From Bed-Bound to Thriving: How One Woman Transformed Her Endometriosis Journey
Sophie Richards spent years feeling dismissed by medical professionals while enduring debilitating symptoms that left her bed-bound for two weeks every month. The women's health practitioner and host of 'The Finally Found Podcast' recalls feeling like she was "screaming at doctors" that something was seriously wrong, only to be repeatedly told her symptoms were "just IBS or just painful periods – it's 'part of being a woman'".
The Long Road to Diagnosis
Richards experienced agonising pain, brain fog, nausea, fatigue and extremely heavy periods lasting up to ten days before finally receiving her endometriosis diagnosis at age 21. Now 29, she reflects that it wasn't that doctors didn't want to help – they simply didn't have the answers she desperately needed.
Her experience mirrors the broader statistics around endometriosis in the UK. According to Endometriosis UK, approximately 10% of women battle this chronic condition, where tissue similar to the uterine lining develops outside the womb. Shockingly, it takes an average of eight years from the initial GP appointment to secure a diagnosis.
A Turning Point Through Dietary Changes
After being told there was nothing more medical professionals could do except recommend a hysterectomy, Richards decided to take matters into her own hands. "That this was my life, and I just thought, 'there is no way I can carry on in this agonising pain'," she recalls.
The breakthrough came when she noticed her symptoms often worsened after certain meals. "I started to do a little bit more digging and some research, and saw this link between inflammation and endometriosis," Richards explains. This discovery prompted her to enroll in a course to become a women's health practitioner and begin eliminating inflammatory foods from her diet.
Transforming Her Approach to Nutrition
Previously, Richards ate what she describes as a typical university student diet with "no nutritional background or information". She explains: "I thought what was healthy was a vegetable lasagne instead of a meat lasagne – it was very processed, I was eating lots of protein bars. I grew up thinking calories were bad, so anything that had 'low calorie' and 'low fat' I thought was a green sign."
Through her research, she identified three key problem areas: processed foods, gluten, and dairy. "I used to eat gluten and it would swell me up. I'd have this huge kind of migraine after it," she reveals. Richards also notes that artificial carbohydrates like white pasta and heavily processed breads consistently worsened her symptoms.
The Anti-Inflammatory Lifestyle Approach
Richards began implementing small daily habits focused on reducing inflammation and immediately started noticing improvements. "My periods are a little bit lighter, which was crazy because I used to flood through all my pads and tampons, and I wasn't flooding anymore," she shares.
She has since published her debut book, The Anti-Inflammatory 30-Day Reset, which distills everything she has learned into six key pillars: food, gut health, detoxification, sleep, stress, and movement. The book includes expert knowledge and recipes designed to support an anti-inflammatory lifestyle.
Practical Dietary Guidance
Richards advocates for what she calls a "whole food way of eating". She explains: "When something doesn't have a label, it's a good sign. So I always think; meat, fish, fruit, veg, nuts, seeds, grains, legumes. When you move to that way of eating, you lower inflammation."
She particularly emphasizes the importance of fibre for gut health, hormone regulation, and inflammation reduction. While she generally avoids processed foods, Richards does include one piece of high-quality red meat weekly to help combat anaemia, which she notes is common among people with endometriosis due to blood loss.
Managing Cravings and Maintaining Balance
Addressing the challenge of sugar and junk food cravings, Richards offers practical advice: "First of all, remember it's totally normal. These foods are built to make you feel addicted to them." She recommends balancing blood sugar by eating meals high in protein, fats, and what she calls "nature's carbohydrates".
"It's not about giving up anything," she emphasizes. "It's just about making those healthier swaps. There are plenty of sweet treats that don't take you on that roller coaster of cravings." Richards notes that since adopting her anti-inflammatory approach, she no longer experiences strong cravings for processed foods.
Beyond Physical Symptoms
The benefits of Richards' lifestyle changes extend beyond physical symptoms. "I didn't even realise I was struggling until I'd almost come out of the fog," she says about her improved mood. "I wasn't feeling down all the time."
While endometriosis remains part of her life, it no longer dominates it in the same way. "I have endometriosis, but because I'm not feeling the symptoms of it anymore, I can live with anything if it's not affecting me," Richards concludes, offering hope to others navigating similar health challenges.
