Does using Diet for Endometriosis Work?

Food as a Tool

Food is not a cure for endometriosis - but it is one of the most evidence supported tools available for managing its hormonal and inflammatory drivers - and that makes it extraordinarily powerful.


Endo diet research and feedback - does the endo diet work


Every meal you eat sends biochemical signals to your hormones, your gut microbiome, and your immune system. With the right knowledge, you can begin to send different signals - not through restriction or rigidity, but through informed, compassionate choices.

Making diet changes to help with endometriosis works well for many helping to reduce symptoms of endometriosis and there are a number of feedback stories that validate the benefits to be found in endo support groups.  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 is a lot 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 obvious health benefits like supporting 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. Keeping a symptoms journal can really help you learn what are triggers of your symptoms. Including details of your dietary intake will also help you have a better understanding of which foods are causing problems for you.


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


  • Anti-inflammatory diet – this is scientifically reviewed as being a viable help for endometriosis - read more here
  • Gluten free – many women with endo say they notice a real 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 food substitutes – there is little research on this and there are also conflicting views on the topic of soy - but soy has a negative affect with endo as it has very high levels of phytoestrogens and can also affect those with thyroid issues
  • Reduce red meat – this is another area where there is mixed research results. The feedback from endometriosis sufferers is also mixed with some having no problems while for others they find that stopping red meat does help. Red meat increases inflammation as well as negative prostaglandins that are responsible for pain  Grass fed and organic meat seems to be OK for some.
  • 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.


Current Research & Diet with Endometriosis

Endometriosis Diet Research


Recent Research

A new study, led by Edinburgh University asked volunteers about changes to their diet and about dietary supplements used to try to improve their symptoms. The Edinburgh study relied on self-reported pain levels and surveyed people from 51 countries.

Dietary changes could reduce the pain of endometriosis for half of those living with the disease, a new study suggests. The largest international survey ever conducted on diet and endometriosis, involving 2,599 people, found 45% of those who stopped eating gluten and 45% of those who cut out dairy reported experiencing an improvement in their pain.

Philippa Saunders, senior author of the study and professor of reproductive steroids at the University of Edinburgh, said: 'It really feels like we are on the cusp of something pretty big with understanding how diet affects endometriosis symptoms.'


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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 success stories of those who made changes in their diet and reducing their symptoms of endometriosis here Sometimes a little inspiration and feedback from others can be really help.


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 making diet changes work for you? .. . . . . . this is very individual  . . . . . if you do not have issues around food anxiety and trying to make diet changes may cause you problems, then it certainly won't do you any harm, and should only provide health benefits - the basis of working on your diet to help endometriosis is about following a healthy, anti-inflammatory, chemical free diet. 

If you want to know more about how diet changes can help find more details  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.



Reference:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9983692/

https://impact.ed.ac.uk/research/endometriosis-research-shows-changing-diet-may-help/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405457726000495

https://www.theendometriosisfoundation.org/diet-and-lifestyle

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/apr/05/major-endometriosis-study-reveals-impact-of-gluten-coffee-dairy-and-alcohol



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