Endo Empowered - Revolutionizing the Healing of Endometriosis Logo

nuggets of wisdom on reducing PAIN & SYmPTOMS naturally

without the risk of surgery or nasty hormone treatments

Are Eggs Good or Bad for Endometriosis? I Found Conflicting Information! What’s Your Experience?

I decided to buy Carolyn’s book called “The Endo Diet” and have just started reading it. It is very interesting and if you haven’t already downloaded it, it is worth the read! It tells you which foods you should avoid for Endometriosis and how to then create a diet to give you the best nutrients, avoiding all those foods. I must admit that I initially was just browsing over it, just to get an idea of what it entailed, but half-way through the book it suggested egg replacements for dishes containing eggs.

This was a complete shock to me! Eggs! Out of all the foods we have to cut out to get better with Endo, we now have to cut out eggs too! I tried to find any information as to why eggs would be considered bad for Endo and all I could find is that eggs apparently cause inflammations in our bodies. Hmmmm…

Well, I love eggs and to me they contain way too many good nutrients to simply dismiss them that easily. So, I delved a little deeper and discovered some interesting things about eggs and Endometriosis.

Eggs contain a heap of nutrients that are highly beneficial for us. They contain vitamins and minerals and inhibit platelet aggregation. A study published in Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin proved this. It also showed that it makes the process of turning fibrinogen into fibrin longer. Fibrinogen is a protein in the blood. Fibrin is what we’re fighting against. Fibrin is created when platelets and red and white blood cells are deposited to form a blood clot. Eggs prevent the clotting and they do it by the dose. The more eggs you eat, the less clotting. But note, don’t go out eating crazy amounts of eggs. 2 per day is a good quantity that is beneficial for your health as well as your endo.

What in eggs reduces, yes, actually “reduces” and not increases, inflammation? Choline. 2 eggs contain about 250mg of choline. This is half the recommended dosage for a normal diet. 90% of the American population is choline-deficient. When you’re deficient of choline for a prolonged period of time, men and women develop a fatty liver as well as muscle damage.

The other ingredient found in eggs is licithin. This ingredient actually clears the blood and thereby prevents clotting — huge benefit to Endo!

 

So, I guess the true test is whether you get any kind of inflammatory response when you eat eggs. Do you feel sore when you eat them? I know I notice that I get sore when I eat them cooked and with bread (protein and carbohydrate combination is not ideal!). When I add a raw egg to a smoothie, I can’t say I notice anything distinctive. It does make my smoothie nice and fluffy though.

I would love to hear your thoughts on eggs and whether you think they are good or bad for Endo. What is your experience? What has your naturopath/practitioner suggested about eggs?

 

Hugs, Melissa x
Share this post:

This Post Has 30 Comments

  1. Alysia - China

    5 years ago I posted here about eating eggs… Well, I didn’t eat any egg since I posted here , but suddenly, now, after 5 years, my body have a big appetite for eggs again… And again I started eat 5 eggs a day … It is crazy or not, but this time I have no problem with Endo as 5 years ago. And it is still there, I didn’t had any more surgery since 2008.. But I find improvement in energy, pain, and before period now , after 2 weeks of eating eggs daily . Well, I think I have to stop eating eggs soon, because too much isn’t good. If I eat only 2 eggs, I feel is too little. So, I usually eat 5 per day or 6 , divided in two times. Boiled. I no use oil , no eat meat, I am vegan since almost 2 years. No endo pains, but sometimes still feel generally bad, just like you are unable do your tasks. I guess Endo symptoms change by age. You can eat nothing or everything when you are before 35, it’s like nothing help, because your hormones are different than when you are 40, 45… I continued my Nattokinase suplements, for 5 years more , but now had to stop it due to severe allergy . Nattokinase is good for Endo , but need to take breaks.

  2. Andria N

    I think it maybe has to do with where the eggs come from- like organic cage free & in a pasture vs a cramped enclosed space. Or possibly the potential for added harmful things like pesticides. Since switching to organic, I haven’t seen any problems. Just as an aside, I’ve found that making changes to be more endo conscious hasn’t been about what I can’t have but has turned into all the delicious things I can have. We haven’t felt denied anything and have found most of the stuff you think you want is super harmful in general with all the processing. So thanks Melissa for all of your insights on how to switch!

