The effect of dietary interventions on pain and quality of life in women diagnosed with endometriosis: a prospective study with control group.

Study Question: What is the influence of dietary interventions, namely the low fermentable oligo-, di-, mono-saccharides, and polyols (Low FODMAP) diet and endometriosis diet, on endometriosis-related pain and quality of life (QoL) compared to a control group?

Summary Answer: After adhering to a dietary intervention for 6 months, women with endometriosis reported less pain and an improved QoL compared to baseline whereas, compared to the control group, they reported less bloating and a better QoL in 3 of 11 domains.

What Is Known Already: Standard endometriosis treatment can be insufficient or may be accompanied by unacceptable side effects. This has resulted in an increasing interest in self-management strategies, including the appliance of the Low FODMAP diet and the endometriosis diet (an experience-based avoidance diet, developed by women with endometriosis).

A better quality of life could be achieved by applying the endometriosis diet: a cross-sectional study in Dutch endometriosis patients.

Research Question: Does the endometriosis diet positively affect quality of life (QoL) in women diagnosed with endometriosis?

Design: A cross-sectional study was performed, recruiting women using the website and online peer platforms from the Dutch Endometriosis Society. In total, 211 women with a self-reported diagnosis of endometriosis were included in the study. They completed a questionnaire on the six QoL domains based on the conversation tool 'My Positive Health'.