Endometriosis causes extreme abdominal pain due to the abnormal growth of endometrial cells in the ovaries. Research shows that more than 11 percent of women in Australia aged 40 to 44 suffer from this condition, which usually starts in their teens. Women with endometriosis experience pain before, during or after their menstruation. What's worse is that it could lead to infertility. Thanks to aromatherapy, endometriosis can be addressed, and no girl or woman has to put up with it.
What is Endometriosis?
Endometriosis is the migration of cells from the lining of the uterus, or the endometrium, to other internal organs of the body. These cells start growing where they do not belong and subsequently cause pain, abdominal discomfort and even bleeding.
Endometriosis often has implications for fertility, especially if it's not addressed immediately. Triggers for the condition include genetic factors, the early onset of menstruation as well as hormonal imbalance, amongst others. Recent studies have linked the condition to women with stressful careers and who tend to delay having children until later in life.
What Are the Symptoms of Endometriosis?
Menstrual cramps are common in some women, but when the pain is severe in that it hampers your daily activities and affects your relationships, chances are you're suffering from endometriosis. Women with the condition experience the following:
- Pelvic pain
- Excessive bleeding
- Pain during or after intercourse
- Digestive problems, especially bloating, diarrhoea or constipation
- Painful urination or bowel movement
- Bleeding between monthly periods
- Fatigue
What are Common Treatments for Endometriosis?
The medical treatment options for endometriosis include pain medications, surgery and hormone therapy. These could help alleviate endometriosis pain, but they may affect a woman's ability to get pregnant. Moreover, surgery doesn't lead to absolute cure because removal of the endometrial cells from the ovaries, fallopian tubes or anywhere else they migrated to doesn't guarantee that they won't grow back.
Although gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues can effectively shrink the endometrial tissue and have been found to reduce severe pain in about 80 percent of patients with endometriosis, these weaken the bones over time. Additionally, GnRH analogues come with unpleasant side effects such as hot flashes, insomnia and reduced sex drive, to name a few. This hormone treatment is definitely not recommended to women who are trying to get pregnant.
They're better off receiving a natural remedy such as an aromatherapy massage therapy. This modality offers pain relief, promotes relaxation and maintains the skin's suppleness.
What is Aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy is a form of holistic therapy that uses plant extracts to help improve physical and emotional health. Essential oils are obtained from the leaves of aromatic plants to stimulate and soothe the senses and facilitate healing. When inhaled, the scent of essential oils triggers the olfactory nerve to release endorphins; these hormones create positive feelings which are thought to assist in the recovery from illness and disease.
Many essential oils have antibiotic, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory properties which are beneficial for healing and recovery.
How Does Aromatherapy for Endometriosis Work?
A qualified aromatherapist is best placed to advise on a course of treatment for endometriosis. Some people are allergic to some natural oils, so care needs to be taken in this regard. Essential oils will primarily be beneficial as a complementary therapy used as part of a wider treatment regimen for endometriosis.
Before they can be used for an aromatherapy massage, essential oils should be combined with a carrier oil because they are extremely potent and may irritate your skin when used in high concentration. Vegetable fat such as olive oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil or castor oil, is typically used as a carrier. Essential oils are easily absorbed by the skin and taken into the bloodstream, which transports nutrients throughout the body.
What Essential Oils Can be Used for Managing Endometriosis?
There may not be an absolute cure for endometriosis, but using essential oils before, during and even after your menstruation can reduce the severity of pain, making the condition more manageable. Lavender oil, in particular, can significantly decrease menstrual pain, according to a 2015 study published on the National Library of Medicine. Another study shows that peppermint oil is high in antioxidants, which makes it an effective pain medication for alleviating chronic pelvic pain and other endometriosis symptoms.
Here below is a list of other therapeutic oils that can help balance your hormones and reduce inflammation associated with endometriosis:
Combine two or three essential oils with a base oil before massaging it gently onto your chest and abdomen to relieve pain and discomfort. A 2013 clinical study of the efficacy of aromatherapy in the treatment of primary and secondary dysmenorrhea in nursing students shows that combining rose, cinnamon, clove and lavender essential oils and using almond oil as carrier oil, reduced the pain scores of the participants during the first three days of their menstruation.
Several studies have also shown that these oils not only improve the physical health of a woman suffering from endometriosis, but they also alleviate anxiety, depression and mood disorders that stem from experiencing intense pain.
To find out which essential oil blend is most suitable for you, consult an aromatherapist near you, or try an online aromatherapy consultation. You might also be interested to learn about other effective natural endometriosis treatments.
Originally published on Sep 24, 2010
