The Role of physical activity and nutrition in managing pain, fatigue, and inflammation in endometriosis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/QS.2026.51.68190Keywords
endometriosis, pain, physical activity, fertility, nutrition, inflammation, quality, lifeAbstract
Endometriosis is a highly prevalent inflammatory disease that affects millions of women. Endometriosis affects between 10-15% of women of reproductive age globally what is representing nearly 180 million cases worldwide. In Poland alone, the number of sufferers reaches 3 million. Its diagnosed much more frequently among women seeking treatment for fertility problems. That’s estimated more than half of them may have a sign of endometriosis.
Currently used medications only reduces the symptoms of the disease, which is why the interdisciplinary aspect in the context of endometriosis is so important, as is the attempt to alleviate the course of the disease through alternative methods like balanced diet and physical activity. In this study, we focused on examining the impact of physical activity on the course of endometriosis.
Materials and methods:
The review was conducted using publications published in the PubMed, Google Scoolar and UpToDate. Our search included the following keywords: pain, endometriosis, quality of life, fatigue, fertility, physical activity. We based on literature published between 2008-2025.
Results:
According to the survey and literary reports physical activity significantly improves the quality of life of patients affected by endometriosis. Physical activity significantly improves the quality of life of patients with endometriosis. This positive impact is felt both physically and mentally, which is often disturbed by this condition.
References
Endometriosis: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Pathophysiology, Treatment, and Nutritional Aspects, and Its Repercussions on the Quality of Life of Patients. Biomedicines, 2024. 10.3390/biomedicines12071476
Understanding the impact of endometriosis on women’s life: an integrative review of systematic reviews. BMC Women’s Health, 2024. 10.1186/s12905-024-03369-5
The effectiveness and safety of physical activity and exercise on women with endometriosis: a systematic review and meta‑analysis. Reproductive Sciences, 2025 10.1371/journal.pone.0317820
Food groups and nutrients consumption and risk of endometriosis: a systematic review and meta‑analysis of observational studies. Nutrition Journal, 2022. 10.1186/s12937-022-00812-x
Effect of Dietary Interventions on Endometriosis: A Systematic Review and Meta‑Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Reproductive Sciences (or relevant journal), 2024. 10.1007/s43032-024-01701-w
Low Diet Quality and Nutritional Knowledge in Women with Endometriosis: A Pilot Study. Healthcare, 2024. 10.3390/healthcare12060673
Chapron C., Marcellin L., Borghese B., Santulli P. (2019). Rethinking mechanisms, diagnosis and management of endometriosis. Nature Reviews Endocrinology. 10.1038/s41574-019-0245-z
Vercellini P., Viganò P., Somigliana E., Fedele L. (2014). Endometriosis: pathogenesis and treatment. Nature Reviews Endocrinology. DOI: 10.1038/nrendo.2013.255
Tennfjord, M. K., Gabrielsen, R., & Tellum, T. (2021). Effect of physical activity and exercise on endometriosis-associated symptoms: a systematic review. BMC Women’s Health, 21, 355. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-021-01500-4
Gleeson, M., Bishop, N. C., Stensel, D. J., Lindley, M. R., Mastana, S. S., & Nimmo, M. A. (2011). The anti-inflammatory effects of exercise: Mechanisms and implications for the prevention and treatment of disease. Nature Reviews Immunology, 11(9), 607–615 10.1038/nri3041
Pedersen, B.K., & Febbraio, M.A. (2012). Muscles, exercise, and obesity: skeletal muscle as a secretory organ. Nature Reviews Endocrinolog 10.1038/nrendo.2012.49
Adamus, A., & Oszajca, K. (2024). Evaluation of dietary behaviours and physical activity of Polish women with endometriosis. Medycyna Ogólna i Nauki o Zdrowiu, 30(2), 123–130. https://doi.org/10.26444/monz/189910
Bogusz, A., & Górnicka, M. Low Diet Quality and Nutritional Knowledge in Women with Endometriosis: A Pilot Study
10.3390/healthcare12060673
Harel, Z. (2006). Dysmenorrhea and omega-3 fatty acids. Journal of Adolescent Health. 10.1016/s0002-9378(96)70681-6
Estruch, R., et al. (2010). Anti-inflammatory effects of the Mediterranean diet: the experience of the PREDIMED study 10.1017/S0029665110001539
Augoulea, A., et al. (2012). Pathophysiology of endometriosis: oxidative stress. Gynecological Endocrinology. 10.1007/s00404-012-2357-8
Ścieżyńska, A., Komorowski, M., Soszyńska, M., & Malejczyk, J. (2019). NK cells as potential targets for immunotherapy in endometriosis. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 8(9), 1468. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm8091468
.
