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Posted by: admin | Posted on: October 5, 2025

Adenomyosis Is a Hidden, Estrogen-Driven Cause of Severe Period Pain

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Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2025/08/23/adenomyosis-symptoms-causes-natural-treatment.aspx

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola August 23, 2025

adenomyosis symptoms causes natural treatment

Story at-a-glance

Adenomyosis is often mistaken for bad period pain or endometriosis, but it involves tissue growing into the uterine muscle, causing swelling, heavy bleeding, and knife-like cramps
Many women suffer for years without a diagnosis because doctors misinterpret symptoms or rely on outdated assumptions that the condition only affects older women
Research shows adenomyosis leads to serious complications like infertility, miscarriage, preeclampsia, and dangerously low hemoglobin levels requiring emergency transfusions
Estrogen overload is the main driver of adenomyosis, and it’s made worse by birth control, plastics, vegetable oils, and hormone-disrupting chemicals found in everyday products
You can start reversing estrogen dominance naturally by cutting synthetic hormones, avoiding xenoestrogens, restoring metabolism with the right carbs, and using natural progesterone

If your period pain feels unbearable — like a deep, throbbing ache or stabbing cramps that knock the wind out of you — it’s not something to brush off. Pain that severe isn’t normal. For millions of women, it’s the body’s warning signal for something deeper that’s often misunderstood or completely missed.

You’ve likely been told that heavy bleeding, pelvic pressure, and fatigue are just part of being a woman. But what if those symptoms point to a disease that’s quietly hijacking your uterus and flooding your body with inflammation? That’s the reality for countless women who are dismissed, misdiagnosed, or left in the dark for years, sometimes decades. This condition, known as adenomyosis, doesn’t always show up clearly on a scan.

It’s not taught well in medical school. And it’s rarely mentioned in mainstream conversations about women’s health. But it’s there, silently reshaping lives, month after month. I want to walk you through what the research now shows — why it happens, who’s at risk, and what your options actually are. The science is evolving fast, and the data is clear: you don’t have to live like this. Let’s take a look at the overlooked patterns and newest discoveries about this underdiagnosed disease.

Most Women Are Told Their Pain Is Normal — It Isn’t

From the women suffering through debilitating cramps to the doctors mislabeling it as “just a bad period,” an article in The Hearty Soul pulls back the curtain on how widespread yet invisible adenomyosis is.¹ It presents differently from endometriosis and takes a devastating toll on a woman’s social life, mental well-being, and ability to function day to day.

• Symptoms often mimic other conditions, which causes many women to go undiagnosed — Unlike endometriosis, adenomyosis causes the uterine wall itself to thicken and expand, sometimes doubling or tripling in size. Women describe the pain as knife-like cramping that strikes during menstruation, along with painful sex, bloating, pelvic pressure, and severe bleeding that disrupts quality of life.

There’s a cultural normalization of these symptoms, but just because menstrual pain is common doesn’t mean it’s normal.

• Doctors often dismiss or misinterpret these symptoms, further delaying diagnosis — Gynecologist Dr. Shamitha Kathurusinghe, who points out that many doctors are themselves misinformed: “There’s a lot of misinformation because there’s a lot of misunderstanding that comes from messaging that doctors are getting.” That means women aren’t just being ignored — they’re being actively misled into thinking their symptoms don’t warrant investigation.

• The lack of awareness creates a cycle of isolation and suffering — Many women miss work, cancel plans, and lose relationships because of the unpredictability and severity of their symptoms. Yet they often remain silent out of embarrassment or fear of being labeled “dramatic.”

• Adenomyosis doesn’t always come with symptoms, making it harder to catch early — The condition is often silent for years, only showing up after other reproductive complications arise. But when it does cause symptoms, it mimics endometriosis or fibroids, which complicates diagnosis and treatment decisions.

Younger Women Are Now at Risk — and Doctors Aren’t Catching It

A review published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine revealed just how often adenomyosis is missed or misunderstood in clinical settings.² The paper compiled data from dozens of high-quality studies to explore how adenomyosis affects everything from fertility to miscarriage risk. The review focused on women of reproductive age and made clear that current diagnostic and treatment approaches are still not consistent, even among specialists.

• Adenomyosis is now being found in much younger women than previously thought — The conventional view has been that this condition primarily affects women in their 40s or 50s, especially those who’ve already had children.

