A Holistic Approach to Endometriosis & Adenomyosis
- Jun 12
- 9 min read
If you've been told your pain is "just bad periods" — or if you've finally received an endometriosis or adenomyosis diagnosis and feel like conventional medicine doesn't have much more to offer — you're not alone.
Endometriosis and adenomyosis are incredibly common, affecting an estimated 10-30% of women, yet remain the most under-diagnosed and under-treated conditions in women's health. The average time from symptom onset to diagnosis is still somewhere between 7 and 10 years. That is a long time to be dismissed, to be handed a birth control prescription, or to be told surgery or hysterectomy is your only option.
But here's what I want you to know: a diagnosis is a starting point, not a dead end. There is so much that can be done to support your body, reduce systemic inflammation, balance your hormones, and reclaim your quality of life.
What Is the Difference Between Endometriosis and Adenomyosis?
Although endometriosis and adenomyosis share many symptoms and often occur together, they are distinct conditions.
Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the uterine lining (the endometrium) grows outside the uterus. This tissue can implant on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, pelvic lining, bladder, bowel, and even the diaphragm in more advanced cases. It can cause cysts on the ovaries called endometriomas, blood filled "chocolate cysts." Like the uterine lining, endometriosis lesions respond to hormonal fluctuations throughout the menstrual cycle, contributing to inflammation, scar tissue (adhesions), and significant pain that can vary based on the location of lesions and overall inflammation levels.
Adenomyosis occurs when endometrial-like tissue grows within the muscular wall of the uterus (the myometrium). This can cause the uterus to become enlarged, tender, and inflamed.
Adenomyosis may be classified as:
Diffuse adenomyosis, where the tissue is spread throughout the uterine muscle. This form of adenomyosis is typically unable to be surgically removed without removing the entire uterus.
Focal adenomyosis (adenomyoma), where the tissue is concentrated in a specific area, forming a localized lesion or mass within the uterine wall. This form of adenomyosis may be able to be removed surgically depending on size and location.
Common Symptoms
Severe pelvic pain, especially around menstruation and ovulation
Painful intercourse
Painful urination or bowel movements, particularly during menstruation
Heavy, prolonged, or irregular bleeding
Brown spotting
Bloating (often called "endo belly")
Fatigue and brain fog
Pelvic pressure or a sensation of fullness
Infertility or difficulty conceiving
What makes these conditions especially complex is that they are not simply reproductive disorders. Both are increasingly recognized as inflammatory, immune-related conditions that can affect multiple systems throughout the body. A comprehensive approach that considers inflammation, immune function, hormones, nutrition, and pelvic health can help support symptom management, post-surgical healing, fertility, and quality of life.
Why a Holistic Approach Makes Sense
Conventional care typically focuses on hormonal suppression (birth control, Lupron, Orilissa) or surgical intervention to remove lesions. These options have their place — and I'm not here to dismiss them — but they do not address the underlying environment that allowed endometriosis to develop and thrive in the first place.
A holistic approach asks the question: Why is the body inflamed? Why is immune surveillance not clearing ectopic tissue? What is driving hormonal imbalance? When we start asking those questions, we open up a much deeper conversation about how to actually support healing.
Functional Nutrition: Quieting the Inflammatory Fire
Food is one of the most powerful levers we have when it comes to managing endometriosis. Research consistently shows that endometriosis is driven by chronic inflammation and estrogen dominance — and both can be influenced by what you eat.
Anti-inflammatory foods to prioritize:
Fatty fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel), leafy greens, colorful vegetables, olive oil, berries, ginger and turmeric are all rich in compounds that help modulate the immune response and reduce prostaglandin production — the hormone-like molecules responsible for much of the cramping and inflammation associated with endo.
Foods to minimize:
Refined sugar, processed foods, conventional red meat, and alcohol can all increase systemic inflammation and promote estrogen recirculation. Trans fats and omega-6-heavy seed oils are also worth reducing, as they feed the inflammatory cascade.
Supporting estrogen detoxification:
The liver and gut are your primary pathways for clearing excess estrogen from the body. Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts) contain compounds like DIM (diindolylmethane) that support healthy estrogen metabolism. A fiber-rich diet supports the gut's ability to bind and eliminate estrogen before it gets reabsorbed.
