phytoestrogen

Endometriosis & Eggs

| Bloomin' Uterus
Carton of one dozen eggs

Note: this is about eating eggs. If you’re looking for info on Endometriosis and freezing your eggs for fertility treatments, click here.

So you may know a lot of the dietary restrictions many people choose to follow with Endometriosis.  I’ve heard “don’t eat eggs,” and “eat eggs!”  I LOVE me some eggs, so have decided to continue to devour them, but am curious as to the whole “don’t eat eggs” mentality – and it’s something I’ve never really looked into.  I’m assuming it has to do with hormones and proteins, just like red meats and dairy, but will give it a looksy today.

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Endometriosis & Wine

| Bloomin' Uterus
A spilling glass of red wine

So, we’ve all heard that a glass of wine can be good for you.  Healthy, actually.  Then we’ve all heard that it can be harmful.  Throw in the mix that some of us suffer from Endometriosis…and that many people try to cut alcohol out of their lifestyle to prevent flare-ups and symptoms.  Alcohol is not only harmful to our bodies and livers, but contains a lot of sugar, as well as wreaks havoc on our system.  But I like me some vino!

Cutting out alcohol all together is likely your safest bet if you’re wanting to live cleaner and healthier.  The liver filters out toxins, as well as estrogen, from the body.  As you may have read elsewhere, Endometriosis is an estrogen-fed and reliant disease.  If our livers cannot properly filter out estrogen, we are simply empowering our illness.  Alcohol is also high in sugar…and we’ve previously discussed how sugar may increase your Endometriosis pain and flare-ups.  Studies have shown that alcohol may also increase estrogen levels due to phytoestrogens in alcohol…plant estrogens that  mimic human estrogen (…wait…I didn’t know that. Crap.)

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Endometriosis & Soy Products

| Bloomin' Uterus
Bowl of soy beans in the pod

Here we go again, inspired to write due to a dietary “restriction.”  I’ve read that as an Endo Sufferer, I should avoid (or drastically cut back from) soy and soy-based products.  I’ve read soy mimics and increases estrogen levels, which we’ve come to understand can affect our Endometriosis growth and symptoms.  So today, I want to do my own research.

Soy products are the “richest sources of isoflavones” that humans can eat.  What the heck is an isoflavone? It’s a “plant-based compound with estrogenic activity” English, Lisa, ENGLISH! It means it’s a plant-based compound that mimics estrogen.  So, soy has a very rich, or high levels, of a property, a compound, a thing…that acts like, or mimics, estrogen.  The isoflavones can attach themselves to estrogen receptors throughout the body, and either mimic or block certain estrogen effects in tissues.

Why is that bad? Well, it’s not, for everyone.  Estrogen may help prevent certain forms of cancer (breast, uterine, or prostrate), stimulate bone growth, or help women suffering with post-menopausal symptoms. But for those of us who suffer from what very-well may be an estrogen-driven disease, it can be very bad.

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