But the paper highlighted that focal forms of adenomyosis — where lesions are isolated rather than spread throughout the uterine muscle — are now increasingly being diagnosed in women in their 30s and even younger. These women often present with fertility problems or abnormal bleeding, but their symptoms are dismissed or misattributed to something else.

• There’s a strong link between adenomyosis and pregnancy complications — Women with adenomyosis have a much higher risk of miscarriage, preterm birth, preeclampsia (dangerously high blood pressure during pregnancy), and delivering babies that are smaller than normal for their gestational age.

These risks are especially pronounced when the adenomyosis is diffuse, meaning it spreads across a wider area of the uterus rather than being confined to one spot. This type of tissue growth interferes with the placenta’s ability to attach and develop normally.

• Even though diagnostic tools exist, global guidelines are still not aligned — so your doctor’s advice may depend on where you live — While some countries are adopting advanced classification systems based on imaging criteria, others still lack a formal system to define or grade adenomyosis severity. That means two women with the exact same symptoms often get completely different diagnoses and treatments depending on which clinic or country they visit.

• The biological explanation lies in how the tissue invades the uterine muscle and disrupts its structure — Researchers believe that tissue from the uterine lining becomes embedded in the muscle wall either through mechanical injury — such as from surgery — or through a faulty junction between the endometrium and the myometrium — the inner and outer layers of the uterus.

Once this tissue is inside the muscle, it thickens and swells with each menstrual cycle, causing inflammation, scarring, and impaired uterine function.

• Several theories explain how adenomyosis starts, but most point to a breakdown in your uterine architecture — One theory, called tissue injury and repair, suggests that repeated damage to the uterine lining causes abnormal healing responses, leading to invasion of the muscle by uterine lining cells.

Another theory proposes that stem cells in the uterus misfire and turn into the wrong kind of tissue, embedding themselves where they don’t belong. In either case, the result is the same: a uterus that’s constantly inflamed, structurally compromised, and metabolically inefficient.

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Adenomyosis Isn’t Just Painful — It Leads to Emergency Room Visits

An overview from Johns Hopkins Medicine highlights how adenomyosis becomes medically dangerous, not just inconvenient or uncomfortable.³ While the condition is often brushed off as a heavy period, the article makes clear that some women bleed so much they end up severely anemic, requiring blood transfusions just to restore basic function.

Gynecologic oncologist Dr. Mildred Chernofsky explains that adenomyosis involves tissue that grows into the muscular wall of the uterus and bleeds every month like normal uterine lining. But because it’s trapped in the muscle, it causes inflammation, swelling, and massive blood loss.

• The most severe cases involve hemoglobin levels dropping to life-threatening lows — According to Chernofsky, “I may see patients that bleed until they have a hemoglobin level of 7 grams per deciliter and are extremely anemic.” Normal hemoglobin levels for women range from 12 to 16 g/dL. When blood levels drop this low, women often experience fatigue, dizziness, fainting, shortness of breath, and lightheadedness.

• Most women don’t even realize their uterus has enlarged until the symptoms are advanced — The uterus becomes spongy, heavy, and balloon-like. This bloating feels like constant pressure in your lower abdomen or a sense of fullness that doesn’t go away. Yet during physical exams, doctors often don’t recognize the warning signs unless they specifically palpate the uterus and check for size, shape, and density irregularities.

• Diagnosing adenomyosis still depends heavily on imaging, and MRI remains the most accurate tool — While an ultrasound is usually the first step, it’s not always sensitive enough to pick up on deeper tissue invasion. “MRI provides incredibly high-resolution images and shows us the thickness of the endometrial-myometrial junction,” says Chernofsky. That junction — the boundary where the uterine lining meets the muscle — is usually where the disease starts.

• Adenomyosis often gets confused with two other conditions: endometriosis and fibroids, but the treatments are different — While all three cause pelvic pain and heavy bleeding, they originate in different tissues and require different approaches. Endometriosis involves tissue outside the uterus. Fibroids are benign tumors. Adenomyosis, on the other hand, is diffuse tissue growth inside the uterine wall, and can’t simply be “cut out” the way fibroids sometimes are.

• Surgery is often used as a last resort — Unlike fibroids, adenomyosis tissue spreads throughout the uterus and often has fingerlike projections that invade the muscle. That makes it difficult to remove piece by piece. This means that for women with severe, unrelenting symptoms, removing the uterus becomes conventional medicine’s go-to permanent solution.

