Functional Lab Tests Every Woman Should Know About for Endometriosis

Endometriosis isn’t just a “period problem.” It’s a complex, full-body condition that impacts hormones, inflammation, gut health, and nutrition. That’s why treating endometriosis isn’t just about managing pain or relying on surgery and medications.. it’s about understanding what’s driving your symptoms and addressing them at the source.

While scientists still don’t know for sure what actually causes endometriosis, we do know what causes pain and inflammation with it.

Functional lab testing can be a game-changer here. By uncovering hidden imbalances, you can personalize your care and create a plan that actually supports your body vs just masking symptoms.

GI Map / Gut Testing

Your gut plays a massive role in hormone regulation, inflammation, and immune function. Dysbiosis, SIBO, parasites, or chronic gut inflammation can all worsen endometriosis symptoms like bloating, digestive issues, fatigue, and even pain.

A GI Map or comprehensive stool test can reveal:

• Bacterial overgrowths (aka dysbiosis)
• Hidden infections like H. pylori, parasites, and yeast overgrowth
• Gut inflammation and leaky gut
• Your body's ability to digest fats, carbs, proteins
• Commensal/ Keystone bacteria balance
• Gluten sensitivity

By identifying these imbalances, you can target gut health with personalized nutrition, probiotics, or other supportive protocols, which can directly help regulate hormones and reduce systemic inflammation.

Here are snippets of one of my endo client’s GI map who had lots of bloat, painful af periods, PMDD, + fatigue. PROOF that your symptoms may not just be from the endo itself.

Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA)

Minerals are the unsung heroes of hormone balance, energy production, thyroid support, digestion, detox, and inflammation regulation. Deficiencies or imbalances in minerals like magnesium, sodium, potassium, zinc, selenium, and calcium OR high levels of certain minerals like iron or copper can worsen bloating, fatigue, and hormone dysregulation.

An HTMA test measures your mineral status and toxic metal load over a 3 month span. This allows you to:

• Understand your nervous system state (are you in fight or flight 24/7?)
• Determine levels of minerals like magnesium, sodium, potassium, calcium, etc
• Uncover sluggish detox, copper imbalances, or sluggish thyroid function
• Uncover digestive issues + hormone imbalances (do you have the building blocks needed to build digestive juices + hormones like progesterone?)

When your minerals are balanced, your body can better manage inflammation, support hormone metabolism, and improve your energy levels  so you’re not EXHAUSTED all the time with endo. Minerals are THAT foundational. Endo babes need them to heal.

Here is a snippet of the HTMA test of the client whose GI map I shared above:

(hint: most of these high levels, except for copper, don’t actually mean the levels are high! Calcium is in an unusable state + being hoarded in the tissues which is NOT good and high levels of mag + zinc mean you’re actually deficient in the cell + losing them through your hair. Also not good).

Hormone Panels

Testing hormone levels is another important piece of the puzzle, however, it is not the first place that I start with testing. And that is simply because of the fact that hormonal imbalance are almost always a downstream effect of another issue like poor gut health, nervous system dysregulation, mineral imbalances, etc. 

DUTCH testing can be really helpful when it comes to looking at hormone balance because it allows us to look at your hormone metabolites to see how your body is actually processing these hormones. 

You can also check your hormones through blood work by timing your cycle. To get accurate results, you want to get progesterone and estradiol checked at least 5 to 7 days after you’re confirmed ovulation. You can also check estradiol on days 3 to 5 of your menstrual cycle as well. I typically recommend hormone testing If you are unable to see progress or improvements with a G.I. map or HTMA protocol.

Imbalances in estrogen, progesterone, or adrenal hormones can drive symptoms like:

• Heavy bleeding
• PMS or PMDD
• Fatigue
• Pelvic pain
• Painful periods
• Histamine reactions
• Poor sleep in the second half of the cycle
• Skin issues

All of these together provide a bigger, holistic picture of what’s going on in your body beyond just the lesions or period pain.

Functional lab testing isn’t about overcomplicating your life…it’s about gaining clarity. Not all functional practitioners are cut from the same cloth. I get that.

But by uncovering imbalances in gut health, minerals, and hormones, you can build a targeted plan that truly supports your body, reduces symptoms, and complements any surgery or medication you might need.

When you approach endometriosis with a whole-body mindset, your care becomes proactive instead of reactive… and that’s when real healing can happen.

And if you’re ready to gain clarity on what your body needs, this is exactly what I help women with! 

DM me on IG at radiatewithrita to learn about what this could look like for you OR book a discovery call using the link below.