Lara Briden - The Period Revolutionary
Leading the change to better periods and hormones
Endometriosis is a disease of immune dysfunction that is affected by estrogen. Conventionally, it is treated with surgical removal of the lesions and suppression of the menstrual cycle. The lifestyle approach is to address a possible underlying problem with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) contamination and to modulate immune function with nutrients such as zinc and selenium.
If you’ve been diagnosed with endometriosis, the big question is: What type of lesions? Because if they’re only superficial lesions, they might not be the explanation for what’s going on.
In episode 17 of my podcast, I dive into the three types of endometriosis lesions, emerging evidence that superficial lesions may not explain pain or other symptoms, alternative explanations for pelvic pain and infertility, and an update on the bacterial contamination hypothesis.
Want a simple solution for period and hormone problems? Consider the humble mineral zinc.
According to the 2020 paper, The Role of Zinc in Selected Female Reproductive System Disorders, zinc can be an effective treatment for many women’s health conditions, including PCOS, period pain, endometriosis, and vaginal dryness during menopause.
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Body-identical progesterone (also called bioidentical, natural, or oral micronized progesterone) can be an effective treatment for a range of women’s health conditions, including PCOS, PMDD, migraines, endometriosis, adenomyosis, and perimenopause.
To be clear: progesterone is a real hormone (identical to what the body makes) and usually requires a doctor’s prescription. Depending on your country, brand names include Prometrium, Utrogestan, Teva, and Famenita. In some countries, progesterone cream is available over the counter. Cream can help with mild symptoms, but it’s generally less effective than capsules.
According to a 2017 study, pain is the most frequently reported symptom of PCOS, even though pain is not a symptom of PCOS.
The solution to this paradox is that both PCOS and period pain are common, so it’s easy to have both a PCOS diagnosis and pelvic pain. But, importantly, the PCOS diagnosis can only explain irregular periods or symptoms of androgen excess (e.g., facial hair). It can’t explain the pain!
Also, PCOS cannot be diagnosed by ultrasound.