Orr, N. L., et al. (2023). Central sensitization inventory in endometriosis. Pain, 163(2), e234–e245.
https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002351
Gonçalves, M., Makuch, M. Y., Setúbal, A. P., Barros, R., & Bahamondes, L. (2017).
The practice of Hatha yoga for the treatment of pain associated with endometriosis: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 23(10), 800–806. DOI: 10.1089/acm.2015.0343
.Awad, E., Hamada, H. A., Yousef, A., & Abbas, R. (2017).
Efficacy of exercise on pelvic pain and posture associated with endometriosis: within subject design.
Journal of Physical Therapy Science, 29(12), 2112–2115. JJJJJJ. https://doi.org/10.1589/jpts.29.2112
Petersen, A. M. W., & Pedersen, B. K. (2005). The anti‑inflammatory effect of exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology, 98(4), 1154–1162. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00164.2004
22. Calder, P. C. (2013).
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and inflammatory processes: nutrition or pharmacology? British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 75(3), 645–662. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2125.2012.04374.x
23. Parazzini, F., et al. (2013).
Dietary habits and risk of endometriosis. Human Reproduction, 28(7), 1789–1797. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/det078
24. Chiu, Y. H., et al. (2015).
Dietary patterns and endometriosis: a systematic review. Reproductive Biomedicine Online, 31(5), 569–580. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rbmo.2015.06.006
25. Strehli, I., Burns, R. D., Bai, Y., Ziegenfuss, D. H., Block, M. E., & Brusseau, T. A. (2021). Mind–Body Physical Activity Interventions and Stress‑Related Physiological Markers: A Systematic Review and Meta‑Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(1), 224. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18010224
26. Sepulcri, R. D., & do Amaral, V. F. (2009).
Depression, anxiety and quality of life in women with endometriosis. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, 142(1), 53–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2008.10.015
27. Radak, Z., Chung, H. Y., & Goto, S. (2008). Systemic adaptation to oxidative challenge induced by regular exercise. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 44(2), 153–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2007.02.016
28. Peterson, M. D., Rhea, M. R., Sen, A., & Gordon, P. M. (2010).
Resistance exercise for muscular strength in older adults: a meta-analysis. Ageing Research Reviews, 9(3), 226–237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2010.03.004
29. Calder, P. C. (2021). Nutrition and immunity: Lessons for COVID-19. Nutrients, 13(1), 61. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13010061
30. De Sanctis, V., et al. (2019).
Inflammatory mechanisms in endometriosis. Human Reproduction Update, 25(6), 797–820. https://doi.org/10.1093/humupd/dmz029
31. Ross, R., & Bradshaw, A. J. (2009).The future of obesity reduction: beyond weight loss. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 5(6), 319–325 https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2009.74
32. Lobo, V., et al. (2010).
Free radicals, antioxidants and functional foods: impact on human health. Pharmacognosy Reviews, 4(8), 118–126. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-7847.70902
33. Flores, R., et al. (2012).
Fecal microbial determinants of estrogens and estrogen metabolites in postmenopausal women. Journal of Translational Medicine, 10, 253. https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5876-10-253
34. Uribarri, J., et al. (2010).
Advanced glycation end products in foods and a practical guide to their reduction in the diet. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 110(6), 911–916. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2010.03.018
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Dominika Dmowska, Paweł Zdebski, Karolina Rymska, Ewa Gloc, Rafał Ejsner, Marcelina Kaczmarek, Mateusz Mierniczek, Maria Mierniczek, Daniel Załęski, Mikołaj Lewandowski, Aleksandra Bilińska

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Stats
Number of views and downloads: 4
Number of citations: 0