Endometriosis is a surprisingly common condition. In fact, it’s estimated that 1 in 9 women will suffer from it during their lifetime.
The effects of this condition will vary from woman to woman. In essence, it occurs when the lining tissue from the womb grows in other places, often this is the ovaries and fallopian tubes. It is worth noting that this can affect any woman of any age and can be deliberating.
Common symptoms include:
- Pain in your lower tummy or lower back
- It hurts during or just after sex
- Pain when passing urine or feces, especially when you are experiencing a period
- Constipation, feeling sick, or blood in your urine, especially during your period
- Issues with becoming pregnant
If you have any of these symptoms you should contact a reputable obstetrician Sydney and have the matter looked into further.
Preventing Endometriosis
Unfortunately, it is not possible to prevent the development of this condition. However, it is possible to reduce the likelihood of it occurring by lowering your estrogen levels.
This is the hormone that thickens your womb lining and makes growth in other parts of your body more likely. The downside is that reducing estrogen levels can make it harder to become pregnant naturally.
To lower estrogen levels you should:
Birth Control Pills
It is possible to get birth control tablets that deliberately restrict the hormone estrogen in your body. The purpose is to reduce the likelihood of pregnancy but it helps to minimize the risk of endometriosis.
Regular Exercise
Research shows that 4 hours or more of exercise a week will help to lower the levels of estrogen in your body naturally. This can also help you to maintain a healthy weight, reducing your body fat.
In turn, this has been linked with lower estrogen levels, effectively decreasing your chances of getting endometriosis.
Avoid Alcohol
Drinking alcohol raises your estrogen levels and makes you feel good. But, the higher levels of estrogen increase the likelihood of your womb lining thickening, and this type of tissue growing elsewhere.
If you need to drink have no more than one glass per day.
Caffeine
Caffeine is also an effective way of boosting estrogen levels in women. Interestingly, coffee is not the worst one for this condition! Green tea and caffeinated sodas are the most detrimental.
Regardless of whether you have endometriosis, think you have it, or are simply at risk of developing it, you need to talk to a professional before you start changing your lifestyle.
It’s important to take the right steps to control the condition and minimize its invasion into your life. You should also be aware that, although reducing estrogen levels reduces your body’s ability to become pregnant, it doesn’t eliminate it. Your doctor can help you, with the assistance of gonadotropin-releasing hormones, to obtain a natural pregnancy.
Surgery is also an option in extreme cases but this is not the recommended approach, professionals prefer to deal with the issue via prescription drugs.