If you have gut dysbiosis or constipation, your body may be recirculating estrogens rather than eliminating them — and this is an important root cause to address.
Functional Nutrition and Lab Testing
Standard labs often look "normal" in women with endometriosis, but when we evaluate markers through a functional lens — using optimal rather than standard reference ranges — a different picture often emerges.
Functional lab testing considerations:
Hormone panel: Estrogen and progesterone appropriately timed with the cycle; DUTCH urine hormone testing can be especially revealing for estrogen metabolism pathways
Inflammatory markers: hs-CRP, ferritin, homocysteine
Nutrient status: Magnesium, B12, folate, zinc, iron, and vitamin D — all of which influence inflammation, pain signaling, and immune function
Gut health: Stool testing to assess microbiome diversity, dysbiosis, inflammation, and enzyme production
Thyroid function: Full thyroid panel (not just TSH), since thyroid dysfunction is commonly co-occurring and affects hormonal balance
SIBO Test: Breath testing to evaluate for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), which can contribute to endometriosis related bloating, nausea, nutrient deficiencies, and systemic inflammation
Testing should always be individualized based on symptoms, health history, and fertility goals.
A Structural Approach to Healing
When we think about endometriosis and adenomyosis, we often focus on hormones and inflammation. But there is also an important structural component that is frequently overlooked.
Years of inflammation, pain, and previous surgeries can create restrictions within the pelvis. Adhesions, scar tissue, and fascial tightness may affect how the uterus, ovaries, bladder, bowel, and fallopian tubes move and function. Since these organs are designed to glide and move freely within the pelvis, restrictions can contribute to symptoms that seem unrelated at first glance. These tight bands of scar tissue can impair blood flow and lymphatic drainage in the area.
For some women, this may show up as bladder pressure, urinary frequency, bloating, constipation, painful bowel movements, or discomfort around ovulation. Others may experience pelvic pain, painful intercourse, or a feeling of tension and heaviness in the pelvis. Addressing tissue mobility, blood supply, and lymphatic drainage is an important part of supporting overall pelvic health and fertility with endometriosis and adenomyosis.
Mercier Therapy is a targeted, non-invasive visceral manipulation and soft tissue technique that works to restore mobility to the reproductive and abdominal organs, reduce adhesions, and improve circulation and lymphatic flow within the pelvis. It is particularly valuable for women who have had endometriosis-related surgery and are dealing with post-operative adhesions, scar tissue, or persistent pelvic pain. Many women report significant improvements in pain, cycle regularity, pelvic mobility, and fertility outcomes following a course of Mercier Therapy.
Sacro Occipital Technique (SOT) is a gentle chiropractic approach that works to balance the pelvis and sacrum, restore normal neurological function, and reduce mechanical tension throughout the spine and pelvis. When the sacrum is misaligned, it can affect pelvic organ function, lymphatic drainage, and nerve signaling — all of which matter for endo management.
The Nervous System Connection
Chronic pain conditions like endometriosis have a well-documented impact on the nervous system. Over time, the body can develop something called central sensitization — where the nervous system becomes hypersensitized to pain signals, amplifying discomfort even when the physical stimulus is relatively minor.
This is not "in your head." It is a real, measurable neurological phenomenon — and it's one of the reasons why addressing pain in isolation is rarely enough.
Nervous-system-focused chiropractic care works to support vagal tone, regulate the autonomic nervous system, and reduce the chronic fight-or-flight state that many women with endo live in. When the nervous system feels safe, the body has a better capacity to heal, to regulate inflammation, and to respond to other therapeutic interventions.
Other nervous system supports worth incorporating: breathwork, laughter, somatic therapy, mental health counseling, time in nature, acupuncture, and adequate sleep.
Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy
Red light therapy (RLT) and near-infrared (NIR) therapy are emerging as valuable adjunct tools for inflammatory and pain conditions, including endometriosis. These wavelengths penetrate deep into tissue and have been shown to support mitochondrial function, reduce local inflammation, improve circulation, and promote tissue repair.
To enhance the benefits of Mercier Therapy, we include a 10-15 minute pelvic red and near-infrared (NIR) light therapy session with each treatment at Balanced Body Natural Health. This gentle, non-invasive therapy helps support tissue healing, circulation, and a balanced inflammatory response, making it a valuable tool to support the healing process.
