This content is for educational purposes only. It has been reviewed for scientific accuracy, but it does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding medical questions or fertility treatment decisions.
Reviewed for scientific accuracy by: Dr. Mona Bungum
Last reviewed: January 2026
Lifestyle matters for fertility. A BMC Public Health study found that women with 4–5 healthy habits had a 59% lower risk of infertility.
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takes 3 minutes to complete00:00:01 Hello everyone. Thank you so much for taking the time to watch this video today. And during this presentation, I will be talking about nutrition and how you can use it to help treat symptoms of endometriosis. So today I'm going to mainly discuss the fact that endometriosis is an inflammatory condition and how you can use nutrition to help reduce inflammation in the body and also promote liver function in order to metabolize estrogen. and also promote liver function in order to metabolize estrogen.
00:00:30 Well, if you want more information on endometriosis and how it impacts fertility and the symptoms it causes and what's really going on in the body when you have it, I would encourage you to watch another video I made, um, that's entitled endometriosis and how it Impacts fertility. There's a lot more information specifically in that video. Um, but today again, I'm going to talk about how nutrition directly impacts, um, the inflammatory levels in the body that are caused by endometriosis.
00:00:56 the inflammatory levels in the body that are caused by endometriosis. Um, I'll be telling you what anti-inflammatory Foods and to have lots of in your diet so that you reduce inflammation and help your liver metabolize estrogen really well. And then I will also be listing other foods that you will need to restrict. Unfortunately, some of these are the really yummy, naughty foods that we all like to enjoy from time to time. But if you have endometriosis, it's so important to at least limit these. If you can't restrict them entirely.
00:01:29 Um, but these, all of these factors that I'm going to go through Um, but these, all of these factors that I'm going to go through today will help to not only just improve fertility in general, but prevent endometriosis from worsening and increasing in stages and lowering your symptoms in the body so that you have less pain and irregular heavy bleeding. So what are the foods to include to help reduce symptoms of endometriosis? So anti-inflammatory foods and mainly omega three um foods or
00:01:59 foods that are high in omega three. So you want to go for oily fish, foods that are high in omega three. So you want to go for oily fish, salmon, mackerel, sardines, or even any type of fish if you don't like. The oily fish will contain lots of omega three and this really has a positive impact on inflammation in that it reduces inflammation in the body. Your omega three fatty acids and help to regulate the inflammatory response within the body. So immediately, if you have inflammation, if you have lots
00:02:26 of omega three foods, they will reduce inflammation in the body. of omega three foods, they will reduce inflammation in the body. So that is really important to consider. Color is key. I say this probably to every client I see, but certainly when you think about color, you're definitely getting all your essential micronutrients in your nutrition. And these of course will have digestive aids that will help liver function and also anti-inflammatory properties. So do go for fresh,
00:02:53 colorful foods, the ones that you see in the image on the slide. So fruits and vegetables and lean proteins, high fiber foods, So fruits and vegetables and lean proteins, high fiber foods, which will come to high fiber as well in a moment. Um, the third on the list, there are herbs and spices. Now these again are our wonderful digestive aids really high in anti-inflammatory components. And so if you want to flavor your food, it doesn't have to be just salt or just salt and pepper and,
00:03:21 you know, getting some good dried spices in there and lots of fresh and dried herbs. And if you can't flavor your foods, but this will also increase the nutrient density of a meal. but this will also increase the nutrient density of a meal. So do keep it colorful and with lots of herbs and spices. And keep your omega three foods in as much as you can. And also fiber rich foods. Now, it's a good idea to not have too many starchy carbohydrates in your nutrition if you suffer
00:03:48 with endometriosis. However, the good you know, whole grain foods that are naturally gluten free, which I'll come to in the next slide, are good to have for women especially. We're all being encouraged now to increase our fiber intake We're all being encouraged now to increase our fiber intake daily and if possible. I've said this before in other videos, but if you do suffer with IBS or problems with your digestive system and fiber is an issue for you and take that into consideration
00:04:16 and don't immediately think, oh well, I have to increase fiber if I have endometriosis. If you have IBS as well, and fiber is an issue, then focus on the top three that are listed above. Now you know what you should be having. Now you know what you should be having. Here's what you should try to remove or at least limit in your nutrition. If you have endometriosis and you want to reduce inflammation. So processed foods. So if you look at the back of a
00:04:41 packet and the ingredients list is very extensive and it's not sort of whole close to source, and then it is highly processed. If you've got ingredients that you're not even sure what they are, they don't seem natural or they're difficult to pronounce. Put it down. Don't go for it. Chances are it's been highly processed. Lots of additives, emulsifiers, processed. Lots of additives, emulsifiers, and things that can increase inflammation in the body.
