Why would anyone consider giving up caffeine, right? Coffee is basically a right of passage into adulthood. It’s available on every street corner, in every office kitchen + the first thing in my cup every morning. It tastes GREAT, smells even better + is the perfect accompaniment to blueberry muffins. Coffee + caffeine also offer most of us a much-needed boost in lives that often feel tiring + sometimes overwhelming. Who doesn’t love a little extra pep in their step? Something this good couldn’t be bad…could it?
When I was diagnosed with Endometriosis in 2019 + started diving into the long list of lifestyle changes that promised to lessen my pain + ease my symptoms, I kept seeing mentions of caffeine…and each + every time I would cringe. What the heck do caffeine and endometriosis have to do with each other? Did I really want to know?
Caffeine and Endometriosis: is there a connection?
Diving into the slightly uncharted territory of learning to live with endometriosis, there are studies and internet articles that claim to prove + disprove all sorts of dietary switches and changes for women with the condition.
Eliminate all animal products.
No gluten.
No dairy.
No soy.
Sugar isn’t helpful.
Alcohol is a big no-no.
Cut out all caffeine.
For a rule follower like me, it was freaking overwhelming. I immediately started trying all of the things, but actually found myself getting sicker. I was so stressed out about following the contradictory guidelines in books + on the internet that I forgot to listen to my own body + make the choices that work best in my life right now.
I took a step back from trying to live perfectly + instead had lots of grace for awhile. Once I got my mental health back into a healthy place, I started evaluated the choices I was making + I began with what felt like a really simple one. Caffeine.
In simplest terms, caffeine, like anything diet-related, is not guaranteed to be an issue for everyone, not even everyone with endometriosis. However, there is information that points to it as something that might be worth investigating if you’re struggling to get your symptoms under control. And for me, it was. Here’s what I found:
Why does caffeine affect endo sufferers?
Endometriosis is an inherently inflammatory condition, so our body often doesn’t need any encouragement in this area. While not definitively proven, it is believed that coffee, for many women, can raise levels of inflammation in the body.
One study in 1998 found that women with endometriosis who were asked to remove caffeine from their diet saw a significant reduction in both pain and other symptoms. A 1993 study also found that women who drank 2 or more cups of coffee a day were twice as likely to develop endometriosis as those who didn’t. These results are obviously correlative, rather than causative, but to me, they were worth me digging even a bit further into my body’s relationship with caffeine.
I stumbled up on a new study published in November of 2020 by the British Journal of Nutrition titled, “Glucose control upon waking is unaffected by hourly sleep fragmentation during the night, but is impaired by morning caffeinated coffee”. This study chronicled the effects of blood sugar after poor sleep + also after ingesting coffee on an empty stomach.
This new research uncovered + highlighted how coffee can sabotage blood sugar. This study found that women’s glucose levels were hugely impacted in the morning by whether or not they drank a cup of coffee before eating. What does that have to do with endometriosis? Well, when our blood sugar spikes too big, so does our insulin. Those spikes can mess with ovulation, which messes up progesterone production and contributes to one of the most common, and most troublesome, hormone imbalances: too much estrogen, or estrogen dominance. Most women with endometriosis already have higher levels of estrogen. Know what unbalanced hormones (and excess estrogen) encourage? Growth of endometriosis. Studies have found that women who drink coffee can have up to 70% higher estrogen levels than those who don’t.
Another thing not working in caffeine’s favor? Caffeine operates as a diuretic, which means that it causes us to go to the bathroom more frequently, excreting minerals and nutrients that we haven’t given our body the chance to use yet. It also can lead to dehydration if consumed in larger quantities or in place of water. Women with Endometriosis really do need to be hydrated. And the reason for that also has to do with going to the bathroom 😉
The body’s natural process for getting rid of excess estrogen is through your intestines + out with your waste. Being under-hydrated makes you much more susceptible to constipation, which means your body won’t be able to process extra estrogen. And as mentioned earlier, extra estrogen can trigger inflammation and higher levels of pain in women with endometriosis.
