Many people with endometriosis, including about 60% of my clients, suffer with constipation.

Is this because of endometriosis directly? Not exactly. There are several reasons someone with endo can have constipation, whilst this episode isn’t about that, here’s a quick low down on some of the key causes: 

Endo – Of course, whilst this isn’t the case for everyone, endo can be located on the bowel, which can cause structural changes to the bowel, making bowel movements harder.

Adhesions – Adhesions from either endo itself or from surgery can attach to the intestines and cause kinks and loops which make it harder for stools to pass through the bowels. P.S. Adhesions from abdominal surgery occur in between 50-100% of patients, and if the abdominal surgery is more significant, the risk is much higher.

SIBO – Small intestine bacterial overgrowth, where bacteria overgrow in the small intestine, is a key culprit of constipation, especially in people who have methanogen overgrowth. There are three types of SIBO; hydrogen, methane and hydrogen sulphide. Methane is no longer technically a type of SIBO, it has a new name, methanogen overgrowth, because it occurs not just in the small intestine and in the large too. But the testing and treatment remains the same, so honestly, it’s really just a new name and a new way of thinking of it, but we would still informally call it methane type SIBO. Research indicates that people with endo have a higher prevalence of SIBO.

Gut dysbiosis – gut dysbiosis is where we have an imbalance of gut bugs in our large intestine, and this can lead to IBS-like symptoms such as constipation. Research is showing an increasing link between endometriosis and microbiome changes.

Luteal phase – in the second half of your cycle, after ovulation, known as the luteal phase, our progesterone levels rise (in theory, some people need to boost their progesterone, but that’s a conversation for another time). Progesterone is a muscle relaxant, and as a result, it relaxes the muscles of the intestines and slows down motility. This might mean, for the average person, bowel movements are a bit slower, but that they don’t have full on constipation. However, if you suffer with any of the above, this hormonal change can trigger or worsen constipation.

Read more.

Show Notes

Flax research

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5944250/

https://apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/APJCN/29/1/61.pdf

https://www.nhstaysidecdn.scot.nhs.uk/NHSTaysideWeb/idcplg?IdcService=GET_SECURE_FILE&dDocName=PROD_338907&Rendition=web&RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased&noSaveAs=1

Chia

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/fsn3.3035

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9739531/#B17-jcm-11-07073

Seed cycling

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/369913915_Advantages_of_seed_cycling_diet_in_menstrual_dysfunctions_A_review_based_explanation

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10261760/

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Produced by Chris Robson