The Post-Surgical Patient
One of the most underserved groups in the endometriosis and adenomyosis community is women who have already had surgery.
Excision surgery, when performed by a skilled specialist, remains the gold standard for removing endometriosis lesions and can be truly life-changing for many women. However, surgery is not always the end of the journey. Some women experience significant relief only to have symptoms gradually return months or years later. Others continue to struggle with pelvic pain despite successful surgery. Some develop recurrent endometriomas that reform and rupture year after year. And for women who undergo surgery primarily to improve fertility, new symptoms such as bladder discomfort, digestive issues, pelvic tension, or pain with intercourse can sometimes emerge during the recovery process.
One reason this happens is that every surgery creates scar tissue as part of the body's normal healing response. Even small adhesions can affect the mobility, blood flow, and function of the bladder, bowel, uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes. Over time, these restrictions may contribute to pelvic pain, digestive complaints, urinary symptoms, fertility challenges, ovulation pain, and impaired pelvic function.
Post-operative rehabilitation should be a standard part of pelvic surgery recovery. After a knee surgery, shoulder surgery, or joint replacement, physical therapy is considered an essential part of healing. Yet after complex pelvic surgery involving the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, bladder, bowel, and surrounding connective tissues, many women are simply told to wait for the incisions to heal and resume normal activities.
Recovery from endometriosis or adenomyosis surgery is about much more than the incisions healing. In many ways, that is just the beginning. Surgery creates hundreds of healing sites throughout the pelvis where tissue has been cut, cauterized, or removed. The body is designed to heal, and does an incredible job repairing these areas, but the resulting tissue can sometimes become dense, fibrous, and restrictive.
Once incision healing is complete and clearance has been provided by the surgeon, typically around six weeks post-operatively, the focus should shift from simply healing the surgical sites to restoring normal function within the pelvis.
This is exactly what Mercier Therapy was designed for. Through deep, targeted external pelvic and abdominal visceral manipulation Mercier Therapy helps address adhesions and tissue restrictions that can develop during the healing process while supporting healthy organ mobility, circulation, digestion, lymphatic drainage, and pelvic function.
A Note on Fertility
Endometriosis is one of the leading causes of infertility, and many of the women I work with are navigating fertility challenges alongside their endo diagnosis. A integrative approach — particularly one that addresses pelvic blood flow, adhesions, ovarian function, inflammation, nutrient status. and hormonal balance — can support fertility, whether you are pursuing natural conception or working with a reproductive endocrinologist.
Mercier Therapy is one of the most impactful physical therapy tools for supporting fertility. The Mercier Therapy protocol consists of six one-hour sessions, working externally on the abdomen to release organ restrictions and soften adhesions. It can be used as a standalone protocol or in preparation for a medically assisted cycle such as IUI or IVF.
The research behind Mercier Therapy for improving fertility outcomes is compelling, and it is what initially drew me into this field of work. A four-year clinical research study on Mercier Therapy found an 83% pregnancy success rate in women dealing with various causes of infertility, published in Midwifery Today (Spring 2013). A subsequent five-year study demonstrated an 87.7% pregnancy success rate when women underwent Mercier Therapy prior to IVF, published in the Winter 2018 edition of Midwifery Today.
By restoring mobility to the pelvic organs, improving circulation, and reducing the adhesive burden in the pelvis, Mercier Therapy helps create the kind of internal environment that favors conception.
If you are working toward pregnancy and have an endometriosis or adenomyosis diagnosis — whether you've had surgery or not — this is absolutely a therapy worth considering.
Finding Your Balance
Endometriosis is a complex, systemic condition — but it is not a life sentence. With the right support, the right investigation, and a care model that looks at the whole person rather than just the lesions, meaningful improvement is possible.
If you've been told your pain is normal, that your symptoms are "just part of being a woman," or that surgery and hormones are your only options, I want you to know there is another way forward. Healing doesn't happen overnight, but your body has an incredible capacity to recover when given the right support.
Interested in a holistic approach to your pelvic pain and fertility goals? I'd love to help. I offer virtual Functional Lab Consultations and in-person Mercier Therapy sessions to help uncover the missing pieces and support your healing journey.
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