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My Endometriosis Journey and the Underdiagnosis of Menstrual Issues

March 15, 2017 by Christina Najjar Leave a Comment

We need to talk about something serious. And I’m not asking you to converse with me about your humourless uncle. No, I’m referring specifically to the underdiagnosis of menstrual issues like PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and endometriosis.

According to the Endometriosis Network Canada, it is estimated that 1 in 10 women has endometriosis. The prevalence of PCOS cases is roughly the same, as well. And yet, when we complain of severe menstrual pain, we’re told that we have PMS or dysmenorrhea, and that we should be taking the birth control pill.

This issue is very personal to me. I am one of the 1 in 10.

My Endometriosis Journey and the Underdiagnosis of Menstrual Issues

My endometriosis journey

The teenage years

The first few years of my period presented with the expected mood swings a teenager would experience, and “average” cramps (though it should be noted that average does NOT mean healthy). But a few years in, something started to go seriously wrong. When my period came around, I found myself curled up in pain on the bathroom floor, ready to vomit.

Visits to the doctor informed me that it was “just PMS”. I was prescribed a high dose of painkillers. And I continued to take them until I had built a tolerance, and found that they no longer had an effect on me. I was then told to take the birth control pill to “fix” my symptoms. When I eventually did start taking hormonal birth control, all seemed to be better.

If you’re in my Nutrition for PMS, PCOS & Endometriosis group on Facebook, or if you’ve read some of my previous posts, you already know that I’m not a fan of what birth control can do to the body. Research shows a correlation between some types of oral contraceptives used mainly for PMS symptom management (such as YAZ and Yasmine) and IBS.

The digestive issues and adrenal fatigue

Of course, I did develop IBS. I even had an acute bout of colitis and discovered a bunch of food sensitivities. Did you know that digestive problems worsen menstrual issues? And the birth control that was supposed to help my PMS was worsening my digestion. It’s a vicious cycle!

In my early twenties, I finally came off of hormonal contraceptives after 5-6 years of use. My digestive issues did improve a bit. However, it quickly became clear that the birth control had only been a band-aid solution for my menstrual issues.

Under the recommendations of my Naturopathic Doctor, I made lots of changes to my health. These changes showed varying degrees of improvement on my PMS symptoms. They did, however, help my digestion.

In nutrition school, I learned a wealth of information that I could directly apply to my health. I was in heaven. Once again, my period was manageable. But again, “manageable” doesn’t mean healthy.

After I graduated from nutrition school came the challenge of starting my nutrition practice. Let me say that starting a business is not a stress-free endeavour! The stress of doing two consecutive degrees and running a business pushed me over the edge to stage 3 adrenal fatigue.

The thing with adrenal fatigue is that it messes with the body’s hormones. Many hormones are produced in the adrenal glands, including sex hormones. And when one sex hormone is off, it can easily throw off the balance of the other sex hormones.

It was like I had been transported back 10 years. The pain came back in full force. Once again, I was curling up on the bathroom floor on the worst days of my period. I was unable to be mentally present during social gatherings because I was busy willing the pain to go away.

Testing for menstrual issues

Because my mother has PCOS, I pushed hard to get an ultrasound and some hormone tests done. But when those tests showed no PCOS, I was told it was only dysmenorrhea. As a healthcare professional who works mainly with menstrual issues, I knew that something had to be wrong for my body to react that way. But had I been a layperson, I would have accepted that explanation and continued suffering.

Once I found out I didn’t have PCOS, I continued to try to figure out what could be wrong with my body. My symptoms were suggesting endometriosis. But endometriosis is a condition which is a bit tricky to diagnose because it doesn’t show up on blood tests or most ultrasounds. It requires a laparoscopy, which involves filling the abdomen with air, and inserting a camera through an incision near the navel.

Diagnosis or not, I want this issue taken care of as soon as possible. I am currently on an anti-inflammatory diet, I started acupuncture a few weeks ago, and now I’m looking into also doing pelvic floor physiotherapy.