  3. Melissa

    Thanks for sharing 🙂

  4. Bonnie

    Must be organic, free range. I get added Omega 3 for extra anti-inflammatory. I don’t have a problem.

  5. Lisa Frater

    I only looked up this article as I ate eggs today and noticed again pain almost immediately. Very interesting, I’m going off eggs, I think there is a link for me.

  6. Silly Flower

    It depends on whether the eggs were soaked in bleach. thanks to the screwed up FDA (Fucking Dog Asses) Most eggs are soaked in bleach before selling to consumers. I have noticed an EXTREME difference in my symptoms by avoiding meat and eggs that have been soaked in bleach!!
    That includes most U.S. poultry, eggs, pork and sometimes beef.

  7. Kelly

    Yes, organic eggs from happy, free range chickens are much safer. Mass produced ones often contain binding agents. We certainly don’t want that.

  8. Melissa

    Thank you Julie and yes, it is very individual. The other factor to consider is that eggs can be fine later in the day, rather than first thing in the morning – this is based on chinese medicine theories. So, maybe also explore that idea too. It is an adventure and we just have to try and test things 🙂

  9. Julie

    I love your egg advice Melissa! I just started the “endo diet” yesterday and there are so many conflicting sources of information it’s hard to know if you are doing right from wrong. So what I have decided is its individual, see how the food reacts to you. I plan to eat organic eggs 2-3 times per week during my initial 3 week elimination of the other big inflammatory food groups and if I think eggs are causing an issue I will eliminate those too but I haven’t had adverse reactions yet! And I hope not to either, I love eggs. So full of goodness and great filling breakfast. I started an instagram accound “endo_loves” as sort of a food diary to keep me on track and eggs were questioned so I am very happy it was now as I have found this amazing website!

  10. Melissa

    It could also be the quality of eggs you are eating. Eggs which come from factory farmed chickens are definitely going to contain a high amount of Oestrogen but good, free-range, organic eggs fed on other foods besides grains are much better for us. We are all different though, so perhaps eggs just don’t agree with you?

  11. Alisiya- China

    I want to add that I was never felt more horrible as now ! I was eating many eggs per day, about 5 per day , every day for some weeks ! This after I was cut them for 3-4 years from my diet completely ! Once I added them back, I am feel like I die ! I had the worst Endo crisis I ever had last days, with a cyst on my kidney and the symtoms was like I have kidneys failure ! Now I am still very very bad , I am dizzy, I have pains still and nausea a lot ! I still have 40 eggs in my home , but definitely I will give them to someone who can eat them and I will never ever buy eggs again even they are organic ! ( but I don’t think so is anything organic in supermarket at all !) .
    Again I say, Endo is influenced of estrogen hormone and eggs are one of the foods which containing rich estrogen level ! So avoid it completely !
    I am still on Endovan , a natural pills from US. It helped me a lot before adding eggs again in diet, but now is like eggs cut of all it’s effect !
    I had my gallbladder out , surgery, because of eggs too ! My gallbladder, 3 years ago, was affected by Endo and eating eggs that time too, I arrived to lose the gallbladder function because of Endo got worse on the gallbladder surface and around and strangulated the gallbladder !

  12. Alisiya- China

    Eggs are the worst thing for Endo !!!! Eggs contain estrogen hormone which is making Endo very bad ! Avoid all food that contain estrogen ! I was prove this also on myself : I was eating eggs for a while and I the last 2 months, I feel like I die because of Endo becomed so severe ! My breast are also non-stop painful since I eating eggs ! I got a cyst inflamed on my kidney , endo too, since I added eggs in diet again ! Now I am feeling the same bad and I don’t kow how do deal with my symptoms ! Definitely I will cut again eggs forever !!!

  13. Ana Teresa

    Refer to page 92 of the book in question.
    it says,
    “1 egg beaten or egg substitute if avoiding all dairy completely”
    I don’t know why egg is considered dairy here,.. but,.. it says we can!
    I myself am sticking to boiled eggs when desired.

