4) so I guess it’s good ? I know these tests are kinda irrelevant tho so thanks for the recommendation I’ll get those done ASAP, I wanted to wait till I’m back in my city but I might just do it here.

I would say eat steak and liver. Are you vegan/vegetarian? Usually low iron/B12=vegan food.

Unsure about supplementing with D. There is a bit of controversy here on the forum about it.

Many here would tell you that TSH is optimal under 2. Personally, I would look how to correct it with the diet than taking thyroid. But that's just me.

I realized I didn't respond to your bloating/nausea problem. Honestly, that could mean many things. The first one that comes to my mind is that there is something in your diet that your body doesn't like. Almost like you need to pay attention what foods aggravate it and eliminate it. Also use cronometer to keep a track of the food list/mineral/vitamin content.

 

[danishstargazer]

If I was dealing with this- I would focus on getting your D , b12 ( get shots if you can ) and get your iron up. I would go in the opposite direction and get more labs done and scans ( abdominal and pelvic ) then re-test. I would get a full saliva hormone panel as well.

 

[fatmaaaa16]

I would say eat steak and liver. Are you vegan/vegetarian? Usually low iron/B12=vegan food.

Unsure about supplementing with D. There is a bit of controversy here on the forum about it.

Many here would tell you that TSH is optimal under 2. Personally, I would look how to correct it with the diet than taking thyroid. But that's just me.

I realized I didn't respond to your bloating/nausea problem. Honestly, that could mean many things. The first one that comes to my mind is that there is something in your diet that your body doesn't like. Almost like you need to pay attention what foods aggravate it and eliminate it. Also use cronometer to keep a track of the food list/mineral/vitamin content.

hey, thanks for the reply. I actually eat a lot of beef. its the only food that gives me no problems.... which definitely confused me with the low iron. everything else and I mean everything gives me nausea. even honey. that's why I gave up on elimination diets as there's no point when its the same with all food. I had a celiac and lactose intolerance test... all came back negative. I agree to correct it naturally.... i was just worried I'm past the point of natural healing :/.

about vitamin D, interesting. i noticed absolutely nothing taking it, should I cut it out? or maybe apply topically? keeping track of nutrients feels pointless rn as I can't keep much down

 

[fatmaaaa16]

If I was dealing with this- I would focus on getting your D , b12 ( get shots if you can ) and get your iron up. I would go in the opposite direction and get more labs done and scans ( abdominal and pelvic ) then re-test. I would get a full saliva hormone panel as well.

that sounds good. I think im not absorbing nutrients orally. the iron seems rly important as I bleed to the point of fainting on my period. should I get shots for D too, or maybe topical application? will get tests done asap. thanks

 

[professor_sue]

My general understanding of endometriosis is that it's often due to an excess of estrogen in the body (estrogen dominance). I was diagnosed with endometriosis and uterine fibroids in my very early 40s (I am 51 now). I had horribly painful periods, out of control bloating, IBS, constipation, etc. I was miserable. My doctor started with birth control pills to help my periods; I was prescribed tramadol for pain, it was that bad. Finally, when things didn't relent, she referred me to an OB/GYN, and he gave me a couple options: ablation (where they scrape out the endo-tissue) or partial hysterectomy. I opted for the partial hysterectomy (had uterus removed, that was it. Apparently my ovaries and cervix were fine. I will not offer an opinion on hysterectomy as an option other than to say it helped me tremendously. There's a lot of obvious implications with that that need to be seriously considered, and that is an individual woman's decision. I will leave it there.

I am currently on HRT, yes, even post-partial hysterectomy (since I have my ovaries, and boy howdy, they are still workin' away!) and have been for a number of years. It's a cream with a mix of estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone, based on lab tests, values, etc. It definitely helps as I don't have hot flashes, night sweats, etc. I have some menopausal symptoms--weird ones (a few years ago, I went through a time period where I had the WORST body odor ever! It would only come around at certain times ... menopause. I blame most if not all of my health issues on hormone imbalance and menopause, and I am likely correct about 99% of the time!). I am also hypothyroid and take 120mg of Armour daily. My doctor also recommended I take DIM, which helps the liver process out the excess estrogen. On my own, based on info I learned from the Ray Peat Forum, Ray himself in interviews, as well as others, I decided to start taking calcium d-glucarate.

