It’s endometriosis awareness month this March. To increase awareness, Kelsey has shared some of her experiences of having endometriosis alongside living with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). 

 

Balancing endometriosis with IBS:

Having IBS on top of endometriosis can be a real life juggle at times. For me, managing endometriosis in itself is all about timing and working with my menstrual cycle, whereas IBS is managing stress, sleep, exercise and dietary triggers. 

In my experience, there are two times during my menstrual cycle which are most challenging; ovulation and the lead up to my period. Throughout these phases, my bowels are unpredictable and it can be challenging to figure out the cause of a flare up. 

The struggle:

To optimise my gut health, I try to eat at least 30 different plant-based foods per week. This tends to help reduce my endometriosis inflammation too. As endometriosis is an inflammatory condition, I do my best to eat as many foods that are rich in anti-oxidants to help manage inflammation. 

Balancing getting a variety of plant-based foods with managing fibre and watching FODMAP intake throughout my cycle is one of my biggest challenges. 

There are many times where I’ve eaten a large variety of plant-based foods in a day, which has then caused my IBS to flare up. This then tends to result in a bad nights’ sleep followed by overeating on comfort foods the next day, which are high in sugar and unhelpful with managing endo inflammation. As you can see, this is a vicious cycle.

In the week leading up to my period, I crave carbohydrate rich foods and any other food tends to make me nauseous. Over these days, my bowel patterns are reasonably steady (thank you progesterone for slowing things down), however I’m gauranteed to consistently look 5 months pregnant, thanks to bloating.

That is, until the day or so before my period. At this point, going to the bathroom is suddenly urgent and is followed by a flood of pain, bloating, belly distention, unpredictable bowel patterns and exhaustion. 

There are times where it is near impossible to figure out if my symptoms are endometriosis or IBS related. I have resigned to the fact that if it’s not a really obvious food trigger, then it is probably endometriosis flaring things up. This is just the easiest way for me to deal with my symptoms without getting into the cycle of overthinking everything. 

Helpful things:

I have found that tracking my menstrual cycle is the most helpful tool in managing both endometriosis and IBS. This helps to keep me informed of what is happening inside of my body and makes it easier to figure out what is causing the symptoms.

I’ve learnt through being aware of my menstrual cycle phase, there are foods and forms of exercise which feel better during those particular times. Having this knowledge has made life so much easier and made managing both endometriosis and IBS feel achievable. 

Other helpful things:

• Learning when enough is enough. Listen to your body and do not push yourself when you physically and mentally feel like you shouldn’t.
• Find low energy re-charge activities e.g. reading, gentle movement (beach walks), baking, gardening etc.
• Ask for help – whether that is with friends and family or seeking further health professional input (dietitian, pelvic floor physio, psychologist etc). Endometriosis is a challenging condition and it is hard enough to manage in itself.
• Have an emergency stash of pain killers that work for you in your hand bag and in the car for when you need them.
• Have a wheat bag at work and at home that you can heat up when needed.
• Knowing that sometimes it is ok to just sit on the couch and rest – you are not lazy for resting.
• If you are comfortable, share your journey with those close to you, this helps them better understand you and what you’re going through.

 

 

If you have endometriosis and IBS, I hope you’ve found ways to manage your symptoms the best you can!

Our experienced dietitians see women juggling endometriosis and IBS all the time, if you need help click HERE to speak with a dietitian. For more information on endometriosis, click HERE.

Published: 3rd March 2024

Author: Kelsey Paterson, Monash FODMAP trained Dietitian