  14. Melissa

    Thanks for sharing Sara 🙂

  15. Anonymous

    My friend who also has endo just told me to quit eggs/baked goods.I had laproscopic surgery last year for two large cysts which were the “chocolate” variety. The doctor considered me an “extreme” case. I basically never get cramps. I don’t even own a bottle of advil. Sometimes if I drink during my period I will get cramps. I worked at a health food store for ten years and know all about vitamins. Sometimes I think its cruel to tell people that they can cure this with their diet. I was a total health nut with basically no real symptoms and I felt like it was my fault. I take chaste tree berry for premenstural acne but its supposed to be good for endo too. I stopped eating soy, I don’t eat meat (besides fish occassionaly), and I eat some dairy, most of which is organic. Cutting down my coffee to one cup a day and one cup of green tea helped for a while. One thing that has helped me is eating more fiber. I eat shredded wheat because otherwise I have consitpation! I probably eat too much wheat, I’ll be honest.My sister had endo and her diet/lifestyle is completely different than mine. However she did have horrible cramps. I also use organic tampons etc. They are expensive but I do feel much better when I use them. I’ve read so many things about TCM really working for endo. Sometimes I take vitamin A, which makes my period way less heavy. I’ve also lost a few pounds as I heard that excess body fat increases estrogen.

  16. Melissa

    Hi Siliva,

    Sehr nett das Du Schreibst!
    I grew up in South-Africa to German parents 🙂
    That is very interesting about eggs. It might have something to do with our level of being able to digest them 🙂
    Maybe cut out gluten and see if that helps….

  17. Silvia

    Dear Melissa, I just came across your side while researching about Maca and as it was so interesting I kept reading on! Well done!
    I am 36 yrs from Germany and I do have endometriosis too. Already had one laparoscopy and later on a laparotomie, took gnrh analoga (hope thats the same in english too?) and was on visanne for 1,5 yrs which I stopped in June last year. I am taking one tablespoon Maca for about one month now. Can not tell if anything has changed yet but I’ll give it a little more time.
    But to get back to the point: I can not eat eggs at all, well yes I can eat them, in cakes and that sort of food but not eggs themself. And now, sorry for my poor English but I do not know how to describe other in English: eggs make me *fart* and that gives me really bad cramps as my uterus is sticked to my intestines. So be careful with eggs and all other food that makes one fart, depends on what kind of endo one has of course.
    And now I”ll keep reading more on your side.
    Greetings from Germany!
    Silvia

  18. Melissa

    That is really interesting and thank you so much for sharing. Perhaps I really do need to rethink the egg thing!
    I really appreciate your comment 🙂 It all helps us heal!

  19. Jane

    My story is I’ve always had endo since my first cycle up until about 3 years ago – so for about 20 years. I’ve had two surgeries, 6 years of depo, some time on danacrin (sp?), and had made appointements to schedule my 3rd surgery about 2 years after my son was born. Oh, I forgot to mention all the pain killers. Terrible. I thought for sure I would have to get a full hysterectomy..not only that, I actually was wanting one!

    I was having trouble getting my figure back after having a child and had started tinkering with my diet. My first diet was the Blood -Type diet, which encourages a lot of eggs. It was easy enough because I love eggs. After a few weeks of eggs galore…and not just any eggs – I was driving 30 minutes out to a farm to buy cage-free, non-GMO fed, farm-fresh happy eggs, my skin became really inflammed and was breaking out. At first I couldn’t figure out what it was, but then I decided to cut out eggs entirely. Not just eggs, but even anything made with eggs.

    Within a few days my skin started to heal up. Within 3 months my endometriosis and any related symptom completely disappeared. I never needed the third surgery and my cycle has never been shorter or less hassle. I don’t even have cramps, not one. I couldn’t believe it. After a few more months of this, I ate one egg, weeks before my period, and sure enough I started that cycle with mild cramping. I stopped again, but I love eggs, so I went on a little binge awhile back and I paid for it. I had forgotten how miserable endometriosis was.

    My point is, after this experience, you will never convince me that it wasn’t the eggs. I think the key is you have to be diligent about your food eliminations. If you stay off eggs, that means no cookies, or anything that has egg as an ingredient. It pains me now only to think of all the money and time I lost out of my life when I could have just stopped eating eggs.

