Five Books to Read if You Have Endometriosis

First of all, I would legit enjoy an endometriosis book club. Someone get on that. In the meantime, here are five books that have taught me a ton about my body, given me tools for living with endometriosis and been flat out interesting reads. 

I like to make things easy for my fellow endo warriors, so just click on the image to the left and you'll go right to Amazon. If you purchase the book, I might make a few bucks #womensupportingwomen

The Body Keeps the Score
Data galore. This is the most scientific book I've ever enjoyed. It's also taken me months to get through because I have to take breaks from all of the knowledge. For #endowarriors there's a ton of eye-opening information about chronic pain, central sensitization and how you can heal your nervous system. I especially liked the information on why things like mindfulness and EMDR work. The book helped me understand why I was still having symptoms after surgery, and what to focus on on my path to recovery. Can't recommend enough.

Come As You Are
One symptom of endometriosis is painful sex. When something is painful, you tend to avoid it. For sex, that can be really sad and disappointing. This book is all about (research-backed) truths about what works to maximize women's sexual wellbeing. It's got a lot of similar information as The Body Keeps the Score -- because it turns out the brain is pretty involved in all of this -- but the information is easier to digest. This is also a great book to share with a partner.

Beating Endo
To be honest, I haven't finished this book. I got overwhelmed and annoyed at how much work I, the patient, have to put it to "beating" endo. However, I highly recommend it for people new to endo, or family and friends of those with endometriosis. It gives a great picture of how this becomes a full-body disease, and at a different time I might not find it so depressing. I also appreciate how much it focuses on physical therapy, which was THE game changer for me. 

Ready to Run
This might be a bit niche, but hear me out. Physical exercise and cardio are recommended to help with managing endometriosis systems; for lots of people running is great for that, and it can even become meditative. I however, have a tricky knee that aches after jogs, so I always counted running out. A physical therapist, and this book, changed my mind on that. For me, it really helped me to understand the mechanics involved and that humans truly are built to run. If it helped me run, I thought it could help another endo warrior.

Complete Candida Yeast Guidebook
There are lots of different endo diets, and honestly, you should work with a functional nutritionist (here's mine) to create a plan specific to your body and chemical makeup. This book however got me through a long phase before I had a nutritionist where I was doing the candida diet per my gynecologist's orders. There's tons of recipes and some clear, cut and dry rules on the diet, which I really appreciated. 

Have a book recommendation for me/us? Leave a comment and I'll update the blog with suggestions.