Caffeine can also stimulate the muscles in the digestive tract, which can exacerbate symptoms like cramping, pain and diarrhea. Women who experience endo symptoms related to their digestive health may find that caffeine exacertabes these symptoms.
Obviously, things like sleep and anxiety levels are also affected. While not endometriosis specific, both of those things have a huge impact on the mental health of women with the disease!
So, what does this mean?
What it doesn’t mean is that you immediately have to remove each + every drop of caffeinated beverage from your life. I am a firm believer in figuring out how to make changes that feel both sustainable + joyful to you. For me, however, my symptoms were aggressive enough that I was willing to try going cold turkey + removing caffeine altogether. I chose to switch out my morning cup of joe for the same cup…just decaf. Now, I am very aware of the chemicals used in the decaffeination process, so I choose to purchase Swiss water processed decaf, which uses osmosis to remove the caffeine instead. I’ve been drinking this coffee for over a year + it’s just perfect. However, again, this is up to you + your symptoms, your desires + your budget. You don’t have to buy expensive decaf, you could totally just cut it out too!
And what actaully happened when I removed caffeine? I saw a drastic change in my symptoms. I started sleeping better. My anxiety decreased. My bathroom habits became more regular. And paired with my other lifestyle changes, my pain and bleeding have even improved. It has been worth every single ounce of effort.
If you’re still thinking that caffeine could be affecting you, but you just can’t imagine life without caffeinated coffee, here are a few other options to try:
- Try adding some sort of fat, like coconut oil, butter or full fat nut milk or to your coffee. This will slow the processing of the caffeine and help to keep your blood sugar more stable.
- Have your coffee AFTER breakfast! Ensuring that you have some food in your stomach means that, again, your blood sugar will stay more balanced as it tries to process the caffeine.
- Start by going half-and-half! Brew a pot with half decaf and half regular. You can slowly decrease the amount of regular to help your body easy off of caffeine without any of the withdraw symptoms you might be fearing!
I love, love, love using my Swiss water decaf + many people love consuming some sort of coffee alternative like dandelion “coffee” or other herbal options.
Final thoughts on caffeine + endometriosis
No matter what you decide to do with the information here, please don’t let shame be a part of the equation. If you’re feeling ashamed that you:
- didn’t know this could be harming you + have been pounding 4 cups a day
- if you feel like you love your caffeine more than you want to feel better
- if you’re in a season of life where caffeine literally feels like a lifeline
Let me by the voice of truth that reminds you that a wellness journey is a JOURNEY! You will be at different places during different seasons. Don’t let the stress of potentially doing the “wrong” thing keep you from doing what feels best for you + your life right now.
Maybe you can’t imagine getting rid of your coffee now, but 2 months or 2 years from now your relationship with caffeine and endometriosis might be in a different place. Hang in there!
We chat all about this stuff over on Instagram so be sure to come hang out!
P.P.S. If you’re looking for more ways to start to feel better, here are some more resources:
How I’m Healing from Chronic Illness
What to do after an Endometriosis Diagnosis
The Power of Affirmations
4 Books for Women with Period Problems
Eliminating caffeine has changed my life as far as eliminating my debilitating endometriosis symptoms.
In fact I tested it this month and went back to my caffeinated lattes and my symptoms returned. I am certain that eliminating caffeine is the cure to painful symptoms I get two weeks prior to my period.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience on this. I just weaned myself off of coffee to help with my endometriosis, which has been getting worse in the past few months. I truly hope it helps and I’m diving into chicory as a replacement. It has tons of health benefits!
I so appreciate that you aren’t into getting people to follow a perfect diet or shaming them into changes. That’s the part I find most exhausting about making dietary changes. I also hadn’t heard about the study about coffee on an empty stomach- that makes a lot of sense.
I have Endo and just had my second excision surgery. They found adenomyosis this time as well. I’ve made some significant changes, but given myself grace.