  20. Melissa

    Hi Yuliya and welcome to my blog 🙂
    Avoiding BPA’s and toxins is a fabulous way to help your healing 🙂 You can certainly eat eggs and see how your body reacts. Cutting things out initially is a way to give your liver a break from things that are hard to digest and create inflammation. Meat is one of the hardest to digest. Eggs, seem to depend on how we eat them. I personally find them okay when I boil them whole.
    Also, this is not forever 🙂 You just need to heal your liver and give it a chance to “catch up” and then you can eat some meat and other products again – just not too often. Focus on your liver and giving it a chance and you will feel better and increase your chances of falling pregnant. Read this free ebook for more info: http://endoempowered.com/pregnant-endometriosis/

  21. Yuliya

    I was diagnosed with endometriosis (and had it removed) after laparoscopy back in January. Ended up having the surgery because in addition to awful cramps (several ER trips) and PMS my entire life, I have also struggled to get pregnant for the past 3 years (I am 33). 4 months post my surgery and I don’t see improvement. Fertility treatments are still unsuccessful and my cramps are worse, if anything. Wanting to try something else, I came across a book “Foods that fight Pain,” wherein it is recommended to basically cut out not only all animal protein but anything oily, including plant oils (nuts, olive oil, etc). Now, I have decided to try going vegan for a month or two to see if I get improvement. The meat and dairy have been relatively easy to cut out, however i have always LOVED eggs since I was a little girl, have never had bad reactions to them, and I am very upset about not being able to eat them. From reading some of your posts, it seems that as long as I eat organic or free-range, then perhaps it’s okay to have an egg every now and then… maybe I’ll limit it to weekends… On the one hand I really hope to see my endo improved, but on the other hand, if it does improve, it’s scary to think I have to go without meat or diary my whole life… so an egg every now and then would really help me feel better… If anyone has other suggestions, please let me know. Thanks!!
    P.S. my husband and I have been eating organic for years now and trying to limit exposure to BPA, etc. I find it a challenge to try to get away from all the chemicals and hormones in everything but I feel like it could be one of the reasons why infertility and endometriosis in women areincreasing…

  22. Melissa

    Hi Amanda,
    Thanks for your wonderful comment and for sharing your worries with us 🙂 I think the reason women in those countries who conceive at 16 don’t have endo is also cos they don’t eat the foods we do or are exposed to as many toxins as we are. Alot of it also has to do with gene pool. I have noticed that endo seems to be .
    all around the world and it doesn’t seem to be limited by any nationality or country 🙁
    I have not tried enema’s yet. I am a little hesitant but it is something I am keen to try. There is a great support network, where you can perhaps ask – bottom right of my blog called Endo Natural. I have heard of coffee enemas being really good, so I would probably try that one. I know the Chinese method doesn’t push for the raw food diet as they describe it as cold on the body…. however juicing is incredibly beneficial to us and you can drink it luke warm and you should be fine. As for the other things – definitely cut them out 🙂 I am exploring the detox side of things at the moment, so keep watching… there may be a blog entry about coffee enema’s shortly.

  23. Olivia

    Hi again,
    I haven’t had any issues with eggs but I do with gluten. BIG TIME! I’m fairly new to your blog so I’m not sure if you’ve addressed gluten as a culprit in aggravating endo pain. I was just in last week to see a OB/GYN surgeon who shared with me that a lot of my pain could be gluten as most of us with endo wind up being intolerant and having IBS which actually causes more pain in some than the actual endo does. For me, I find this to be mostly true. I was psychotically craving eggs for a week… I cooked two eggs slightly over medium in a little olive oil and sliver of butter, loaded with pepper and dash of salt, then I took fresh spinach and rolled it in the left over oils. I felt great. No pain. As for pain in the uterus, I highly recommend trying a rip avocado, with a small amount of cottage cheese in the center, topped with salsa. Avocados are shaped like the womb and the oils help with cramping pains. Try it with eggs too. If it doesn’t work for you I’m sorry but try it. I’m a bit of a health nut researcher too.

