This post was originally published on March 19, 2018 and republished on April 12, 2021.

Last week was pretty raw, I know.

My hope is that someone out there can relate to my honesty and no longer feel alone. Or that someone else now has a better understanding of what a loved one may endure if they are struggling with endometriosis and/or infertility.

“Trying for Baby…with Endometriosis” was a candid look at where I am in real life at the moment. And sometimes I just need to experience the lows with the highs. I work through the downer moments the best I can, and yeah, sometimes I may wallow a bit longer than I should.

But, in the end, I remind myself of where my hope lies. I say a prayer for the good Lord to pull me through. And I pick myself up off the floor and figure out my next move.

You know by now that I’m a planner, a lister, a doer. I like to have a game plan in front of me with a goal to work toward. So, after working through the emotional side of coming to terms with my endometriosis diagnosis and the struggles I’m now facing with natural conception as a result of endometriosis, I am ready to get an action plan in place.

I want to do my part while I’m waiting on God to do His.

Once I accepted that my pain, my health issues, my infertility, had a cause and a name, endometriosis, I found power in that knowledge.

Since my diagnosis of stage IV endometriosis last fall I dove into learning all that I could about it. Specifically, what, if anything, I could do or change in my daily life to make a difference in my healing.

Because I intend to beat this endo monster.

Which leads me to these next few posts here on Country Wife Chronicles: My Endo Action Plan.

It is my hope that in sharing what I’m doing with you, you might be inspired to take your health into your own hands and change for the better as well. Now, I’m not a nutrition expert or medical leader on endometriosis. But I can share with you what I now know.

Real Food Heals

I know that real food heals. I’ve shared with you before, here on CWC, that I’ve been in the transition to a more real food based diet for quite some time now. This is something I began exploring before the endo diagnosis, but now I’m even more motivated to get rid of the junk and the processed stuff and replace them with real, whole foods.

Technically, there isn’t a specific endometriosis diet out there, although you will find a few online. There just isn’t enough research to validate any specific diet as truly healing of endometriosis. But, the way I look at it, the worst that can happen if I eat better is that I feel better. I get healthier and stronger, and I can fuel my body with the best possible nutrients to fight this endo battle.

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory condition for all intensive purposes. And there is plenty of research out there indicating that certain foods are inflammatory. So, as far as I’m concerned, an endometriosis diet is an anti-inflammatory diet.

Which means I’m eating a lot of meat and vegetables these days and avoiding sugar, dairy, and gluten as often as possible. As well as soy and caffeine most days.

In many ways it is a Paleo diet, though I wouldn’t say I follow any one specific diet at this point. I just know what I’m trying to avoid and I’m planning our meals around those conditions.

I’m not going to take the time today to go into all the science behind the healing properties of real, whole foods and eating an anti-inflammatory diet. But I will share with you a few resources I’ve leaned on over the last few months. So, if you are interested, you can do your own research to convince you of the healing power of real foods.

Endo Nutritional Resources

Almost immediately after receiving my diagnosis I started to do my homework and I quickly ordered three endometriosis books to help me orchestrate a game plan for my healing. I know there are other endo books out there, but I was sourcing books that could give me the information I needed to make changes in my daily life.

• The Endometriosis Health & Diet Program: Get Your Life Back by Dr. Andrew S. Cook & Danielle Cook: This book really puts the hope back in your life post-diagnosis because it makes you feel like you can do something about it. You can play an active role in your healing with the science-based nutrition and lifestyle recommendations discussed. I’ll be honest, this book can almost overload you with information, but the education is invaluable. At the end of the book there is an individualized program you can follow to help holistically treat your endometriosis.
• The Doctor Will See You Now: Recognizing and Treating Endometriosis by Tamer Seckin, MD: This book is a must-read for anyone that has been diagnosed with endometriosis, anyone that knows anyone with endometriosis, and anyone that thinks they may have endometriosis. The stories shared by real women affected by endometriosis had me saying, “me, too” over and over again as I read of their symptoms and experiences. This book also goes into great detail on wide-excision surgical treatment of endometriosis as the gold standard by the world’s foremost leading endometriosis surgeon, Dr. Tamer Seckin. I especially appreciated Dr. Seckin’s detailed description of the kind of treatment he gives his patients and what you should expect from your doctor in treating endometriosis. The material in this book will help you advocate for proper treatment and diagnosis.
• Whole New You: How Real Food Transforms Your Life by Tia Mowry: Once I started digging into endometriosis online I was surprised to find several celebrities that struggle with and speak out for the awareness of endometriosis. Padma Lakshmi, Julianne Hough, Susan Sarandon, and Tia Mowry to name a few. Tia Mowry made the switch to whole foods and found real healing for her endometriosis, so when I found her cookbook online I dropped it in my cart immediately. Most of her recipes are dairy-free and ditch the refined sugars and processed junk. Her meal plans focus on whole plant foods, anti-inflammatory and gut flora-enhancing options. While I’m not sold on every nutritional aspect of this book, it does give me a good selection of recipes to work with until I get better at crafting my own.