According to an abstract on PubMed:

"Calcium-D-glucarate is the calcium salt of D-glucaric acid, a substance produced naturally in small amounts by mammals, including humans. Glucaric acid is also found in many fruits and vegetables with the highest concentrations to be found in oranges, apples, grapefruit, and cruciferous vegetables. Oral supplementation of calcium-D-glucarate has been shown to inhibit beta-glucuronidase, an enzyme produced by colonic microflora and involved in Phase II liver detoxification. Elevated beta-glucuronidase activity is associated with an increased risk for various cancers, particularly hormone-dependent cancers such as breast, prostate, and colon cancers. Other potential clinical applications of oral calcium-D-glucarate include regulation of estrogen metabolism and as a lipid-lowering agent." -https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12197785/

I take DIM along with the calcium d-glucarate because I have long believed--and know, from my lab results showing out of whack hormones--that my liver is likely sluggish in terms of its detoxification pathways. Until fairly recently, I suffered from intractable constipation for like 25+ years. Since estrogen is primarily excreted through the intestines in feces, I figured that I really needed to get my constipation resolved. If the stool sits too long, the estrogen can get reabsorbed, and, well, lead to even more problems. So, I managed to figure out what I can eat, and things are better. It's a fairly limited diet, but it is what it is. I take a number of supplements to help with my hormonal issues and the constipation, but I really think that if anyone, female especially, is suffering from hormonal issues, imbalances, etc., I think that DIM and the calcium d-glucarate can help. For my constipation, I supplement now and then with cascara sagrada. On a regular, daily basis, I take a product called Parasym Plus, which has B1 and other things in it that help with the vagus nerve. I think my constipation issues are related to an out-of-whack, dysregulated nervous system. I also take B1 on its own. There are a TON of threads in the forum on Vitamin B1 and its benefits with a lot of things, including constipation/IBS, etc. You can also check out YouTube vids with Elliott Overton of EON Nutrition on B1 and other things.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor or a medical "anything." I am a sociologist/criminologist by degree/training (social science, not hard science ) I wish you all the best as you navigate through these challenges!!

 

[danishstargazer]

that sounds good. I think im not absorbing nutrients orally. the iron seems rly important as I bleed to the point of fainting on my period. should I get shots for D too, or maybe topical application? will get tests done asap. thanks

I would recommend sun ( tanning beds ) and sublingual D / K

 

[fatmaaaa16]

My general understanding of endometriosis is that it's often due to an excess of estrogen in the body (estrogen dominance). I was diagnosed with endometriosis and uterine fibroids in my very early 40s (I am 51 now). I had horribly painful periods, out of control bloating, IBS, constipation, etc. I was miserable. My doctor started with birth control pills to help my periods; I was prescribed tramadol for pain, it was that bad. Finally, when things didn't relent, she referred me to an OB/GYN, and he gave me a couple options: ablation (where they scrape out the endo-tissue) or partial hysterectomy. I opted for the partial hysterectomy (had uterus removed, that was it. Apparently my ovaries and cervix were fine. I will not offer an opinion on hysterectomy as an option other than to say it helped me tremendously. There's a lot of obvious implications with that that need to be seriously considered, and that is an individual woman's decision. I will leave it there.

I am currently on HRT, yes, even post-partial hysterectomy (since I have my ovaries, and boy howdy, they are still workin' away!) and have been for a number of years. It's a cream with a mix of estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone, based on lab tests, values, etc. It definitely helps as I don't have hot flashes, night sweats, etc. I have some menopausal symptoms--weird ones (a few years ago, I went through a time period where I had the WORST body odor ever! It would only come around at certain times ... menopause. I blame most if not all of my health issues on hormone imbalance and menopause, and I am likely correct about 99% of the time!). I am also hypothyroid and take 120mg of Armour daily. My doctor also recommended I take DIM, which helps the liver process out the excess estrogen. On my own, based on info I learned from the Ray Peat Forum, Ray himself in interviews, as well as others, I decided to start taking calcium d-glucarate.

According to an abstract on PubMed:

"Calcium-D-glucarate is the calcium salt of D-glucaric acid, a substance produced naturally in small amounts by mammals, including humans. Glucaric acid is also found in many fruits and vegetables with the highest concentrations to be found in oranges, apples, grapefruit, and cruciferous vegetables. Oral supplementation of calcium-D-glucarate has been shown to inhibit beta-glucuronidase, an enzyme produced by colonic microflora and involved in Phase II liver detoxification. Elevated beta-glucuronidase activity is associated with an increased risk for various cancers, particularly hormone-dependent cancers such as breast, prostate, and colon cancers. Other potential clinical applications of oral calcium-D-glucarate include regulation of estrogen metabolism and as a lipid-lowering agent." -https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12197785/