How to Stop Feeding the Root Cause of Adenomyosis

If you’ve been dealing with symptoms like heavy bleeding, intense cramping, or a constantly bloated abdomen — and you suspect or know you have adenomyosis — then it’s time to focus on the root of the issue: excess estrogen. Estrogen dominance fuels this disease.⁴ That includes both the estrogen your body produces and the synthetic or food-based estrogens you’re exposed to without realizing it.

You’re not powerless here. You can start taking control today. The goal is to block what’s driving this disease while rebuilding your energy and restoring balance. If you’re looking to avoid hormonal treatments like birth control pills or you’re looking for alternatives to surgery, these five steps will help you move forward.

1. Cut off the estrogen at the source — If you’re on birth control or hormone replacement therapy, and you’re dealing with adenomyosis symptoms, those drugs are likely making things worse. Synthetic estrogens increase tissue growth inside your uterus.⁵

You’ll also want to stay far away from plastics, conventional cleaning products, and chemical-laden beauty products — these all contain xenoestrogens, which mimic estrogen in your body. Switch to glass containers, and use natural or homemade personal care and cleaning options.

2. Use natural progesterone to block the damage — Natural progesterone is your anti-estrogen. It doesn’t just relieve symptoms — it actually blocks the effects of both estrogen and cortisol. That’s a powerful combination. But don’t rush into it. If your diet is still holding you back from making energy at the cellular level, progesterone won’t have its full effect. First, rebuild your metabolic foundation.

Once your diet supports mitochondrial energy production, introducing a natural progesterone, as described below, makes a noticeable difference.

3. Fix your metabolism with the right carbs — not fewer — If you’ve been doing keto or low-carb, stop. Shift toward 250 grams of carbs per day, and more if you’re very active. This is what your cells need to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the fuel that powers everything from brain function to hormone balance.

Start with white rice and whole fruit. Add well-cooked root vegetables next. Hold off on raw greens, whole grains and beans until your gut is healthy, meaning your bowel habits, bloating, and overall comfort are under control.

4. Filter your toxins, especially vegetable oils — Linoleic acid (LA), the dominant fat in vegetable oils, mimics estrogen, contributing to estrogen dominance. As a result, LA disrupts hormonal balance along with mitochondrial function. Cut out all forms of vegetable oils, including from processed foods, restaurant meals, and even nuts and seeds. Replace them with tallow, grass fed butter, or ghee.

5. Know your prolactin level — Many people believe they’re low in estrogen due to bloodwork, when they actually have high levels in their organs. This is because serum estrogen levels are not representative of estrogen that’s stored in tissues. Estrogen is often low in plasma but high in tissues. Prolactin levels serve as a reliable indicator of estrogen activity, as estrogen directly stimulates your pituitary gland to produce prolactin.

When prolactin levels are elevated, it signals increased estrogen receptor activation, whether from your body’s own estrogen production or environmental exposures to endocrine-disrupting chemicals in microplastics and other pollutants. This relationship is particularly significant when combined with low thyroid function, making prolactin an important marker for identifying hormonal imbalance.

FAQs About Adenomyosis

Q: What is adenomyosis and how is it different from other conditions like endometriosis or fibroids?

A: Adenomyosis is a condition where the tissue that normally lines your uterus grows into the muscular wall of the uterus itself. This causes the uterus to swell and leads to intense cramps, heavy bleeding, and chronic pelvic pain. Unlike endometriosis (where tissue grows outside the uterus) or fibroids (benign tumors), adenomyosis spreads through the uterine muscle and can’t be removed surgically in the same way.

Q: Why do so many women go undiagnosed with adenomyosis?

A: Doctors often misinterpret adenomyosis symptoms or attribute them to other conditions. Symptoms like painful periods, bloating, and fatigue are frequently dismissed as “normal,” especially in younger women. Additionally, imaging tools like ultrasound don’t always catch the disease. MRI is more accurate but less commonly used, so many women are left undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for years.

Q: What are the long-term risks of untreated adenomyosis?

A: Left untreated, adenomyosis often leads to severe anemia from chronic blood loss, requiring emergency care or blood transfusions. It also increases the risk of pregnancy complications, including miscarriage, preeclampsia, and preterm birth. Over time, the ongoing inflammation and uterine damage leads to reduced fertility and significant declines in quality of life.

Q: What is the root cause of adenomyosis and how do I address it?

A: The underlying driver of adenomyosis is excess estrogen, including both natural estrogen and environmental estrogens from plastics, chemicals, and synthetic hormones. To lower your estrogen load, cut out vegetable oils and processed foods, reduce chemical exposures and birth control pills, use natural progesterone and support your metabolism through strategic dietary shifts and mitochondrial repair.

