Dietary taboos for adenomyosis

It is clear that foods that can aggravate pelvic congestion, increase estrogen activity in the body, and induce inflammatory reactions must be strictly avoided. The rest of the so-called "can't eat" statements are mostly individual differences and there is no universal one-size-fits-all standard.

Don’t underestimate those animal-derived estrogen-based foods that claim to be able to “nourish the ovaries and replenish qi and blood,” such as snow clams, royal jelly, and purple river cartons, as well as breast enhancement and anti-aging health products with unknown ingredients. They are really the absolute red line for patients with adenomyosis. I met a 31-year-old patient in the outpatient clinic before. The original lesion was only about 3cm. Every time he had dysmenorrhea, he could suppress it by taking half a tablet of ibuprofen. I heard from my best friend that eating snow clams can beautify and nourish the ovaries. I ate it twice a week for three months. When I checked again, the lesion had grown to 4.5cm. The menstrual pain was so painful that I had to take pethidine to relieve it. After all, adenomyosis itself is an estrogen-dependent disease. The animal estrogen in these foods is extremely active and will directly stimulate the proliferation of lesions. It is best not to touch it regardless of your physical condition.

As for the question "whether you can drink soy milk and eat tofu" that many people are confused about, in fact, the industry has always had different opinions. Western medicine generally believes that the activity of phytoestrogens in soybeans is only one thousandth of human estrogen. Normally, drinking 1-2 cups of soy milk and eating half a piece of tofu every day will not affect the estrogen levels in the body at all. Instead, it can supplement high-quality protein and isoflavones, which is good for regulating hormone levels. However, some schools of traditional Chinese medicine classify soy products as "hair products" and believe that they will aggravate dampness and coldness in the body. Patients who are usually afraid of cold and have a lot of blood clots during menstruation may aggravate swelling and pain. In fact, there is no need to worry about this situation. Try it two or three times. If you feel no discomfort after eating, eat normally. If your lower abdomen is really bloated and the pain becomes worse after eating, just avoid it.

There are also some things that are not strictly forbidden, but it is best to avoid touching them before and after menstruation, such as strong alcohol, super spicy hot pot, and iced milk tea and iced watermelon just taken out of the refrigerator. These things will directly stimulate the contraction or abnormal expansion of pelvic blood vessels, aggravating congestion. People who originally have only three to four points of dysmenorrhea will most likely be in pain to the point of being unable to straighten their backs after eating. Of course, there are exceptions. I know a girl who was born and raised in Chongqing. She has been eating spicy food since she was a child. Even if she eats mildly spicy hot pot during her menstrual period, it will be okay.

In addition, studies in recent years have also confirmed that foods high in sugar and trans fatty acids will increase the levels of inflammatory factors in the body and amplify the pain of adenomyosis. For example, patients who drink full-sugar milk tea every day and eat fried skewers of cream cake every meal generally experience 2-3 points more pain than those who eat a light diet, and their menstrual periods will also be longer. That’s not to say that you can’t touch even one bite of these things. It’s okay to satisfy your craving once in a while, but eating them for a long time is really asking for trouble for yourself.

The mythical statements such as "You can't eat seafood, you can't eat mangoes, you can't eat beef and mutton" are widely circulated on the Internet. In fact, there is no unified standard. Many people classify these as "hair products", but most of the patients I have come into contact with have no reaction after eating them. Instead, they can supplement high-quality protein to improve their immunity. Only a small number of patients who are allergic, or who actually experience worsening pain or prolonged menstruation after eating need to avoid them.

I generally recommend patients who are clueless to keep a simple food diary. On what day they ate something they didn’t usually eat, and whether there was any change in menstrual pain or menstrual flow after that. If they feel uncomfortable after eating the same food two or three times in a row, they can just add it to their blacklist. There is really no need to just take back the chopsticks when others say they can’t eat something.

In the final analysis, diet is only an auxiliary means for the management of adenomyosis. Don't expect to cure the disease by relying on dietary taboos, but don't eat too much and drink too much to cause yourself extra pain. After all, everyone's physique and tolerance are different, and the most accurate taboo standard is what suits you.