Does using diet for endometriosis work?

Endo diet research and feedback - does the endo diet work


Making diet changes to help with endometriosis works really well for many to help reduce the symptoms of endometriosis and there are many success stories from women that validate the benefits.  However, it is worth noting that everyone is different and will react to certain foods differently or you may be dealing with specific gut health issues. 

Something to keep in mind is that you may have allergies, intolerances or gut imbalances and by making diet changes, this  will have helped to improve your health. There is also the issue of chemicals and other harmful substances added to our food that cause or contribute  to debilitating diseases like endometriosis and ideally these need to be removed from your diet. 

There's quite a bit of evidence that diet can help reduce inflammation, and there are a few studies showing that certain foods/diets can help with severe menstrual pain. For example, we know that a small study showed that 75% of endo sufferers had a decrease in endo pain after going gluten-free.


Diet is one of the safest options to explore to help obtain symptom relief, not to mention improving your diet has health benefits like improving your overall health versus the many side effects you may experience from medication.


Diet does not provide a cure for endometriosis, but the right food choices can really help to reduce the pain and inflammation, help to balance your hormones, improve your immune-system and gut health, and generally improve your health..

You can find many stories of others where the diet has worked for them and there are now support groups aimed specifically to exchange ideas and advise about diet, nutrition, supplements and recipes.


The basis of using diet to help with your symptoms of endometriosis:


  • Anti-inflammatory diet – read more here
  • Gluten free – many women with endo say they notice a BIG difference when the stop eating gluten
  • Reduce bad/negative prostaglandins – they increase the pain you feel – read what prostaglandins are and how they have a direct relationship to how you feel pain here
  • Dairy free – dairy increase inflammation (though this is not the case for everyone)
  • Sugar free – we all know sugar is really bad for us and it increases inflammation
  • Soy free – soy has a negative affect with endo as it has high levels of phytoestrogens
  • Reduce red meat – red meat increases inflammation and pain (grass fed meat seems to be OK for many)
  • Omit convenience foods, foods with additives and preservatives - hardly any nutritional value
  • Ideally is helps to reduce caffeine, alcohol and chocolate (luckily, natural cacao actually has health benefits) 


The Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, the Netherlands conducted a study regarding the use of an anti-inflammatory diet for endometriosis.

According to the study, the main barriers to adhering to an anti-inflammatory diet were eating with other people, not believing in one’s capability about specific dietary guidelines, concerns about the taste of such foods, lack of knowledge on how to follow the diet and lack of intention to follow the diet to the full extent. 

The main factors of adhering to the diet were receiving social support, general confidence in one’s own capabilities, knowing how and why to follow the diet, noticing the beneficial effects of the diet, and belief that the diet would reduce the symptoms of endometriosis.


Feedback from others who have had success with diet changes


"I found advice about the endometriosis diet and decided to try it. I do not eat red meat, wheat, sugar, alcohol, dairy foods - except live yoghurt, and only prepare meals that consist of good quality foods. I do not eat any convenience foods and definitely no additives or preservatives. 

My endometriosis symptoms are much improved and I feel less tired, less bloated and am regaining my energy levels. I feel as though my immune system is in better order and I do not have all the minor colds, flu, and other health issues I used to deal with."



"A few months ago, I cut out red meat entirely, and when eating other meat, it’s hormone free, switched to goat milk (less estrogen) and reduced dairy in general, no soy, drastically reduced my caffeine intake, and lowered my sugar intake. It may have been coincidence, but my last two cycles were significantly better."



"Reduced my symptoms by 75% with a gluten free diet. There are studies showing the correlation between gluten sensitivity and endo. Gluten also is full of estrogen-like compounds so it makes sense."



"I have endo on my colon, and certain foods, like soy, trigger instant pain for me. I've done well on gluten free, soy free, dairy free and low sugar (I get almost all my sugar from fruits now). I very rarely eat anything that is heavily processed. This is just what seems to help my body. You will need to do some experimenting, maybe do an elimination diet to see what helps you. Good luck!"


You can read more accounts of motivational stories of those who have changed their diet and had success in reducing their symptoms of endometriosis here


My own recovery from endo - with the support of good nutrition

The use of diet was an important part of my own recovery from endometriosis.  Luckily I was already about 80% vegetarian, so I was not consuming a great deal of meat  - maybe the occasional chicken dish.  When I was diagnosed with endo I did a lot of research about diet and inflammation and decided to cut right back on dairy, which made a big difference in my symptoms. - but I still snuck in the odd bit of cheese now and again! This helped to reduce my bloating and I also found that whenever I touched any fizzy drinks I would be in agony for hours, so they were a complete no no for me.

Luckily I did not like any of the soy products available like soy based ready meals, so that was never included in my diet.  Also, I never was big on sweets, biscuits and cakes, therefore they never featured much in my diet which gave me a head-start in controlling my symptoms and helped with inflammation. I did however have to focus on cooked foods rather that raw foods, like salads containing ingredients like grated carrot or celery, as I just could not digest them and they would trigger off endo belly with lots of pain. 

My food choices, as explained above, were focussed mainly on a vegetarian diet and I did lots of batch cooking to make life easier so that I had ready meals when I did not feel like cooking. I combined my diet regime with the support of homeopathy and various self-help tools like castor oil packs, meditation, gentle exercise, targeted supplements and essential oils - all of which helped me steadily heal my body - gradually and safely.  You can read my own story about combating endometriosis here


Will the diet work for you? ..... the best way to find out is to try it for yourself ... it certainly won't do you any harm, and should only bring you health benefits - as the basis of the diet is about being a healthy, anti-inflammatory, toxin free diet .....  what have you got to loose!

If you want to know more about diet you can find the full 'low-down' on the endo diet HERE




About the Author

Hi, I am Carolyn Levett, the Founder here at endo-resolved - I am an Integrative Health Coach having studied nutrition, naturopathy and aromatherapy as well as being a published author of three endometriosis books. I used to suffer from severe endometriosis and was fortunate to be able to regained my health and recover from this disease with the support of nutrition, natural therapies and lots of determination.

My motivation is to help other women with endometriosis to heal their bodies so they may start to overcome this awful disease without having to totally rely on toxic drugs and surgeries which can cause further damage  -  with healing thoughts, Carolyn.



As featured in: