What’s the cause of endo belly?

Do you struggle with bloating or abdominal pain? If you have endometriosis these symptoms are often referred to as 'endo-belly'.

Gut symptoms are common in women with endometriosis. Many of the symptoms present exactly the same as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which probably explains why many women with endometriosis are initially misdiagnosed with IBS rather than endometriosis. 

SIBO or small intestine bacterial overgrowth, is believed to be the cause of two thirds of IBS cases. 

SIBO causes similar symptoms to IBS such as bloating, abdominal pain, constipation and or diarrhoea. SIBO is linked to a range of health conditions such as endometriosis, obesity, hypothyroidism, coeliac disease and diabetes mellitus.

Another potential contributer to endo-belly is nickel allergy; research has shown there is a link between endometriosis and the prevalence of nickel allergy. In the study, after three months of low-nickel diet, all gastrointestinal and gynecological symptoms showed a significant reduction.

What's also interesting is that there is an overlap between a low-FODMAP diet and a low nickel diet: The low FODMAP diet has shown benefits in women with endometriosis.

What this means is, there can be a couple of factors (besides inflammation) potentially contributing to endometriosis and causing 'endo-belly':

• The presence of bacterial overgrowth

• Nickel allergy

It may be worth considering a low-nickel diet if you have an allergy to nickel/jewellery. However, it's important to note that IBS symptoms such as bloating can be caused by an array of issues not just SIBO or nickel allergy.

If you have gut issues and can’t seem to get to the bottom of things I can help. You can book in with me through the website.

Yours in health,

Meredith x