Keeping a symptoms diary

Keeping an endometriosis symptoms diary


Keeping a diary which records your endometriosis symptoms is a very useful tool.  Personally I found one of the best ways is to compile this diary as a 'hard copy' visual chart so that you can very quickly get a 'snap shot' of changes in your symptoms. Call me old-fashioned but I preferred this method rather than using one of the many apps that are now available. I had my chart pinned up on the wall and was able to get a very quick view to assess my symptoms. You can also use a simple spread sheet layout on your laptop if you prefer.  


Food diary

If you are in the process of making changing to your eating regime then you need to also keep a food diary. You can keep a separate diary for this  if you are going to keep extensive notes of everything you ate, also noting any symptoms changes. This needs to include any supplements you are taking and it is a good idea to include medication changes as well because these can affect your gut health.


Plotting a visual symptoms chart


You can use  graph paper or a spread sheet, following the 28 female cycle, not a calendar cycle. Headings are the days of the cycle 1 to 28.

Under each day plot the symptoms you want to chart each day.  You can simply use a colour code/block of colour for each symptom and this will give you a quick 'at a glance' view of your symptoms.

When I did this I charted the 5 main symptoms that I wanted to keep track of, using a column of 5 blocks, one for each symptom, and used a different colour felt pen to colour in the blocks in a different way to define what happened. 

I then worked along the rows, day by day, and a clear visual chart would appear. This enabled me to do a quick ‘view at a glance’, to see how things were going and to see what patterns were developing in my symptoms.


The main symptoms I charted were:


·    Monthly cycle - days I had periods, using red felt-pen. If my bleeding was light I would only color in half the block

·   Bowel movements - using brown felt-pen - obviously ! (if bowel movements were non-existent, I would leave a blank, if they were a bit light I would only colour in half the block)

·    Pain symptoms - using purple felt-pen (if I was in a lot of pain I would colour in the whole box, if I had average or light amount of pain, I would again, only  colour in half the box)

·     Sleep pattern - using black felt-pen (if I slept OK I would colour in the whole box, if I slept lightly/badly I would colour in only half the box, if I hardly slept I would leave the box blank)

·     Energy levels - using light blue felt-pen (if I had good energy I would colour the whole box, if I had low energy I would only colour in half the box)



I also left a space at the bottom of each days entry to write in simple notes of specific events i.e. the days I took homeopathic remedies, the days I started with any supplements, days in which life had been crap, days in which life had been good, whether it was a full-moon (because I am susceptible to the full moon), appointments with the doctor/medical profession, when I was away on holiday, and so on.

After a few months I could start to see any patterns emerging and  I could then easily view how things were going and how life events were affecting my health. 

I could keep an accurate record of my menstrual cycle - I even put in the notes, the time of day that my period started.  If I had a bad bout of Irritable Bowel, I would note down what I had eaten to give me a guide of what had triggered it off.  

 These visual notes can be taken to your doctor, gynaecologist or any alternative practitioner you are seeing.  It is a quick, simple and concise record of all your health symptoms and is a valuable tool for them as well as yourself. 

I highly recommend you start to chart your health now; it may give you more clues than you realise.  I kept mine pinned to the bedroom wall, above the dresser, with the pot of pens on the dresser.  Using different colour pens, and colouring in the blocks, is quick and easy to do, and is much easier to read afterwards, rather than flicking back and forth through a diary.


Resources to monitor symptoms

Some of you may be using an app with your phone to track your symptoms, and there are a few versions available. These apps are pre-set and can sometimes be inflexible as to which symptoms you can monitor. I wanted to be quite specific of which symptoms I charted and also be able to add in daily notes which is why my own custom design suited me best.

Some people are more 'visual' and may prefer the old-fashioned method of pen and paper, like me.  I think it is the artist in me that likes the hands on touch. We really do rely too much on tech these days!


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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.






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