Guest Blog ·May 14, 2025

How Supplements Can Help Manage Endometriosis Symptoms

supplements to help manage endometriosis

Endometriosis Awareness Month might be over, but let’s be honest—it’s never really over for the 1 in 10 women and people who menstruate living with it every damn day.

At WUKA, we’re all about smashing the myth that endo is “just a bad period.” It’s a full-body inflammatory condition that messes with way more than your cycle - and it deserves more than silence or shrug-off advice.

So we’ve teamed up with someone who gets it. Say hey to Kirsty Smith, our go-to hormone health expert and registered nutritional therapist. She’s spent years supporting people with complex hormone and menstrual conditions - like endo - and today, she’s breaking down how supplements can actually help manage symptoms. Spoiler: it’s not about magic pills or miracle cures. It’s about understanding your body and giving it the right support.

Let’s get into it.

Not just a bad period

One of the biggest myths about endometriosis is that it’s “just a bad period”. This couldn’t be further from the truth as endometriosis is not just a menstrual health condition but an all over body inflammatory condition where cells which are endometrial like (but not endometrial cells that grow in the uterus) - grow outside of the uterus in the pelvic area and beyond to other organs like the bladder and bowel. These cells behave independently to what’s happening in the uterus and cause adhesions and scar tissue.

Endometriosis is an inflammatory disease that’s affected by hormones but is not caused by hormones. Instead, endometriosis is, at least in part, a disease of immune dysfunction.

Symptoms of endometriosis

Symptoms of endometriosis can vary from woman to woman, including in severity. In many cases, endometriosis symptoms include:

Pelvic pain, especially during menstruation and ovulation
Chronic pelvic pain and cramps outside of menstruation
Heavy bleeding or irregular menstrual bleeding
Painful sex
Digestive issues such as IBS, diarrhea, constipation, or severe bloating (known as endo belly)
Fatigue and mood disturbances
Infertility issues such as trouble getting pregnant

Endometriosis pain can range from dull ache and cramping to severe pain that can be debilitating.

Cause of endometriosis

While the exact cause of endometriosis remains unclear (much more research is needed in this area), factors such as genetic predisposition, hormonal imbalances, immune system dysfunction, poor gut health, and inflammation all seem to be contributors to its development.

Supplements to help manage endometriosis

Because endo is a multifaceted condition, managing its symptoms often requires an approach that includes both conventional medical treatments (surgery and hormonal treatment) and natural remedies, such as the use of supplements and nutritional therapy.

VITAMIN D & K2

Vitamin D increases anti-inflammatory cytokines and decreases pro-inflammatory cytokines, suggesting it can help improve chronic inflammatory and autoimmune responses associated with endometriosis.

One meta-analysis found that people with endo have lower vitamin D status compared to those without endo, and found a negative relationship between vitamin D levels and the severity and progression of endometriosis symptoms.

Therefore, increasing vitamin D intake, such as via sunlight exposure and help from vitamin D supplements (such as WUKA's Immunity Support with Vitamin D3/K2), is thought to be beneficial for coping with endo pain.

VITAMIN C&E

Studies support the potential role of antioxidant vitamins, especially vitamins C and E, in the management of endometriosis. Supplementation with antioxidant vitamins has been shown to effectively reduce the severity of dysmenorrhea (painful periods), improve pelvic pain, and enhance the quality of life in people with endo.

Vitamin C and E supplementation could be considered as an alternative treatment method, either alone or in combination with other approaches for endometriosis-related pain.

Women and people who menstruate with endo are at a higher risk of developing iron deficiency, potentially due to heavy menstrual bleeding and chronic inflammation, which affect iron regulation and absorption. Wuka’s supplement to support energy & reduce fatigue includes iron and Vitamin C which can be very helpful for people with endo to help combat the side effect of heavy painful bleeding.

B VITAMINS

The B vitamins are particularly important for endo sufferers for a number of reasons. First and foremost, they are needed by the liver to convert excess oestrogen into weaker and less dangerous forms. One of the B vitamins, B6, has been shown to significantly reduce the intensity and duration of period pains, which will help many sufferers.

GINGER & Chaste Tree Berry

A 2014 and 2016 study both found that ginger can reduce menstruation-related pain. This suggests ginger could have a similar effect on pain associated with endometriosis.

Chaste tree berry has a long history of use in traditional herbal medicine for menstrual disorders and hormonal imbalances.

Studies show that Vitex has the potential to help regulate menstrual cycles and reduce period problems, including menstrual pains and PMS symptoms, such as breast tenderness and mood swings. As endometriosis is influenced by hormonal fluctuations and tends to worsen with PMS prior to one's period or around ovulation, chaste berry extract is a natural remedy to consider trying.

There's also evidence that chaste tree berry has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities that can help stop the growth of endometrial tissue by regulating estrogen metabolism.

WUKA's hormone support includes B6, ginger root and chaste tree berry, making it a great choice to support endometriosis symptom management.

NUTRITIONAL THERAPY

Many with endo find symptom relief by adopting an anti-inflammatory diet. This type of diet is nutrient-rich, includes whole foods, and is filled with a variety of plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, spices, herbs, legumes, and healthy fats rich in polyphenols and omega-3s.

Avoiding inflammatory foods such as processed meats, alcohol, refined sugars, gluten and caffeine can also help reduce inflammation and digestive issues.