What is endometriosis?
Endometriosis is an inflammatorty disease whereby a tissue similar to the lining of the uterus growas outside of the uterus.
Chronic pelvic pain is the main symptom of endometriosis. Other symptoms include: painful sex, infertility, bowel and bladder problems, tiredness and fatigue, and pain in other locations, for example: the lower back.
What causes endometriosis?
The cause of endometriosis is currently unknown and as such effective treatments are lacking. It appears therefore that a multi-therapeutic approach seems best. What this means is that women with endometriosis may have to do many things to manage the pain of living with endometriosis. Dietary intervention is a possible therapy for reducing endometriosis pain, and one option is supplementing with Gamma linolenic acid.
Gamma Linolenic Acid
Gamma linolenic acid is an omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid. Gamma linolenic acid is manufactured in the body by the essential polyunsaturated fatty acid omega-6 linoleic acid. Gamma Linolenic Acid is thought to inhibit inflammatory pathways in the body, and hence, may reduce endometriosis pain.
Dietary sources of gamma linolenic acid include Hemp Seed Oil, Evening Primrose Oil, Blackcurrant Oil, Borage Oil.
Endometriosis is a disease which is estimated to affect 176 million girls and women worldwide during their reproductive years, and as many as 120,000 in New Zealand.
References
https://nzendo.org.nz/endo-information/
https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(12)00682-6/fulltext
https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/128/9/1411/4722487
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467-3010.2008.01738.x
https://patents.google.com/patent/US4758592A/en
Photo by Jared Rice on Unsplash
Disclaimer:
The above information is not intended as medical advice. Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. Never disregard the advice of a medical professional, or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
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