You Had Endometriosis Excision Surgery… Now What?

How to Support Your Body Post-Op, Minimize Symptoms & Slow Regrowth

You just had endometriosis excision surgery… or maybe you’re about to and are already wondering what happens next.

👉Grab my free Pre/Post-Op Essentials Checklist for Endo Excision Surgery to help you feel prepared and supported through recovery.

I talk to so many women who worry and ask themselves:

Will my endometriosis grow back?
Will surgery make my symptoms finally go away?

As someone who’s recently gone through excision myself, I can say — it made a huge difference for me.

But here’s the truth: excision surgery isn’t a guarantee that you’ll never experience pelvic pain, fatigue, or bloat again. Healing with endometriosis is a full-body effort, and it’s something that isn’t talked about enough.

So in this blog, we’ll break down what to do after excision surgery — how to support your body post-op, minimize symptoms, and create an environment in your body that can help slow regrowth and help you dramatically improve your quality of life.

Endo Excision Surgery Has Its Limits

Excision surgery is considered the gold standard treatment for endometriosis. (I break down all treatment options + pros/cons in this blog here).

It offers the lowest recurrence rate and better long-term outcomes than ablation. It can remove lesions, reduce pain, and even restore anatomy — like when an ovary is stuck to the pelvic wall and causing pelvic misalignment. (ouchie, literally).

But excision is not a cure. Symptoms like fatigue, bloat, and pain can still show up when deeper root causes (gut, hormones, inflammation) are left unresolved. I’ll say this until I’m blue in the face, but our symptoms do NOT always come down to the endometriosis lesions/ or scar tissue themselves.

But let’s chat about why recurrence can happen:

• Incomplete removal of lesions / skill of surgeon
• Complex or deep infiltrating endo (Stage 4)
• Endometrioma rupture during surgery with improper clean up, therefore endometriosis cells can spread
• Hormonal imbalances (poor estrogen metabolism, liver detox issues)
• Nutrient deficiencies and poor lymphatic drainage

Your post-op plan should be about addressing these root factors so your results actually last and so you can feel good day to day. This is why a full body approach is so crucial for endometriosis.

But let’s chat about what a realistic recovery period looks like.

Immediate Post- Op: Weeks 0-6 (or as guided by your surgeon)

Give your body at least six weeks to truly heal. Swelling and inflammation take time to simmer down. Remember, excision surgery is invasive + essentially traumatic to the body.

Some women feel relief right away; others notice gradual progress. Both are normal.
But expect for a little bit of a longer recovery than you think.

In this period, I’d really focus on:

• Rest. Seriously — this is the most important piece. And don’t be a d*ck to yourself about it.
  
• Gentle movement. Walking or light stretching as approved by your surgeon.
  
• Pelvic floor PT. If you’re already working with one, let them guide your return to movement + support you in the earlier stages of recovery. There ARE movements that can be done in the early weeks post-op
  
• Nutrition for tissue repair:
• Protein at every meal
• Fiber (for daily bowel movements + detoxification)
• Hydration + electrolytes (code RITA to save 15%)
• Vitamin C, collagen, omega-3s

I linked all my post-op supplement essentials inside my Endo Excision Pre/Post-Op Checklist.

And I share more about my recovery + how I’m feeling one month post-op in my new podcast episode.

Transition Phase- Weeks 6-12 and into month 3

By now, you may be ready to add more movement — but go slow. 

And please for the love of God, do NOT rush back into crazy training. I’ve watched women one month post-op jumping back straight into their workouts with the intention to burn as many calories as possible, and love you mean it, this type of training may have led to your period pain in the first place. OOP.

Even if you feel good, remember, you are still healing.

During this post-op period…

• Avoid heavy lifting, lots of intensive training or HIIT cardio, or deep core work until cleared.
  
• Continue or begin pelvic floor PT to reconnect to your core, improve pelvic floor dysfunction (that most endo babes have) and improve scar mobility.
  
• Use scar-desensitization techniques your PT recommends.
  
