Anita Roy Chaudhuri -NZ Registered Nutritionist & Medical Herbalist
Natural Fertility & Women's health.
At Natural fertility and women’s health we work with women who have been prescribed hormonal treatments to manage painful or irregular periods for symptoms suggestive of endometriosis. However when hormonal contraception is stopped to try for pregnancy, these symptoms can return or become more noticeable.
For some, this may happen while they are waiting for further investigations or during the first year of trying to conceive. This can create a challenging window where couples are looking for non-medical approaches to manage symptoms and also optimize their chance of a natural conception.
How common is Endometriosis
Endometriosis is estimated to affect around 2–10% of women worldwide. Prevalence may be considerably higher among women experiencing pelvic pain or fertility challenges, with some estimates suggesting rates of up to 50% in these groups.
Despite how common endometriosis is, diagnosis can take many years. In New Zealand, the diagnostic delay has been reported to be as long as 9.7 years, meaning many people live with symptoms for a significant period before receiving a diagnosis and appropriate support.
Traditionally, diagnostic laparoscopy was considered the gold standard for confirming endometriosis. Increasingly, however, clinical guidelines recognise that a diagnosis can be based on symptoms and clinical assessment, allowing symptom management to begin without necessarily waiting for surgery. Hormonal medications and pain management are often used as first-line approaches.
If you have painful periods, digestive symptoms or other symptoms suggestive of endometriosis, it can be helpful to seek assessment rather than simply accepting these symptoms as something you must live with. If you are concerned that endometriosis may have been overlooked and may be affecting your fertility there are symptom and assessment tools available that you can take to your next medical appointment to help you guide the conversation with your medical team.
https://ranzcog.edu.au/womens-health/patient-information/rate/
Can Endometriosis affect your Fertility ?
Being diagnosed with endometriosis does not mean that pregnancy is impossible. Many women with endometriosis conceive spontaneously. ESHRE estimates that 60-70% of women with endometriosis are fertile and can become pregnant naturally Endometriosis can, however, be associated with a longer time to pregnancy and may affect fertility through several pathways. For couples trying to conceive, understanding these factors and addressing areas that can be supported through nutrition and lifestyle can be a valuable part of preconception care. However for couples doing IVF , Undiagnosed endometriosis lengthens the time to pregnancy in couples undergoing fertility treatment.
How Natural Fertility & Women’s Health Can Help
At Natural Fertility & Women’s Health, our practitioners take an individualised, evidence-informed approach to supporting women and couples navigating endometriosis, pelvic pain and fertility challenges. Naturopathic and lifestyle strategies can complement medical care and provide practical support for nutrition, gut health, inflammation, stress management and overall reproductive wellbeing.
Areas we may support include:
Optimising vitamin D and other key nutritional status
Individualised anti-inflammatory dietary strategies and nutritional supplementation
Identifying and addressing nutritional deficiencies
Individualised herbal medicine prescriptions to support inflammation, pain and stress management
Addressing metabolic health, including insulin resistance and under-fuelling
Supporting a healthy reproductive and gut microbiome
Functional Gut and Reproductive microbiome testing
Managing digestive symptoms such as IBS, bloating and bowel changes
Supporting preconception health and nutrition to help optimise the health of both egg and sperm
Developing an individualised preconception plan to support natural conception and a healthy pregnancy
Microbiome and Gut-Focused Approaches
Gut symptoms are common in people with endometriosis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and endometriosis frequently co-exist. While the close proximity of the reproductive and gut within the pelvis may contribute to some symptoms, research is also beginning to explore the relationship between endometriosis and the gut microbiome.
Studies suggest that endometriosis may be associated with changes in the composition and balance of the gut microbiome. This has led to growing interest in whether supporting a diverse and balanced microbiome through nutrition, probiotics and other naturopathic approaches may have a role in supporting endometriosis management.
At Natural fertility and women's health we offer both Gut and Vaginal Microbiome testing to inform our gut-focused naturopathic approaches, including dietary strategies, probiotics and herbal medicines. These approaches may support pathways involved in inflammation, oestrogen metabolism and immune system regulation, all of which may play a role in the development and progression of endometriosis.
At Natural Fertility & Women’s Health, we can work alongside your GP, gynaecologist or fertility team to provide personalised nutritional, naturopathic and lifestyle support throughout your preconception journey.