I take DIM along with the calcium d-glucarate because I have long believed--and know, from my lab results showing out of whack hormones--that my liver is likely sluggish in terms of its detoxification pathways. Until fairly recently, I suffered from intractable constipation for like 25+ years. Since estrogen is primarily excreted through the intestines in feces, I figured that I really needed to get my constipation resolved. If the stool sits too long, the estrogen can get reabsorbed, and, well, lead to even more problems. So, I managed to figure out what I can eat, and things are better. It's a fairly limited diet, but it is what it is. I take a number of supplements to help with my hormonal issues and the constipation, but I really think that if anyone, female especially, is suffering from hormonal issues, imbalances, etc., I think that DIM and the calcium d-glucarate can help. For my constipation, I supplement now and then with cascara sagrada. On a regular, daily basis, I take a product called Parasym Plus, which has B1 and other things in it that help with the vagus nerve. I think my constipation issues are related to an out-of-whack, dysregulated nervous system. I also take B1 on its own. There are a TON of threads in the forum on Vitamin B1 and its benefits with a lot of things, including constipation/IBS, etc. You can also check out YouTube vids with Elliott Overton of EON Nutrition on B1 and other things.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor or a medical "anything." I am a sociologist/criminologist by degree/training (social science, not hard science ) I wish you all the best as you navigate through these challenges!!

I have to say B vitamins are magic. I started drinking lots of kombucha and having live kefir and I notice how much better I feel. Kombucha has a LOT of thiamine (47% of RDI in 1 cup) and I’m drinking like 1-2 liters. It’s also low caffeine and low sugar so it shouldn’t deplete B vitamins further. I did watch Elliots videos actually they’re very interesting ! I tried thiamine but honestly didn’t do anything (Allithiamine). B6 on the other hand pretty much cures all my problems. Constiparion, nausea, fatigue. Unfortunately tho supplementing it gives me nerve problems despite the benefits . Today I only had beef, kombucha and kefir and feel better than I have in months. Also I totally don’t blame u for getting a hysterectomy. It’s better than living with endometriosis (a nightmare). I’ve tried supplementing natural dessicated thyroid but it did nothing honestly… that’s why I’m considering the synthetic ones. It seems tho that everything u supplement tends to cause an unrelated side effect … which is a huge problem.
Does the calcium d-glucarate have any side effects u experienced ? Also do u eat carbs? feel better with or without them? Thank u so much!

 

[Seashells]

I have Endometriosis but not Polycystic Ovaries which is what causes the irregularity. Yes Progesterone, is excellent. Usually in the 2nd half of cycle - the final 14 days. As you are irregular you may need to pick a time to cycle on and off. Progesterone got rid of my Endo symptoms. The rectal bleeding may be endometrial tissue in your bowel.

 

[Whataboutbob]

The ABC’s of EPD (Extrapelvic Disease)

To clarify, ‘extrapelvic endometriosis’ includes both ‘extragenital’ and ‘extrapelvic’ categories of disease. For further clarification of disease classifi…

extrapelvicnotrare.org

Do you think endometriosis is more of the inability to be classified as excess estrogen versus a low progesterone?

Dr. Ray Peat: Yes, it involves the liver and the pituitary but estrogen is very central to the actual lesion or abnormal tissue of the endometriosis. Simply by reducing estrogen exposure, you can alleviate the symptoms of endometriosis The cells begin producing estrogen, they contain the express the enzyme aromatase which manufactures estrogen which they used to think existent only in the ovary, then it turned out to exist in fat cells, breast cells, skin cells, bone and muscle everywhere that's under stress will begin to produce estrogen molecules. And when that happens in the endometrial tissue, it should be exposed to estrogen for only about 12 hours each month and then progesterone should surge up to 50 or 100 times higher concentration and cause the cells to give up their production of estrogen and release what they had. But instead of that the aromatase keeps turning out estrogen and the estrogen excites the tissue turns on these cyclooxygenase enzyme which turns polyunsaturated fatty acids into prostaglandins creating inflammation that causes the pain, contractions and all of the symptoms, and the inflammation from the prostaglandin in turn creates more aromatase and so it gets a vicious cycle going. And the simplest most physiological way to stop it is to eat a diet with adequate protein and sugar and trace minerals and vitamins but to make sure your thyroid is functioning. I've seen people who had been constantly for months or years suffering painful endometriosis who in two or three days completely stop the symptom permanently just with quick acting thyroid and a good diet and aspirin or other blockers of prostaglandins production it all by themselves can greatly reduce the formation of estrogen and break the cycle.