Q: What steps can I take today to start feeling better?

A: Start by eliminating hormone disruptors like synthetic birth control and chemical-laden products. Shift to a higher-carb, whole-food diet to rebuild your mitochondrial function. Add natural progesterone and monitor prolactin levels to get a more accurate picture of your true estrogen burden and hormonal balance.

– Sources and References

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Posted by: admin | Posted on: February 24, 2024

Could Endometriosis Be Caused by Bacteria?

Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2024/02/23/endometriosis-fusobacterium.aspx
The original Mercola article may not remain on the original site, but I will endeavor to keep it on this site as long as I deem it to be appropriate.

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola February 23, 2024

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

A 2023 study found Fusobacterium could be linked to the development of endometriosis, which is a proliferation of uterine endometrial tissue in areas of the abdomen outside the uterus
The condition causes pain, heavy and irregular periods, fatigue and gastrointestinal symptoms during a menstrual period, such as diarrhea, constipation and pain with urination or bowel movements
Certain species of Fusobacterium are commonly found in the human gut and oral flora, but infections with other invasive species have been linked to a wide range of clinical presentations from non-severe pharyngitis to life-threatening abscesses and sepsis
Endometriosis places women at an increased risk of other health problems, including infertility, cancer, cutaneous melanoma, Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular disease, asthma, obesity, migraine headaches and irritable bowel syndrome
Women can take several steps to reduce the risk of developing endometriosis or help reduce the symptoms, including avoiding endocrine-disrupting chemicals as the condition is hormone dependent, avoiding sugar to reduce inflammation and pain, and considering several nutraceuticals that may help reduce symptoms

There is a good and a bad side to bacteria. One 2023 study¹ published in Science Translational Medicine revealed data suggesting one genus of an anaerobic, gram-negative bacteria,² Fusobacterium, plays an influential role in the development of endometriosis. This genus of bacteria has species that live symbiotically with humans and others that develop invasive infections.

The inappropriate use of antibiotics and bacterial infections has culminated in the “greatest public health challenge of our time”³ — antimicrobial resistance. One important focus of attaining and maintaining optimal health is supporting a balanced gut microbiome. When bacteria develop the ability to avoid the drugs designed to kill them, resistant infections can proliferate and become difficult or impossible to treat.

Your gut microbiome is a major contributor to a wide range of physical, mental and emotional health conditions. Research links gut microbial dysbiosis to obesity, Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease,⁴ athletic performance,⁵ cognitive impairment,⁶ depression and anxiety.⁷ It should then come as no surprise that bacteria may play a role, regardless of how significant, in many of the prevalent chronic health conditions that plague society.

The film, “The Invisible Extinction,”⁸ highlights the work of microbiologists Dr. Martin Blaser and Gloria Dominguez-Bello — a husband-wife team — who warn that the human microbiome is endangered, putting human health at risk.

As data indicating the significance of a healthy microbiome to overall health continues to mount, researchers are also identifying ways in which harmful bacteria play a role in noninfectious disease development. And, one particular bacterial infection associated with endometriosis, Fusobacterium, may suggest a potential treatment pathway for this painful disorder.⁹

Could This Bacteria Trigger Endometriosis?

The 2023 study¹⁰ found that Fusobacterium, a bacterial type that’s commonly found in the human gut and oral flora, may be linked to endometriosis. The study included 155 women in Japan¹¹ and found 64% of women presenting with endometriosis had Fusobacterium within ovarian endometriotic lesions. However, less than 10% of women without endometriosis had the Fusobacterium in their endometrium.¹²

The researchers used an animal model and inoculated Fusobacterium into mice which then increased myofibroblasts and the weight and number of endometriotic lesions. The mice were treated with antibiotics and researchers found this could, in large part, not only prevent endometriosis from developing, but help reduce the endometriotic lesions that were already established.

The researchers believe the data support a potential mechanism for the development of endometriosis and suggest it could be an approach to treating the disease.¹³

In addition to evaluating for the presence of Fusobacterium within human endometrial tissue and testing an animal model, the researchers also used cell culture experiments to find that the bacteria initiated a substance called TGF-beta, which appeared to activate normally dormant cells.

Although certain species of Fusobacterium live symbiotically within the oral and gut microflora, this species of Fusobacterium is invasive and has been linked to other infections and diseases.¹⁴ Although the infections with Fusobacterium are uncommon,¹⁵ they tend to infect younger and older individuals and cause a wide range of clinical symptoms from non-severe pharyngitis to life-threatening abscesses and sepsis.

