Disclaimer: This post was written to share my opinion on why I think people with endometriosis gain weight. I am not a doctor, and it is to be used for informational use only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.
When you have endometriosis or any type of chronic illness, it often changes your body because disability can change the way your body looks. People with endometriosis often experience severe pain, which causes some people to lose weight while others to gain weight. There are a lot of reasons why someone with endometriosis may gain weight, and it’s not always because we aren’t eating healthy and neglecting our bodies, but sometimes changes in weight is beyond your control. Endometriosis is a very difficult condition to manage, and not everyone is going to have the same experiences because there is no one-size-fits-all all to managing pain. People with endometriosis are often very self-conscious because it sometimes negatively changes your body and causes you to gain weight, which is why it’s so important not to comment on people’s bodies. You never know what someone is going through, and if their weight changes are a sign of good or poor health. You can look healthy and be very sick because the way someone looks is a very poor indicator of health. Why do people with endometriosis sometimes gain weight? In this post, I am sharing a few reasons why some people with endometriosis may gain weight.
Some people are taking birth control- Hormonal birth control does not stop disease progression, and only surgery treats the disease, but it is one of the most common treatments because it can improve pain in some people. Birth control sometimes causes people to experience slight changes in their weight, but not everyone who is taking birth control experiences weight gain because everyone responds to hormones differently. I am not taking birth control for endometriosis pain because I felt that there were too many risks, but if you are taking it, you may sometimes experience an increase in your appetite, which can cause weight gain. Birth control is not only for people who do not want to get pregnant, but it is also a common treatment option for people with endometriosis who experience painful periods because it can slow bleeding down, which helps improve pain.
Sometimes you can’t be as active– Exercise is often recommended for people with endometriosis or any type of chronic pain because movement can help improve pain. It can be difficult for people with endometriosis to be active because a lot of people experience debilitating chronic pain that makes it difficult to go on a walk. Some people with endometriosis gain weight because you can’t be as active as someone without the condition. I am fortunate that my endometriosis pain has not completely prevented me from being able to exercise, but it has affected my workouts, and I have to take more rest days than someone without endometriosis because of pain. Some people with endometriosis do not experience pain, but for those who do have severe chronic pain, it can be difficult to stay active, because exercise that makes most people feel energized can make someone with endometriosis feel drained and fatigued. People with endometriosis often experience a lot of pain and fatigue, which makes them less active and sometimes causes weight gain.
Sometimes you get depressed- Many people with endometriosis experience a lot of debilitating pain and fatigue, which can cause depression. Sometimes you are lying in bed for days with severe pain and fatigue, and you can’t do anything but hope the flare doesn’t last too long. Pain doesn’t only affect you physically, but it can also affect your mental health, and people with severe chronic pain are more likely to experience mental health issues than someone without chronic pain, which is why pain management is so important. Depression can cause some people with chronic pain to not eat at all and lose weight, while others may eat more, causing them to gain weight. Mental illness is common amongst people in pain because it can cause depression that results in changes in weight.
Sometimes it causes bloating- It can be harmful to believe that endometriosis is just as a bad period because it affects your entire body and does not end with period cramps. Many people experience significant pain when they aren’t on their period because you can have pain at any time during the month. Endometriosis often gets worse over time and can spread to other organs in your body, causing major functions to not work properly. It is common for people with endometriosis to experience digestive issues and struggle with constipation because it can affect your bowel function. Many people with endometriosis experience a lot of painful bloating because it can be more difficult for people with endometriosis to go to the bathroom. Bloating is very common amongst people with endometriosis, and sometimes it’s so severe that you look six months pregnant. Some people with endometriosis gain weight because they aren’t emptying properly because of the disease, and that is not something we can completely control. Healthy eating can help improve bloating, but you can’t always eliminate it because it’s the disease that is causing it, not something you are doing.
Weight changes are common amongst people with endometriosis who experience severe chronic pain because pain changes your body. Some people may have an easier time maintaining their weight than others because they have less pain and can be more active. There is no right or wrong way to manage endometriosis pain because not everyone is going to get relief from the same types of remedies. People with chronic illnesses often struggle with body acceptance because illness changes the way your body looks, which is why we need to get away from commenting on people’s bodies. Weight management can be very difficult when you live with severe pain because you don’t have as much energy to make a healthy meal, and you’re going to grab what’s accessible to you, which isn’t always healthy. Shaming someone for gaining weight is not helpful because weight gain is not always bad, and weight loss is not always good. There are a lot of reasons why someone with endometriosis may gain weight, and this is not a complete list because everyone is different. Be kind, and if you notice someone has gained weight, instead of telling them to hit the gym, take some time to ask if they are okay, because sometimes you are not okay. Why do you think people with endometriosis gain weight? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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