Many people with endometriosis use natural therapies to manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life.
One study showed that about 20% of women with endometriosis use naturopathy services. Another study found that 47% of respondents used meditation or breathing exercises to help manage pain.
Natural therapies are part of a broad range of complementary and alternative medicines and therapies (CAM). Natural therapies include supplements (vitamins, minerals and fish oils), herbal medicine (tea, tablets and liquids) and nutrition. CAM also includes things like relaxation, mindfulness, meditation, aromatherapy, acupuncture and yoga.
There haven’t been many large studies about the effectiveness of natural and complementary therapies in managing endometriosis symptoms.
Note that complementary and alternative medicines should be prescribed by a health practitioner trained in their use. It’s important to tell your doctor if you use these, as some herbal remedies can affect other prescribed medicines.
Learn more about natural therapies, including supplements (vitamins, minerals and fish oil) and herbal medicine used to treat health conditions.
Omega-3 fatty acids are often recommended to help with inflammation and chronic pain associated with endometriosis. You can increase the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in your diet by eating oily fish, linseeds, flaxseed oil, hemp seeds and walnuts. You can also take supplements. More research is needed to understand how omega-3 fatty acids might help with inflammation.
Herbal medicines used to reduce inflammation and pain include ginger and turmeric. While there is some evidence that these medicines may help inflammation-based conditions, more studies are needed in this area.
Traditional herbal medicines used for general period pain include cramp bark, black Haw and wild yam. But there isn’t enough evidence to suggest these medicines are effective for treating endometriosis-related pain.
A few small studies have explored the use of magnesium supplements to reduce general period pain. The results are promising, but larger studies are needed to confirm the findings.
Smaller studies have found that acupuncture may reduce endometriosis-related pain. But larger, higher-quality trials are needed in this area.
Chinese medicines may also be recommended for conditions such as endometriosis, but more studies are needed to understand how they work and if they are effective.
This content has been reviewed by a group of medical subject matter experts, in accordance with Jean Hailes policy.
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