The Effects of Oral Nutritional Supplements on Pain Associated with Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a condition that can cause significant pain and discomfort for women, and the available clinical and surgical treatments have varying levels of effectiveness and can lead to side effects, which can lead to poor adherence to treatment and therapeutic failure. As a result, there has been growing interest in using nutritional supplements as an additional therapy for endometriosis. 

A narrative review of clinical studies was conducted to aid clinical decision-making in managing women with endometriosis that explored the impact of oral nutritional supplements on endometriosis-related pain. In this review, a literature search of the PubMed/MEDLINE database was carried out using relevant keywords to detect clinical studies that included oral nutritional supplements and reports on endometriosis-related pain. This review included 20 studies, consisting of 12 randomized controlled trials, six non-comparative trials, and two observational studies published between 2013 and 2023. The included studies examined the effects of various nutritional supplements on endometriosis-related pain, including vitamins, fatty acids, probiotics, medicinal plants, and bioactive compounds.

The results demonstrated that three out of five vitamin studies, four out of six fatty acid studies, one probiotic research, two medicinal plant studies, and five out of six bioactive component studies reported a significant reduction in pain associated with endometriosis. Moreover, these nutritional supplements showed several biological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiproliferative, and antiangiogenic effects, all of which are pertinent to the management of endometriosis. 

Thus, it can be concluded that oral nutritional supplements owing to their potential to reduce pain and improve overall medical outcomes could be incorporated as part of a comprehensive treatment approach for endometriosis.

Source: Julio T, Fenerich BA, Halpern G, Carrera-Bastos P, Schor E, Kopelman A. The effects of oral nutritional supplements on endometriosis-related pain: A narrative review of clinical studies. J Gynecol Obstet Hum Reprod. 2024 Jul 26;53(10):102830. doi: 10.1016/j.jogoh.2024.102830. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39067786.