Supporting women with PCOS and endometriosis

Dietary and lifestyle management in women with endometriosis wanting to conceive: increasing our understanding in an Australian context

Led by Dr Stephanie Pirotta, with co-investigators Associate Professor Holly Harris from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Centre in USA and Professor Jacqueline Boyle from Monash University, this project aims to understand the diet quality of women with and without endometriosis who are trying to conceive using the Australian Healthy Eating Index Score.

Endometriosis is a common chronic inflammatory condition defined by the presence of endometrial-like tissue outside of the uterus and increases the risk of infertility, pregnancy loss and recurrent pregnancy loss. The mother’s diet is an important factor when trying to conceive yet no studies have examined dietary intake in women with endometriosis during the preconception stage in Australia or worldwide. Data from this study will help inform nutrition practice in the space of preconception care in people with endometriosis. It will also help to develop research knowledge and highlight gaps in current nutrition practice by people with endometriosis. This is an important puzzle in the first step to informing the development of an Australian endometriosis-specific preconception lifestyle program.

This project is in its initial stages and will start recruitment in late 2023.

The project is funded by Centre of Research Excellence Health in preconception and pregnancy (CRE HIPP).