00:05:05 You also want to remove or at least highly limit trans fatty acids. So these are unsaturated fats that have been hydrogenated. And these are really, really bad, especially when it comes to inflammation. Um, and we're learning more and more about the dangers of having high amounts of trans fatty acids in your diet. So please, please try to limit these. Again, look at the back of packaging. If you see hydrogenated vegetable Again, look at the back of packaging. If you see hydrogenated vegetable
00:05:32 oil, these are trans fats. But most foods such as crisps, cakes, biscuits, um, all the things we like to enjoy in the evening or on the weekend from time to time and things that we give to children, a lot are high in trans fatty acids and we should not be consuming lots of these. They are bad for us and they are really awful when it comes to inflammation. They will increase inflammation a lot in the body. Um, sugar and refined carbohydrates. I mean this is a given again these
00:05:55 Um, sugar and refined carbohydrates. I mean this is a given again these will spike insulin and this will increase inflammation in the body. So do limit these even for general health. That's a good idea. But especially if you've got an inflammatory condition such as endometriosis and also gluten and dairy. Again we kind of have so much gluten in dairy in the and dairy in the Western diet, I think at the moment. And it's just really a good idea to vary your dairy and just limit gluten, try to have naturally gluten
00:06:26 free foods, potatoes, rice, quinoa, nuts, seeds, and these don't contain free foods, potatoes, rice, quinoa, nuts, seeds, and these don't contain gluten and are good carbohydrates with anti-inflammatory properties as well to include in your diet. Now, the picture I've chosen, I said before, color is key and color is very important. But please don't be fooled that just because something is decorated with lots of fresh fruit, that it's healthy underneath that fresh fruit in the image, there is cake and dairy and gluten
00:06:54 and all the wrong things to have. So make sensible choices and don't think by just adding fruit and healthy things alongside the don't think by just adding fruit and healthy things alongside the other stuff. It isn't about having a good balance. You want to have just the whole, um, nutrient dense, colorful foods in your diet and take out all the stuff that's bad for you. It doesn't have to be for life, but certainly when you're trying to manage your endometriosis and you're thinking about conceiving a child,
00:07:20 this is the time to really get serious about your nutrition and keep it as healthy and fresh as possible. So your final thought for the day. First on the list. I have gradual changes. First on the list. I have gradual changes. So when it comes to managing your endometriosis using nutritional strategies, if you try and do too much too soon without planning, it can all go wrong. So take the advice that I've given in this video and see what can I do first, whether that's okay,
00:07:49 I need to have more fish, or if I'm vegan or vegetarian, I'm going to try and supplement my nutrition with an omega three, um, pill or oil or whatever it is that you're comfortable taking. um, pill or oil or whatever it is that you're comfortable taking. Um, or it could be okay, right? I do not have enough color in my diet. I need some more fruit and vegetables. Then start with that. And as you go along, you can start to cut out gluten and dairy and whatever it is, but just don't try
00:08:15 and rush everything and then feel overly restricted because this is where people run into problems. Um, I'll come to step three after this, because I think planning and preparation is key when it comes to making these gradual changes. There's a phrase I like to use to making these gradual changes. There's a phrase I like to use which is, um, fail to prepare and prepare to fail. So make sure you know what you're doing and look at your lifestyle and how you can make changes so that you're doing your best to manage
00:08:46 inflammation and endometriosis in the body. Also monitor symptoms. So see what changes um, had the most effect on symptoms. Um, and that will make it easier to determine what might be causing Um, and that will make it easier to determine what might be causing the problem in the first place. Um, so if you find that you cut out gluten and everything seemed to be going really well, but then you gradually introduced it again and symptoms started to come back, well, chances are you just have to stay off gluten and which a lot
00:09:13 of people have to do nowadays, that might not be the case for you, but just monitor symptoms. Let's see what's having the effect and let's see what's not really making a difference at all. And then lastly, nutrition is a powerful tool to help you reduce symptoms of endometriosis. But it's not the only thing. symptoms of endometriosis. But it's not the only thing. It's only part of the solution. I'm a nutritionist, so I am big into helping people, um, treat reproductive conditions
00:09:41 using nutrition and also supplements. Um, but what lifestyle changes can you bring in? I've added a lovely photograph of some ladies about to do yoga. So exercise is key mindfulness stress management. And then that also combined with possibly medications to help treat endometriosis as well. Um, so it's not a one size fits all. Sometimes nutrition will work Um, so it's not a one size fits all. Sometimes nutrition will work better for some people and maybe not as effective for others.
00:10:08 And that is all based on other, um, external factors that could be impacting the severity of symptoms with your endometriosis. So please do take on board as many holistic treatments as you can when it comes to managing inflammation and estrogen metabolism in the body. But thank you so much for listening and I hope this has been helpful. But thank you so much for listening and I hope this has been helpful.