Bonus Resources

Since we are talking nutrition and cookbooks, I also have a few more healthy cookbooks I reach for these days.

• Practical Paleo: A Customized Approach to Health and a Whole-Foods Lifestyle by Diane Sanfilippo: My sister lent me her copy of this book when I was exploring dietary changes pre-endo diagnosis. Paleo recipes are gluten-, grain-, legume-, dairy-, and refined sugar-free. So they naturally land in the anti-inflammatory category. I appreciate the science explaining the benefits of whole foods in the front half of this book as well as all the handy tear-out guides at the back. It is like training wheels for shifting your grocery shopping and making all the food swaps in the kitchen. Plus there are several, ready-to-use 30 day meal plans to get you started.
• Deliciously G-Free: Food So Flavorful They’ll Never Believe It’s Gluten-Free by Elisabeth Hasselbeck: Now, let me start off by saying that these recipes are gluten-free, but not necessarily dairy- or sugar-free. There is, however, a very helpful guide to gluten-free flours at the front of the book and it does a good job of taking recipes you know and love and making them gluten-free. I haven’t used this cookbook a whole lot, but it would be great for any newbie in the gluten-free world. I just went from gluten-free newbie to endo-diagnosed to anti-inflammatory too quick to give it a go.

• How to Conceive Naturally: And Have a Healthy Pregnancy After 30 by Christa Orecchio & Willow Buckley: This book is much more than a cookbook. There are recipes, sure, but it is a step-by-step plan for natural conception and preparing your body for a healthy pregnancy after 30. I love that it is broken down into specific action plans for pre-conception and each trimester. It walks you through important supplements and gives you talking points to discuss with your doctor. Of course, now that I know my conception issues are a direct result of stage IV endometriosis this book has landed back on the shelf for now. But once we decide we are ready to start trying again, I’ll be using this one regularly to help support my body in the process.

If you or someone you know and love suffers from endometriosis, check out these books for more information. You don’t need to sit in agonizing chronic pain; you can play a part in your healing. You can detox your body to set it up for success. You can eat real, healing foods and remove the junk that is hindering your health.

And if you are suffering from any other health issues, maybe this post, my endometriosis journey, my Endo Action Plan will inspire you to seek out what nutrition can do for your healing. You may just be surprised to learn how much impact your daily diet can have on your overall health.

I’m sorry; I don’t mean to preach at you about nutrition. I don’t even really feel qualified enough to be in a position to do that. But I am passionate about what is working for me, and what I’m passionate about I tend to share with those I care about.

And I care about you, my CWC readers. These past few weeks you’ve been my sounding board. I’ve unloaded on you. Thanks for being there, even if it just through a computer screen.

[UPDATE]

Country Wife Chronicles is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

I wanted to share something special with you, dear readers. I want to invite you into my personal story with endometriosis and infertility via a new and upcoming book, (In)Fertility: Secrets, Struggles, & Successes.

This book is a collaboration of several authors–both fertility specialists and women like me sharing their personal experiences with infertility. I was able to share my story from my viewpoint with a single chapter in (In)Fertility, much like I have here on Country Wife Chronicles, but in an all-inclusive way that I haven’t done before.

This story represents my path to Intentional Fertility, it is me inviting you into the fold to really understand what infertility feels like and what, if anything, you can do about it if you are faced with that difficult diagnosis as well.

Infertility takes its toll on you, mentally, physically and emotionally. This book is about solidarity from those that “get it,” but it is also about so much more. This book shares a confidence to advocate for yourself, reminding you of your strength. Reminding you that even when the journey gets hard, you can do this. You can play an active role in your infertility story.

Be sure to sign up for CWC’s email newsletter to be the first to hear of the book’s release–in both digital and print form. I think you’ll glean so much from the neighborhood of women authors sharing personal stories and professional insights and I would be honored if you to chose to purchase a copy for yourself or someone you know that may be facing their own journey through the infertility valley. 

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Be Still & Know…

DISCLAIMER: While I make every effort to share current and correct information here on Country Wife Chronicles, I am not an expert on endometriosis and I am still learning. I am simply sharing my story and the resources I’ve found to be helpful in this journey I am on. I welcome any comments, suggestions, or correction of errors. In reading this blog, you agree to not use this material as medical advice to treat any condition in either yourself or others. Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be experiencing.