One of the changes many women with endometriosis experience is weight gain. Weight gain has not been found to be a direct symptom of endometriosis. Rather, the weight gain tends to stem from the treatment methods towards endometriosis.
A common response to endometriosis pain management is prescribing birth control pills as a hormone therapy. Hormone treatment is often utilized in an effort to stop ovulation and potentially stop periods or at least weaken their intensity and frequency.
These hormonal treatments may be combination hormones (estrogen and progesterone) or progestin only. The estrogen component can cause fluid retention and weight gain through an increased appetite. Progestin hormones commonly cause bloating as a side effect.
Another common practice for tending to the symptoms of endometriosis is to have a hysterectomy or oophorectomy to remove the uterus or ovaries (respectively). This removal causes a change in the hormonal balance and can such cause similar changes to those using hormone therapy.
Although weight gain is not considered to be a direct cause of weight gain bloating is. Bloating from endometriosis can be caused by endometrial implants on the outer walls of the intestines. Then there’s also the possibility of some bloating and water retention from hormonal therapy to take into account. The bloating in the abdominal area can cause a pair of pants to no longer zip or a shirt to fit a snug, implanting the idea that you could be gaining weight.
Exercising regularly – even though this can be extremely tough with intense abdominal pain- and eating well-balanced meals may help with the weight gain side effect from hormonal changes. Some have also experienced a decrease in severity of symptoms with weight reduction.
Increasing vegetables in your diet is one way to help add in more anti-inflammatory and low-calorie foods. Although keep in mind that certain vegetables such as broccoli and kale are notorious for causing bloating and may exacerbate some symptoms. Instead of having a side vegetable for dinner trying making them a larger component or throwing them into your commonly made dishes in order to up your daily vegetable servings. By adding more vegetables in your meals you’re also less likely to consume as much of the higher calorie components.
