Women share photos of their bloated bellies to show painful reality of living with endometriosis
BLOATING is one of the most distressing symptoms of endometriosis.
Bellies can swell for a few hours, days or even weeks at a time.
And while bloating may be part and parcel of most women's menstrual cycle, "endobelly" is far more extreme.
For the one in ten women who live with endometriosis, bloating is severe and tends to get worse as the day goes on.
Dr Karli Goldstein told that women tend to be fine in the morning but "get bigger and bigger until the evening, when they can't button their pants".
As a gynaecologist with stage IV endometriosis herself, she says "you can look six months pregnant by the end of the day".
We still don't know the exact cause of endometriosis and because of that, there are no definite conclusions as to why women bloat up so much.
Because the condition can affect every sufferer differently, there are no solid conclusions about it.
Endometriosis is where you've got endometrial tissue growing on organs outside of the womb.
Like your womb lining, it sheds when you're on your period - and that can lead to internal bleeding in areas that you really don't want that to happen.
Current theories about bloating include that fact that when the whole body becomes inflamed as a result of endometrial tissue bleeding internally when it's time to menstruate.
We reported earlier this week that scientists claimed to have found a potential "cure" after determining a link between gut health and endometriosis.
Scientists from Washinton University School of Medicine in St Louis said they'd found that a good type of gut bacteria was really low in mice with endometriosis, and concluded that women may be advised to take a probiotic to boost their levels.
"How healthy your gut is affects your disease burden," Dr Kommagani said.
"What you eat can affect the bacteria in the gut, and that can promote endometriosis, so it's important to have healthy habits and to make sure you are harbouring good bacteria so you won't get the disease and the pain associated with it."
So an imbalance of gut bacteria could play a role in bloating.
Many sufferers say their bloating happens after eating certain foods
Writing on Instagram, one endo warrior said that her endo belly had been brought on by eating an egg dish that had been made with milk.
"Today's case of endo belly is brought on by the eggs I ate this morning (found out after eating, they were made with milk) and I went out for lunch today, ordered a salad with chicken, asked to hold the cheese and candied walnuts but something else in there clearly isn’t agreeing with me and my uterus put on the boxing gloves and is gearing up for a fight. And she always wins."
Sarah, AKA FitEndoLife says that she eats "clean" 90 per cent of the time - having eliminated gluten, dairy, refined sugars, processed foods, caffeine and alcohol from her diet.
"It just goes to show that even with all of the effort I make into putting good, anti-inflammatory foods into my body, it is nearly impossible to control everything."
She's also shared pictures of her endo belly flare up, comparing it to when she was 20 weeks pregnant - and they look the same.
And it can look like they're pregnant
Another sufferer, Kellie Renee says that she woke up with her "normally flat belly", only to find her belly swelling up after doing some chores.
"It doesn't always come down to eating or drinking...sometimes it only takes one simple daily task to bring on a big uncomfortable rock hard endo belly," she says.
She says that she follows an anti-inflammatory dairy-free diet - and she still has to live with chronic bloating.
But bloating can happen randomly too
Even when you haven't had anything to eat
And it can take a massive toll on someone's self-image and confidence
So, what can endo survivors do to help with their bloat?
1. Track everything
Despite not all endo bellies being caused by food, it's worth tracking everything you consume for a while to make sure that nothing is trigging it.
Apps like are designed to help keep a note of symptoms alongside a nutrition diary.
If no patterns show up then you know that what you're eating isn't the issue.
2. Move more
Again, in some cases, movement might actually cause bloating but for others, exercising over time can decrease pain.
It helps to get blood and oxygen circulating around the body and can help to reduce stress.
A gentle stroll before bed can help to move food further down the digestive tract - reducing the chance of gases to build up.
3. Sleep well
Easier said than done when you're in pain but sleep is the best tool for repair that we have.
Not getting enough shut-eye can cause hormonal and metabolic changes, leaving us more sensitive to pain and stress.
So make sleep and sleep hygiene a priority.
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4. Limit stress
Endometriosis definitely causes a lot of women a reat deal of stress but it can also be excessibated by stress - so it becomes a vicious circle. Actively trying to break that cycle is important.
Meditation apps like may help some people just to calm the mind a little.
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