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Endometriosis
Endometriosis is an inflammatory, immune, and estrogen-driven condition. Alongside your gynecologic care, we calm inflammation and pain processing, open drainage, and address the gut and toxic load.
What you may be noticing
Periods that stop your life. Pain that radiates to your back and legs, pain with intercourse, bowel movements, or urination, and pelvic pain between cycles. Heavy flow with clots. Bloating so severe it has its own name, endo belly. Fatigue, and perhaps difficulty conceiving. Many women wait years for a diagnosis while being told that pain is normal.
Severe period pain is common. It is not normal.
Why it is rarely one thing
Endometriosis is tissue similar to the lining of the uterus growing outside the uterus, most often in the pelvis. It is increasingly understood as a whole-body inflammatory and immune condition that responds to estrogen and produces its own estrogen locally, alongside resistance to the calming effects of progesterone.
Diagnosis and excision surgery belong with skilled gynecologic specialists, and hormonal treatments may be part of your plan with your physician. My work runs alongside that, asking what keeps the terrain inflamed. In my practice I look at the immune system, the gut and estrobolome, liver clearance of estrogen, and the toxic burden bucket. Some environmental chemicals and mold toxins act like estrogen, and I treat mold exposure as a relevant factor in women with endometriosis, which is a working clinical hypothesis.
Healing follows a sequence. Pelvic and hormonal work is layered onto a foundation of nervous system regulation, open drainage, and a calmer gut, rather than started first. Over time, chronic pelvic pain can sensitize the brain and spinal cord so pain persists or spreads even after lesions are removed. Adhesions, fascia, and pelvic floor guarding add their own signals. Supporting the nervous system and these tissues is part of complete care.
Patterns we look for
- Inflammation: prostaglandins and inflammatory cytokines.
- Immune dysregulation and reduced clearance of misplaced tissue.
- Estrogen balance, metabolism, and local estrogen production.
- Progesterone resistance.
- The gut microbiome, estrobolome, and bowel involvement, including IBS and SIBO overlap.
- Endocrine disruptors and mold toxin exposure.
- Adhesions, scar tissue, and fascial restriction.
- Pelvic floor tone, tenderness, and relaxation capacity.
- Central sensitization of pelvic pain pathways.
- Iron status with heavy bleeding.
- Mood, sleep, and stress effects of chronic pain.
How I evaluate it
A comprehensive functional neurological exam maps pain processing and autonomic balance, showing how chronic pain has affected your nervous system. Breathing mechanics and rib mobility are part of it, because the diaphragm and pelvic floor work together.
Functional labs may include inflammatory markers, a complete blood count with ferritin, a hormone metabolite panel, a comprehensive thyroid panel, vitamin D, comprehensive stool analysis, SIBO breath testing when bowel symptoms are prominent, and mycotoxin testing when exposure is suspected. Imaging and surgical evaluation remain with your gynecologic team.
How we address it
- Regulate the nervous system first with vagal and breath work, and begin brain-based rehabilitation for central sensitization.
- Open drainage: bowel regularity, liver and bile flow, lymph movement, and gentle abdominal packs.
- Reduce inflammation through anti-inflammatory, low glycemic nutrition and targeted categories of support.
- Rebalance the gut, address SIBO when present, and support estrogen clearance.
- Lower endocrine-disrupting and mold exposures.
- Support tissue healing around adhesions and scar tissue, and release pelvic floor guarding with pelvic floor physical therapy.
- Restore iron and nutrient status.
Pain is information. When inflammation quiets and the nervous system steadies, daily life can open again.
Book your Comprehensive Functional Medicine Eval/Neurological Exam today to discover what the contributing root causes are that are underlying your health concerns.