Last week, I finally went in for my physical. I brought up my concerns with my menstrual issues. As someone who doesn’t automatically choose conventional medical interventions, my concerns don’t always get taken as seriously. My doctor told me that since I am not looking to conceive in the next 6 months and I don’t plan on going back on hormonal birth control, there’s no point in looking further into my menstrual issues. But upon doing the actual physical portion of the appointment, she was convinced.

An optimistic future

I received a referral for a gynecologist so that we can discuss my options. Endometriosis is one of those conditions that, when left untreated, can get worse. But I am choosing alternative treatments that focus on bringing balance back into my body, rather than simply dealing with the symptoms. Bringing balance back into my body will also reduce my chances of having ovarian cancer, since endometriosis puts women at a higher risk.

After struggling for 13 years, I’m finally starting to get answers. Sadly, this is not out of the norm. In Canada, it takes an average of 7 to 9 years of complaining of symptoms to get a diagnosis.

Will I be able to reverse my endometriosis? Who knows! But I certainly won’t give up until I do. And not only will I fight for my own health, but I also plan to help as many women as I can along the way.

Do you struggle with menstrual issues? Click the button below to join the FREE Nutrition for PMS, PCOS, and endometriosis group on Facebook.
Nutrition for PMS, PCOS, and endometriosis

Filed Under: Articles & Tips Tagged With: adrenal fatigue, endometriosis, hormonal health, hormones, infertility, menstruation, PCOS, PMS, women's health

7 Ways to Reduce Your Exposure to Hormone Disruptors

February 7, 2017 by Christina Najjar Leave a Comment

In last week’s post, I talked about how we’re surrounded by hormone disruptors called xenoestrogens. These hormone disruptors can be your worst enemy if you struggle with PMS, PCOS, endometriosis, or infertility.

Main sources of xenoestrogens include plastic, pesticides, and parabens (preservatives for cosmetics and household products). Thankfully, there are all kinds of things you can do to reduce your exposure to these hormone disruptors.

7 Ways to Reduce Your Exposure to Hormone Disruptors (Xenoestrogens)

7 Ways to Reduce Your Exposure to Hormone Disruptors

Switch to glass

Are you drinking out of plastic bottles, or storing your food in plastic containers? The softer the plastic, the more it leaches into your food and water. Consider using mason jars. They’re great storage for soups, curries and stews. They can also double as a water bottle, so no need to buy a fancy bottle!

For more solid foods, consider getting glass storage containers that can also double as oven cookware. If glass is too heavy for your needs, try stainless steel containers.

Use cloth produce bags

How many produce bags do you use per grocery trip? As your produce sits in these bags, it picks up some of the unwanted particles in the plastic. Try bringing your own cloth or mesh bags to the grocery store. As an added bonus, it’s also more environmentally friendly.

Buy organic

Pesticides are one of the worst offenders, when it comes to hormone disruptors. The best way to avoid or reduce pesticides is to buy organic. But when that fails, refer to the EWG’s Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen to decide on which produce you can safely eat conventional, and where you really should invest in organic.

Make your own hair products

Think of all the products you use on your skin and scalp. Between shampoos, conditioners, soaps, hair gels, deodorants, facial cleansers, moisturisers, night creams… Without even discussing makeup, you may already be using a wide variety of products that are less than friendly to your hormones.

The good news is that most hair products can be made quite easily with natural ingredients you just may already have in your home. Try recipes for flax hair gel, facial cleanser, or shampoo. If you want to make your hair care routine easier, you can also try the baking soda and apple cider vinegar method.

Switch to cleaner makeup

Most people know that clean makeup brands exist. The challenge is figuring out which brands of natural makeup actually make products you’ll want to use. There’s no way I’m going to walk around looking like a raccoon because my natural mascara can’t stay on all day.

Some of my favourite brands include Pacifica, Mineral Fusion, and Earth’s Beauty. And trust me, I’ve tried A LOT of different brands of natural makeup.

Clean with vinegar and essential oils

Rather than spending lots of money on cleaning products that are completely loaded with hormone disruptors, you can easily make your own for much cheaper.

