My Endometriosis journey: from chronic pain to relief
In mid-2024, after a five-year battle with chronic pain, I was diagnosed with stage four endometriosis affecting my bowel, uterus, and pelvis. The pain ranged from crippling to persistent, nagging discomfort. It disrupted my social life, forcing me to cancel plans or leave early due to flare-ups. Work became challenging as I often found myself curled in the fetal position, while my workouts ended in tears of frustration. For over a year, I couldn’t run because the endometriosis pressed on my sciatic nerve, leaving me feeling trapped, bloated, inflamed, and tender nearly all the time - I was a prison in my own body.
Following successful laparoscopic surgery to remove the endometriosis, I experienced significant relief from the pain. However, surgery is just one piece of the puzzle in managing endometriosis. Over the past few months, I’ve experimented with lifestyle changes, dietary adjustments, and new routines to reach a point where I’m now symptom-free about 80% of the time—a milestone I’m incredibly grateful for.
Why hydration matters for Endometriosis symptoms
One of the most important (and in my opinion, massively underrated) tools for relieving some of the most pervasive endo symptoms (and common symptoms of PMS) has been quality hydration. For years, I focused solely on the food I consumed, overlooking the critical role fluids play in overall well-being. For individuals with endometriosis, symptoms such as bloating, cramping, constipation, brain fog, and fatigue are often worsened by dehydration. Dehydration can lead to electrolyte imbalances, which intensify muscle cramping—including in the uterus, a muscle particularly susceptible to tension without adequate hydration. Hydrating adequately, particularly on hot days or around exercise, can be a game-changer in ensuring we’re reducing the likelihood and severity of muscle contractions and cramps.
Sufficient hydration throughout the day is also essential in ensuring that we’re able to pass our stool normally and have regular bowel movements. Avoiding constipation with endometriosis is extremely important, because when we’re constipated, the extra oestrogen in our system that gets broken down by the liver and sent to our intestines for excretion, doesn’t get that opportunity for removal. When excess oestrogen and other toxins aren’t removed, they’re eventually reabsorbed back into our body where they throw off the delicate balance of female hormones even more- causing more symptoms and a worsened experience of endometriosis.
So, what’s the easiest way to ensure adequate hydration?
Obviously ensuring that you’re sipping plenty of water throughout the day is the first step to take, but supplementing with electrolytes is a sure-fire way to increase absorption rate for optimal hydration.
Adding electrolytes to my morning routine (before I even reach for caffeine!) gives me the muscle-relaxing benefits of potassium and magnesium—helping reduce cramps, even during intense exercise. Most importantly, it enhances the hydrating effect of water, promoting rapid rehydration after hours of overnight dehydration. A hypotonic formula allows for rapid rehydration, as it’s absorbed quickly by the body, replenishing fluids and electrolytes fast - setting me up for success in the morning, especially since I exercise first thing. Being held back in my training sessions by cramping and bloating (even upon waking up) is now a thing of the past, and I truly owe it to prioritising this hydration step in the morning.
Which electrolytes are best?
Body Armour Hypotonic electrolytes sachets have quickly become my go-to for this new morning routine, because they contain no artificial colours, flavours and sweeteners or sugar alcohols. They are a hypotonic solution, so they’re well tolerated from a digestive perspective, causing less gastrointestinal discomfort than other formulas. As someone who will always be prone to bloating because of endo - avoiding any ingredients that are known to trigger gastrointestinal distress is a no-brainer! The quality ingredients used in Body Armour also means I’m not ingesting any potential endocrine disruptors that can be found in commonly used artificial food dyes - which is something I’m really trying to avoid helping prevent the regrowth of the endo tissue I’ve had removed.
How to Optimise Hydration for Better Wellbeing
Adding the naturally sweetened and Body Armour sachets to your water not only naturally increases your likelihood of reaching for water over coffee in the morning, but picking a source of clean hydration will also give your body a complete set of 5 key electrolytes, PLUS ingredients such as B-vitamins, vitamin C, L-Theanine and Glutamine for optimal hydration, performance and recovery.
They’re now a non-negotiable part of my routine, and I highly recommend them to anyone struggling with fatigue, poor exercise recovery, or sluggish digestion despite a healthy diet and active lifestyle. While they’re not going to be the cure or magic answer in isolation, proper hydration as part of your recovery plan will make a world of difference when it comes to pain management, performance, comfort and overall wellbeing.
If you’d love to feel the benefits of Body Armour electrolytes for yourself, you can use my code STEPH to receive a free hydration sachet sample when you purchase their icy poles!
