Endo Belly Explained: Why Endometriosis Makes You Look 5 Months Pregnant (and What You Can Do About It)

If you live with endometriosis, you’ve probably experienced endo belly..

Ya know where you feel/look 5 months pregnant out of nowhere but you’re not..

If you’re an endometriosis warrior, you know d@mn well the emotional rollercoaster that can come along with having this disease. 

You wake up feeling/looking normal. You get STOKED about it. Then, as the day progresses, your abdomen starts to swell.. Pants are difficult/painful as heck and by dinner time you’re looking 5 months pregnant.

And this isn’t just bloat. Your belly is TIGHT + PAINFUL. And you begin to feel so defeated because you felt fine this morning + did everything right to keep your body happy. 

None of this is in your head. 

Endo sucks + can feel super difficult to manage. In my Free Endo Reset Masterclass, I dive into what this disease is and HOW to start getting relief today.

But back to endo belly..

There’s a physiological reason why women with endometriosis get endo belly, and it’s not something we are stuck with forever.

There ARE solutions for it, but we first need to understand what’s behind it. 

But first… what even IS endo belly?!

This is a severe (and most times painful) type of cyclical bloat that occurs with endometriosis due to inflammation, hormonal imbalances, water retention and gut dysfunction. It’s NOT from over eating or gut issues alone.

Endo belly is the most prevalent in the second half of the menstrual cycle, aka the luteal phase, aka the phase of the cycle MOST women with endo (especially those who also have PMDD) HATE because it can come with a LOT of symptoms (like endo belly).

It can also occur with eating certain foods that trigger food reactions or pain-flare ups due to factors like stress.

And unfortunately, most docs are quick to write this off because most of the time labs and even imaging look “normal”- but nothing about endo belly is normal.

Here are 4 things to pay attention to if Endo Belly hits you every single month like clockwork.

1. Inflammation + Immune activation:

Endometriosis is a full body, inflammatory disease. This can increase cytokines and other inflammatory chemicals in the body like prostaglandins + histamine, can increase gut permeability and can lead to bloat + the pain we see with endo belly.

2. Gut Infections, Dysbiosis and SIBO

Endo and SIBO often coexist due to repeated surgeries, sluggish gut motility, low good gut bacteria from restrictive diets we are told to follow, endo lesions or adhesions found on the bowels, or just poor overall gut function that most endo babes do have. But gut protocols alone aren’t the magic fix. We need to support all the systems in the body that support digestion. And a SIBO protocol alone won’t get rid of the endo belly.

3. Estrogen Dominance

Endometriosis makes its own estrogen (fun, fun) and it’s exacerbated by high estrogen levels. High estrogen can lead to greater water retention, slower digestion + more inflammation, especially in the second half of the cycle. Estrogen + histamine also have an affinity for one another, so you may notice more gut / food reactions in the second half of your cycle that you don’t notice in the first. Impaired estrogen clearance through the gut + liver can also worsen bloating

4.Stagnant Lymph + Digestion

Adhesions, a sedentary lifestyle, chronic stress or inflammation can lead to a sluggish lymphatic system. When your lymphatic system and even your digestive system are sluggish or stagnant, this can lead to poor blood flow to the pelvis, fluid retention, poor elimination of toxins through our lymphatic system and even stagnant bile flow which leads to impaired fat digestion + extreme fullness after meals.

Why Cutting Out Foods Alone Doesn’t Fix Endo Belly

I KNOW you’ve been told at some point to follow AIP, low-fodmap or the endo diet, however, these diets are NOT a fix or a long-term strategy for endo or endo belly. Eliminating a bunch of foods doesn’t just magically heal your gut, balance your hormones or boost your lymphatic system.

The root of your endo belly is the TERRAIN in your gut + body… NOT the food. 

And focusing on food alone keeps women with endo distracted while their symptoms don’t budge or get worse, their relationship with food worsens + they starve off all the good gut bacteria in their gut NEEDED to support their immune system.

Inside my Endo Reset Masterclass, I dive a bit deeper into what endo is, treatment options and exactly where to start with improving your endo symptoms today but implementing sustainable habits that support hormone balance, digestion, immune health + more. I also included a week’s worth of endo-friendly meal ideas- and NO it’s not restrictive af or bland. (Your girl is Lebanese. I would NEVER.)

When to Seek Out Help:

I touch on this some inside my Endo Reset Masterclass where I walk you through some functional labs of clients with endometriosis. 

But if your bloat is DAILY, super painful, affects your quality of life or feels like it isn’t getting better no matter how many tips or tricks you try, then it’s time to dig deeper and this is exactly how I support my 1:1 clients with endometriosis, as a fellow endo babe myself. 

Functional lab testing like the HTMA, GI map, DUTCH and even a SIBO test can help us understand the WHY behind your endo belly + create a step-by-step action plan to help you finally get relief!

If you’re ready to be HEARD, to have personalization on your journey + ongoing support, it’s time to get to the root of your symptoms and we do this inside my 1:1 coaching + lab intensive packages. In these services, we uncover the gut, hormone, immune + mineral imbalances driving your symptoms + help you get your life back.

Endo can be life altering, but it doesn’t have to be your entire life and I’d love to show you HOW you can do this. Book a low pressure call using the link below or give me a follow on IG + shoot me a DM!