All you need is water, white vinegar, and essential oils. Using these three ingredients in different concentrations, you can make cleaners for most surfaces.

Drink clean water

Did you know that tap water only filters out certain contaminants? Several thousands of contaminants could potentially be in the water. The City of Ottawa (where I live) only checks for 300 contaminants.

While some decent filters like Mavea and Santevia exist, they still don’t manage to filter out all contaminants. And don’t waste your money on a Brita filter, because it doesn’t do much that your city’s filtration system doesn’t already do. That is, if you live somewhere where the water is safe to drink.

To ensure that you have access to really clean water, consider installing a reverse osmosis filter in your home or choosing distilled water. However, make sure that you’re remineralizing that water, or you may end up with mineral deficiencies.

Disclaimer: The provided links may be affiliate links. Opinions are all my own. Any money received through these links will go back into this website to support the hours of work that go into weekly posts. Thank you for your support.

How do you reduce your exposure to hormone disruptors? Tell us in the comments!

Filed Under: Articles & Tips Tagged With: endometriosis, hormonal health, hormones, infertility, inflammation, menstruation, PCOS, PMS, women's health

Xenoestrogens: Hormone Disruptors That Worsen Your PMS

January 31, 2017 by Christina Najjar Leave a Comment

When dealing with hormonal issues like PMS, PCOS, endometriosis, or infertility, it’s normal to feel like your hormones will never be normal again. In fact, regulating hormones now is harder than ever (speaking from experience). We are constantly surrounded by hormone disruptors called xenoestrogens.

Xenoestrogens: hormone disruptors that worsen your PMS

Xenoestrogens are molecules that look like estrogen to our bodies and our cells. Some of these affect our bodies by stimulating the production of more estrogen. Other types of these hormone disruptors pretend to be the estrogen produced by the body.

In simpler terms, they can worsen conditions with PMS symptoms.

How exactly, you ask? PMS and other related conditions becomes worse as a result of high levels of estrogen, or too much estrogen in relation to progesterone (called estrogen dominance).

Sources of xenoestrogens

These far too common hormone disruptors can be grouped into 3 main categories: plastics, parabens, and pesticides. The 3 P’s make it easy to remember! However, keep in mind that this isn’t a complete list of xenoestrogens.

Sources of xenoestrogens (common hormone disruptors)

Plastics

Look around your house right now. How much plastic do you see? It’s in food storage containers, the lining of food cans, water bottles, cosmetic bottles, the bags for your produce… Grocery store meats and many vegetables are pre-packaged in plastic. The softer the plastic, the more of these hormone disruptors you’re picking up (I’m looking at you, saran wrap!).

BPA has been the focus of many studies, linking it back to cancer, hormonal and reproductive issues in males and females, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and the list goes on. As a result, many companies have started producing items made of BPA-free plastics. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but these plastics aren’t any better, unfortunately.

Parabens

Next, think about the products you use on your skin and around the house. Look at your soaps, shampoos, makeup, face creams, bathroom cleaners, window cleaners, and so on. Unless you’re buying really clean brands or making these from scratch, you’re likely exposing yourself to parabens. These are preservatives for the products that are being absorbed into your body from your skin.

Some parabens can be recognized on ingredient lists because they end in -paraben. However, there are variations that make it harder to recognize. If you’re unsure of how clean your products are, check out the EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Database.

Pesticides

Finally, we have pesticides. You probably know that if you eat conventional fruits and vegetables, you’re ingesting all kinds of pesticides. You can find out which vegetables and fruits are the most contaminated by having a look at the EWG’s Dirty Dozen list.

Most people know that they can reduce their pesticide intake by buying organic produce. But did you know that tap water is also loaded with pesticides? Distilled water and reverse osmosis are the two safest ways to avoid hormone disruptors in water. However, ensure that the water you drink has been remineralized.

How do you avoid xenoestrogens? Tell us in the comments!

Filed Under: Articles & Tips Tagged With: endometriosis, hormones, infertility, PCOS, PMS, women's health

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