• Stick with an anti-inflammatory, protein-rich diet to reduce inflammation, support healing, blood sugar + more. This doesn’t mean eliminating a million foods. I wrote a blog breaking this down here.

This is also when it’s worth working with a functional nutritionist (like me 👋) to uncover what was driving your inflammation or endo symptoms pre and even post-surgery.

Your gut plays a massive role in how your body manages hormones and inflammation — I explain the gut/endo connection in this blog post.

Long-Term Support: Months 3-12 + Beyond

This phase is all about maintenance and routine with your lifestyle — but don’t underestimate it. Simple + “boring” doesn’t mean it’s not working or beneficial.

Your daily habits here can literally impact how good or bad you feel day to day. It’s not about perfection, but consistency really can make all the difference. My endo clients tell me this all the time + I can FEEL IT when I’m out of my routine.

Habit Stacking

• Keep stress low — no to every plan, yes to more rest.
• Prioritize sunshine, walks, and time off screens.
• Support your nervous system through meditation, breath work, and vagus-nerve activation. You don’t have to do all the things, but pick what works best for you.

Diet + Nutrition

• Eat anti-inflammatory, not restrictive.
• Protein at every meal (25–30g).
• Fiber (25–30g/day).
• Colorful fruits/veggies, especially cruciferous ones (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts) for estrogen metabolism.
• Supplements (mostly based on labs, but here are a few that may be helpful for endometriosis):
  • Turmeric/Curcumin for inflammation
  • NAC (shown to reduce endo pain, CA125 levels and size of endometriomas — PubMed study on this here). It’s also a precursor to glutathione which is a potent antioxidant that can reduce inflammation
  • Vitamin D for immune support + inflammation reduction if levels are low

Hormone + Gut Support

• Do periodic gut testing (I use GI-MAP and HTMA for my clients). Blog here on endo + gut microbiome. You 20/10 could benefit from gut testing.
• Ensure daily bowel movements — it’s the #1 way your body clears extra estrogen from your body to help manage endo.
• Rule out infections, absorption issues, or nutrient deficiencies before adding in hormone-support supplements like DIM.
• Support your liver:
• Limit alcohol + endocrine disruptors
• Try liver supportive herbal teas like dandelion, milk thistle, or nettle to give your liver some extra love.
  Implement the diet/nutrition strategies above because they make the hugest difference with gut + hormone health 

Monitoring + Making Tweaks

• Keep a symptom journal to note how you’re feeling. What’s changed, any thing that’s improved or gotten worse + just become more in tune with your cycles/ when your symptoms are coming up for you.
• Know when to re-evaluate, consult specialists like a pelvic floor PT, acupuncturist, or a functional medicine practitioner to dig a bit deeper into your case from a full body perspective.

Strategies to Minimize Regrowth Risk Without Hormone Suppression

While you can’t fully prevent recurrence, you can absolutely support your body in ways that reduce inflammation and slow regrowth.

Focus on what I mentioned above:

• Nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory meals
• Stress and sleep optimization
• Liver support and detoxification
• Personalized supplements + protocols
• Ongoing collaboration with your healthcare team

If you choose hormone suppression, that’s okay — but know that birth control doesn’t address systemic inflammation and endo is a systemic disease. These whole-body strategies still matter.

Conclusion

Surgery is an incredible reset — but it’s just one piece of your endometriosis healing journey. Supporting your gut, hormones, nervous system, and immune health post-op sets you up for long-term relief and better outcomes.

I also want to remind you ladies to celebrate your wins, no matter how small. Healing is hard. Excision is hard. And endo can freaking suck. But there is light on the other side and you CAN get your life back.

Just remember healing isn’t linear (something I’ve been having to remind myself of a lot lately), but just know you’re doing amazing work every step of the way! So keep going.

And if you’re feeling called to dig deeper + have personalized support, this is the exact work I do in my 1:1 containers. To learn more, fill out a 1:1 health coaching application here + I’ll reach out to you with info!