It may be hard to believe this statement, but hear me out. I was diagnosed with endometriosis last year—along with adenomyosis, fibroids, and an ovarian cyst. And I want to say this now: Endo is awful. It sucks how long it takes to be diagnosed, and it’s horrible how it affects our lives. The pain and suffering are real, and I hear you loud and clear, ladies. Loud and clear. Before you put me in the woo-woo wellness camp, I should tell you that I used to be a nurse. I speak the language of medicine, and it’s why my surgeon looked at me like I was crazy when I said no to all the options she gave me. As I left, she said she would see me back in her office in 10 years begging for a hysterectomy. So why did I feel confident walking away from the conventional treatments? Because for the last five years I’ve become intimately acquainted with my body. I’ve gotten to know my own workings inside and out and back to front. When I was suffering from undiagnosed endo I reached out to health care professionals about my symptoms, but I didn’t get the answers I wanted. First, they didn’t have the time or space to talk; I was batted away like I was making it up or making it worse than it was. I felt like no one believed that my pain or symptoms were real. It was very frustrating, and I built up a lot of resentment and mistrust, so I figured I had nothing to lose and tried to find alternatives. Today I’m pain-free, and my periods are the textbook periods that most women dream of. They aren’t massively heavy, I get no clots, I don’t have pain, they last about five days, and my cycle that used to be anywhere from 21 to 33 days is now cruising along at an average of 26 days. Here are some of the lifestyle changes I made that worked for me. Did you know that blood sugar plays a big role in hormone balance? Here’s a supplement and a smoothie ingredient that can help you balance your blood sugar.