  24. amanda

    Hi Melissa.Thanks for your response. I have been reading all of the other stories and can’t believe how complicated this all is. Something my acupuncturist/Chinese herbalist is focusing on is the stagnation in my uterus and pelvic area. She says often endo. is prominent in women with stagnation. In Chinese medicine, cold food(energetically and temperature) causes stagnation. So does raw food, gluten, alcohol, dairy and citrus. I know when I fall off this diet, my pain is MUCH more severe. As the same time, the stress from the strict and boring diet likely causes an increase in pain too. I try to avoid and not eliminate. The juicing sounds great but I have to heat juice and drink in reallly small quantities. I will ask about the Jia Wei Yao San and I drink tons of raspberry. I am going to try to focus on anti inflammatory teas and foods. Any thoughts on herbal enemas? I did many with chinese herbs before I was trying to conceive. I was using enemas to reduce inflammation because I had a significant amount of endo on my uterus, close to my rectum. Know of anything safe to use while TTC? Also, do you know if any of the women you are in contact with that have endo and adeno. have been able to conceive? Thanks for this amazing site. At times I feel necrotic talking to people that don’t get it. I can go from to practically catatonic to perky in the matter of hrs. I appreciate hearing the stories and looking for alternatives. My. Dr said I should have gotten pregnant at 16….when our bodies are healthy and strong. Endo. is not found in countries where women conceive earlier in life. I am now 33…..if only I was ready 10 years ago…..
    Thanks!

  25. Melissa

    Interesting 🙂 I love those free range eggs so much! We have them everywhere in New Zealand and they taste so much better too 🙂
    It is horrible what they do to those poor chickens! I know when we have guests from America, they are always impressed at how yellow our eggs are…. scary stuff!

  26. Christina

    I realized several years ago, that eggs obviously bothered me so I removed them from my diet. Over the last year or so, I decided that I wanted to try adding to them back in as a source of protein and for baking. I found that eating eggs from free range chickens made a difference. We have accepted the cost (considering its no eggs or yummy expensive eggs that are actually good for you) and now can enjoy eggs without wreaking havoc on my system.

    I personally am very bothered by the way that farmers must raise chickens in the US (as mandated by the FDA). Most Americans are eating extremely unhealthy, stressed out chickens that NEVER see sunlight. Imagine that going into your body…..what the heck!?!

  27. Melissa

    Thanks for sharing your story Amanda. I am sorry to hear of your struggles with endo. I found drinking your own juices, made with fresh organic fruits and vegetables really helps. Love the yoga journal! Great poses!
    Try some Raspberry Leaf Tea and ask your doctor about Jia Wei Xiao Yao San. It might help you 🙂

  28. amanda

    I have been living with endo. for about 7 years. The past 4 have been really rough. At times I can not stand up straight, during bleeding I have excruciating bowel movements, and I am typically doubled over during ovulation and menstruation. It takes a lot of energy to combat pain. I have been taking chinese herbs and seeing a fertility expert that is an acupuncturist for 2 years and had laparoscopy 2 1/2 months ago.
    I have had a few cycles here and there that are pain free but mostly devastatingly painful cycles. I avoid but can’t say 100 percent eliminated dairy, gluten, caffeine, sugar, alcohol and citrus. I might have one slice of cheese a week, a few table spoons of dairy and a cup of coffee here and there. I have completely eliminated soy for many reasons. Alcohol and gluten apparently cause the most inflammation and I notice a big relief in pain with avoiding. I eat roughly 10-12 eggs a week and I have no pain with them. Fertility acupuncturist says no problem. Regular exercise, and yoga poses outlined in the yoga journal have been helpful with pain but not fertility thus far.
    http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/686
    Sending all women with endo. healing thoughts.

Leave a Reply

Hey!

I'm Melissa

Sick of dealing with endometriosis and ready to move forward?

I empower women to stop feeling like a victim to their endometriosis and find empowering ways to reduce pain & symptoms. 

Explore

NEW ADVENTURES

Explore Alternative Options

Discover the all-natural, fully researched and techniques to shrink cysts, quit the pain cycle, improve fertility and regain your energy in one of our online programs.  

Keep Reading

The Drop My Pain Challenge

As a parting gift I am sharing the Drop my Pain Challenge Downloads with you – at no charge. It incorporates many of the constituents