What Is Endometriosis?

The word “endometriosis” is derived from the name of the tissue that lines the uterus, which is the endometrium. This lining is what the body releases with each menstrual cycle. Each month, the body grows a new endometrium in preparation for a potential pregnancy. Endometriosis occurs when this tissue grows in areas of the abdomen outside of the uterus.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the condition affects up to 10% of women.¹⁶ The endometrial tissue most often grows on or around the reproductive organs, such as the ovaries, fallopian tubes, space between the uterus and the rectum, or the lining of the pelvic cavity. Less frequently, it can also grow around the bladder, intestines, rectum and stomach.

The condition increases pain associated with menstrual cramps and can cause pain during or after sex. Women may also experience heavy or irregular periods, fatigue and gastrointestinal symptoms during a menstrual period such as diarrhea, constipation and pain with urination or bowel movements.

Although the condition has no known cause, data does show certain factors increase the risk, including starting menstruation before age 11, a family history of endometriosis and periods that last more than 7 days. Although in many cases, a diagnosis of endometriosis begins with severe symptoms, some women can have endometriotic lesions outside the uterus but have no symptoms.¹⁷

While data from the featured study is encouraging, as it helps to at least point to a potential trigger, it’s important to note that endometriosis is likely multifactorial and may have cultural or environmental differences. A 2021 study¹⁸ published in Reproductive Sciences evaluated a group of 371 fertile women with endometriosis, 175 from China and 196 from Italy. Symptoms and quality of life were compared, which revealed significant differences between the two groups.

Italian women presented with symptoms at a younger age, more frequently with severe pain, were more often diagnosed with deep infiltrating endometriosis and had more systemic comorbidities at the time of diagnosis than women from China. Scores on tests also showed the Italian group of women had worse health-related quality of life.

In the group of Chinese women, there was less pain, diagnosis at an older age, ovarian and superficial endometriosis and better quality of life scores. The researchers suggested that the differences may be related to ethnicity, healthcare system or social and cultural background.¹⁹

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Endometriosis and Comorbidities

Endometriosis is debilitating. According to Science Alert,²⁰ women in the U.K. often wait an average of 7.5 years before seeing their physician for a diagnosis and Yale Medicine²¹ estimates that women in the U.S. may experience symptoms for 10 years before getting a proper diagnosis.

Unfortunately, this places these women at risk of more health problems, including infertility. In some cases, endometriosis causes complete infertility, but in other cases, fertility may not be affected. Research²² also suggests that women with endometriosis have a higher risk of pregnancy-related complications, including preterm delivery, miscarriage, preeclampsia, bowel perforation and uterine rupture.

When left untreated, endometriosis not only leads to infertility, but other organ damage. A 2015 systematic review²³ of the literature identified studies that looked at the association between endometriosis and specific diseases.

They found increasing evidence that women with endometriosis have a higher risk of several chronic diseases, suggesting that the condition is not harmless with respect to long-term health. According to this review, women with endometriosis had a “higher risk of ovarian and breast cancers, cutaneous melanoma, asthma, and some autoimmune, cardiovascular and atopic diseases, and at decreased risk of cervical cancer.”²⁴

In a separate article,²⁵ one of the scientists postulated potential explanations for the associations, including that studies may have had a methodological bias. Other explanations included the potential that endometriosis induces physiological changes that increase the risk of chronic disease, that women with endometriosis share specific risk factors for chronic disease, or that the treatment for endometriosis could increase the risk of some chronic diseases.

Analysis of data from Taiwan²⁶ identified similar associations between endometriosis and chronic diseases. In this population, the researchers also found an association with irritable bowel syndrome, migraine headaches, pelvic inflammatory disease, obesity, chronic liver disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and chronic renal disease.

A 2023 study²⁷ published in the journal Nature Genetics may help explain the comorbidity with other inflammatory and pain-related conditions. In a genome-wide association meta-analysis of European and East Asian participants, the researchers:

“… observed significant genetic correlations between endometriosis and 11 pain conditions, including migraine, back and multisite chronic pain (MCP), as well as inflammatory conditions, including asthma and osteoarthritis.”

The severity of the symptoms can affect mental health²⁸ and may compromise social relationships, which in turn influences support systems. Depression and anxiety can also amplify the perception of pain. In one study,²⁹ researchers estimated that at least one-third of women with endometriosis suffer from depression and anxiety.

