Is Your Gut telling you something about Endometriosis??

by Dr. Arika Dortero

Recent study findings were published from a group of researchers who looked at a specific bacterial infection as a potential cause of endometriosis. 

Before we dive in, you may be wondering “what is endometriosis?”.

Endometriosis is a debilitating condition where the endometrium (the official name for the lining inside the uterus that grows and sheds each cycle creating what you see as your period) grows outside the uterus and often causes severe pain. The cause of endometriosis is still poorly understood and ongoing research continues on this matter. 

Conventional treatment for endometriosis has largely focused on using hormonal contraceptives (birth control), hormone blocking medications, or surgical removal of endometriosis lesions. Many individuals with endometriosis know that some of these treatments can be helpful, but the pain and endometrial growths often comes back.  

Naturopathic medicine has a different lens when it comes to treating endometriosis. We look at the whole person and the various symptoms + systems involved in the condition. 

Endometriosis is known to be an estrogen dependent and inflammatory condition, yet this is often not at all discussed or addressed in a traditional medical setting. As naturopathic physicians, we often discuss the role of inflammation and how specific anti-inflammatory treatments can be helpful.  

Additionally, endometriosis doesn’t just affect the reproductive organs but many individuals with symptoms will often have gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms as well. Naturopaths are experts when it comes to including the GI system as part of the holistic treatment of many conditions. Our GI system is often the root cause of many conditions and we can often tie many health concerns back to this unique system. Many individuals with endometriosis will often have symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, and additionally some may have been diagnosed and treated for small intestinal bowel overgrowth which further highlights the connection between endometriosis and the GI system and the importance of looking at them together.  

When being treated for a GI condition, some individuals may note improvement in their endometriosis symptoms as well, and recent research findings may start to explain the connection. Scientists studied a group of people with endometriosis and a group without and found that 63% of those with endometriosis had high levels of a bacteria called Fusobacterium in their uterus, compared with only 7% of those in the control group. This significant finding means that high levels of Fusobacterium in the uterus could possibly indicate a person has endometriosis. In a different study, looking at mice with endometriosis, (I know – sad!!) researchers also found that treatment with antibiotics reduced the size and severity of the endometriosis lesions.

These studies provide information on possible bacterial causes of endometriosis and a simple, non-invasive treatment, antibiotics.  However, we know antibiotics are not without side effects and the treatment part of this research was in mice, not humans, and more research will need to be done.  

The important take home message here is to always talk to your naturopath about ALL of your symptoms, especially GI symptoms. Though you may not realize it, the gut is connected to SO many areas of your overall health. I always tell my patients that I am very interested in what happens in their gut, as their body’s symptoms help direct us to helpful treatments. 

If you know or think you have endometriosis or if you’ve been experiencing GI symptoms that you’d like to look into more holistically, I invite you to schedule a visit with myself or one of the other naturopathic physicians.

See you in the clinic!

Dr Arika Dortero

Ayako Muraoka, et al. Fusobacterium infection facilitates the development of endometriosis through the phenotypic transition of endometrial fibroblasts.Sci. Transl. Med.15,eadd1531(2023).DOI:10.1126/scitranslmed.add1531

Chen C et al. The microbiota continuum along the female reproductive tract and its relation to uterine-related diseases. Nat Commun. 2017 Oct 17;8(1):875. doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-00901-0. PMID: 29042534; PMCID: PMC5645390.