In 2020, we’re blessed with an abundance of books on everything from endometriosis to hormones to PCOS to harnessing the power of your menstrual cycle. Being able to pick up a book that so frankly discusses the body, the subjects so often considered hushed conversations or conversations off limits all together. We asked our QENDO community to review some of their favourite endometriosis, adenomyosis, PCOS and menstrual health texts. This blog is part one in a two-part series of reviews. Happy reading!

Did you know that we can use up to 12 personal care products each day (Taylor et al., 2017)? Your skincare, hair products, any makeup and perfumes - the list goes on! We’ve rounded up some of our fave clean beauty, skincare, haircare, deodorants and perfume brands so you don’t have to worry about it. All of these brands are not sponsored, just good and we’ve found some which are spendy and others which are savey, to try and find something that suits everyone’s budget!

It can be a challenge sorting fact from fiction, and horror stories from side effects when it comes to finding information on some of the medications and treatments suggested for those affected by endometriosis, adenomyosis, PCOS or infertility. Zoladex is one of the most talked about topics in the endometriosis community, so in this blog we asked pharmacist Prue Luck to give us “just the facts, m’am” about how it works, so that we can all be informed and empowered to make the decision that’s right for us, armed with the facts we deserve.

So many of us with endometriosis, adenomyosis and PCOS have found ourselves dealing with some debilitating gastrointestinal symptoms, whether it’s the dreaded “endo belly”, bowel pain, nausea or fatigue. Perth based Dietician Christie Lee Austin-Hore shares her wealth of experience in helping those with endometriosis by shining a light on the link between IBS, endometriosis and PCOS, and how a dietician can and should be one of the stars of your multidisciplinary line up.

Have you heard of occupational therapy? Did you know it can be a helpful part of your chronic illness toolbox for managing endometriosis, adenomyosis, PCOS or infertility? Occupational therapy is more than just work, it can help you achieve your goals! Occupational therapists are masters of enabling your participation even while managing the symptoms of your chronic illness. OT Emma Diepenhorst from Elevation Women’s Health explains the role of occupational therapy in managing your condition.

Something we are often asked about within our QENDO community is the use of medicinal cannabis. Is it legal? How do I go about getting my doctor to prescribe it for me? Is it included on the PBS? Can I drive while using medicinal cannabis? This piece discusses the legality around medicinal cannabis within Australia, as well as highlighting the process and information you may need to know when considering medicinal cannabis in your toolkit for managing your chronic condition

Stefanie Valakas, aka The Dietologist, is an accredited practising dietician and nutritionist based in Sydney, and through her online dietetics practice works with people all over Australia and even internationally. She helps those who are trying to conceive optimise their chances through tailored fertility nutrition, as well as helping those affected by endometriosis, PCOS and amenorrhoea. In this post she shares three fertility nutrition tips for endo warriors trying to optimise their fertility, whether pregnancy is in your present or far off future.

In this blog we hear from Emily Abdolali, who experienced a myriad of painful and debilitating symptoms from the age of 12, before initially being diagnosed with PCOS. Years later, still unable to pin down a cause for her pain or heavy bleeding, and enduring many painful ruptures of ovarian cysts, Emily finally sought another opinion. This is her story of being diagnosed with PCOS, endometriosis and adenomyosis. She shares her story in the hope that it will support and empower others to share theirs, and take control of their health.

Emily-Jane Bromley, aka The Endo Nurse, is passionate about raising awareness for endometriosis and adenomyosis, as well as empowering patients to take control of their own health and find the management strategies that work for them, alongside their healthcare team. In this blog she shares her own journey from adolescence to diagnosis, and how focusing on her self care, listening to her body, and making changes unique to her situation changed her relationship with her chronic illnesses, improving her quality of life.

September is PCOS Awareness Month, and at QENDO we’re sharing stories from the incredible people in our community who live with this often overlooked condition - 1 in 10 are effected by PCOS. Tiffany Bright shares her journey to diagnosis with both PCOS and endometriosis, giving a name to the symptoms that she always assumed were normal, until she had a conversation with a workmate (and QENDO volunteer!) who shared their story and offered support.

September is PCOS Awareness Month, and here at QENDO we’re sharing stories and resources from those living with PCOS. PCOS effects an estimated 1 in 10. Much like endometriosis, if you know ten people, you know PCOS. In this blog we meet Margo Reynolds, a talented artist and “cyster”, and the woman behind Soft Edges. Margo writes eloquently about living with PCOS and through her art and Instagram raises awareness about PCOS as one of the many conditions silenced for too long.

If you suffer with endometriosis or adenomyosis, bloating and digestive symptoms, including the dreaded “endo belly”, you’ll know how debilitating these symptoms can be. So what causes our least favourite endo symptom? And what can you do about it? Enter Clinical Nutritionist Meredith East-Powell, who discusses some of the factors behind endo belly, and ideas for combatting this symptom.

A member of our QENDO community, who is a talented wordsmith has kindly shared these two inspirational poems for her fellow Endo warriors. The author is 29, and has had three surgeries, as well as currently trying to conceive. She hopes that her poetry may resonate with someone in the community. Enjoy.

We continue with our international story series, hearing from Tish Singh in South Africa. Tish shares here her journey with PCOS and the road to diagnosis with endometriosis, one she is still travelling. In this eloquently written piece about a turbulent health journey, Tish hopes to empower others to advocate for themselves, listen to their bodies and know that they are not alone.

Elissa Harris talks through a powerful and emotional story that started in adolescence and ended in a hysterectomy at 33. In this piece Elissa takes us through symptoms, having her pain dismissed by medical professionals, the challenges of pregnancy and childbirth with fibroids, and finally how she’s coped with having a hysterectomy. Elissa also talks about her journey on the QENDO podcast, Let’s Talk, Period.

Nineteen year old Renee shares her journey with the symptoms that would eventually be diagnosed as endometriosis and IBS. She has been dealing with her symptoms since the age of 11 and was only recently diagnosed. Since finding out more about her condition, she has been inspired to raise awareness and educate through her Instagram account, helping others realise they are not alone on their journeys.

Painful sex is common, that doesn’t make it normal or mean you have to accept it. Those affected by endometriosis and adenomyosis, as well as vaginismus, often cite painful sex as a major symptom of their condition. In this blog, Asti Maree shares her top three tips for navigating painful sex. Asti is passionate about empowerment and changing the narratives around sex. She is the author of “Pleasure Codes”,

PCOS is a hormonal condition which affects approximately one in ten who are of reproductive age, symptoms may include: an irregular menstrual cycle, excessive facial or body hair, hair loss, acne, reduced fertility, as well as depression or anxiety. Lauren shares her PCOS story with QENDO in the hopes of raising awareness and supporting others who have also been diagnosed with this common gynaecological condition.

Sara Harris from Follow Your Flow guest authors this blog for QENDO, where she talks us through the impact of stress on our health and cycles, and how stress reduction should be an important part of our support plan for living with chronic illness like endometriosis, including her top tips on the subject. Sara has been working & studying in the field of complementary medicine for nearly two decades and is currently completing a Masters in Women's Health Medicine. She works in private practice in Complementary Medicine, Massage & Counselling.

Demi Spaccavento is a menstrual educator and founder of Bright Girl Health, and we’re happy to welcome her to the QENDO Blog to share how she supports her hormone health and overall wellbeing with this hormone nourishing routine. As a menstrual educator, Demi knows that knowledge is power and that better understanding your body and how to work with it can make an important difference to how you cope with your menstrual cycle, or with chronic conditions like endometriosis, adenomyosis, PCOS, infertility and fibroids.