Reducing Symptoms of Endometriosis

Insulin sensitivity may also play a role in endometriosis. A 2019 review³⁰ looked at the likelihood of the coexistence of Type 1 diabetes and endometriosis, including the prospect that therapeutic strategies could help reduce complications. While Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, endometriosis is not.

However, according to the paper, they share similar pathophysiological pathways, including an association with chronic inflammation and an overactive immune response. A 2002 study³¹ also showed women with endometriosis more frequently had mechanical dysfunction in the gastrointestinal system and reactive hypoglycemia with normal insulin levels.

According to the researchers, the nerve dysfunction found in women with endometriosis was identical to that found in individuals with insulin resistance and resulted in debilitating gastrointestinal symptoms. In addition to strategies that improve insulin sensitivity and reduce resistance, women with endometriosis may consider addressing other factors that contribute to symptoms of endometriosis, such as:

• Avoiding endocrine disruptors — Endometriosis is hormone dependent, and data has linked exposure to environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) with the development of endometriosis. A 2023 study³² looked at epidemiological and experimental data of four EDCs and found:

“The available information strongly indicates that environmental exposure to EDCs such as PCBs, dioxins, BPA, and phthalates individually or collectively contribute to the pathophysiology of endometriosis.”

One commonly used EDC is oxybenzone, found in many sunscreen formulations. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) calls oxybenzone “the most worrisome sunscreen active ingredient,”³³ as the chemical is readily absorbed through the skin, is associated with skin reactions and has demonstrated hormone-disrupting properties.

A 2012 study³⁴ associated benzophenone, the class of drugs to which oxybenzone belongs,³⁵ as an EDC that has a high likelihood of increasing the risk of endometriosis. EDC chemicals are found in many everyday products, including pesticides, plastics and food storage materials, and antibacterial soaps.³⁶

• Avoiding sugar — Dysregulated blood sugar has a significant influence on endometriosis as it promotes an inflammatory response in the body,³⁷ which may contribute to a flare-up of the disease and raise pain levels. As blood sugar rises, cortisol can also rise which lowers progesterone levels and sets the stage for higher levels of estrogen.³⁸

• Considering physical activity — Physical activity and exercise is an important factor in attaining and maintaining optimal health. Yet, for women with endometriosis, they may want to consider physical activity a prescription to help lower inflammation and painful symptoms. While the literature examining endometriosis is not conclusive, data does reveal that physical activity helps lower the inflammatory response.³⁹

One review of the literature⁴⁰ was unable to find enough quality studies to produce a quantitative meta-analysis, but did identify a couple studies showing activity improved pain intensity and decreased stress levels. The researchers suggested future high-quality randomized controlled trials were necessary to determine if physical activity improved symptoms and quality of life.

A 2023 study⁴¹ in the International Journal Gynecology and Obstetrics, reviewed the benefits of physical therapy in women with endometriosis, doing a meta-analysis on six studies that evaluated pain intensity and quality of life measures. The data show these non-pharmacological therapies “are a therapeutic option for women with endometriosis for improving pain intensity and physical function.”

• Considering supplements — Women with endometriosis may also consider nutraceuticals that have demonstrated a beneficial effect against the pain and symptoms of endometriosis. N-acetylcysteine (NAC), chasteberry and melatonin may all offer some relief.

In a 2013 Italian study,⁴² women who took 600 mg of NAC three times a day for three consecutive days per week, for three months, saw such significant improvement that half of the treatment group were able to cancel their surgeries. Eight of the 47 women in the intervention group had complete remission. The researchers concluded that:⁴³

“Our results are better than those reported after hormonal treatments … NAC actually represents a simple effective treatment for endometriosis, without side effects, and a suitable approach for women desiring a pregnancy.”

Chasteberry is known as “the woman’s herb,” and has a long history of use in female fertility and hormonal health. A leaf decoction has demonstrated a reduction in symptoms of endometriosis within clinical practice and reduction in endometrial cyst size.⁴⁴ Chasteberry may also help reduce inflammation and balance reproductive hormones.⁴⁵

Chasteberry may help increase progesterone production, which affects the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, the time from ovulation until bleeding starts. These issues are often linked to menstrual irregularities, including endometriosis.

Melatonin has also shown some promise for pain control. In one study,⁴⁶ 10 mg per day of melatonin helped decrease pain by 39.8% and dysmenorrhea by 38.01%.