ARTICLE
Magnesium in the management of endometriosis
Bradley McEwen | PhD , MHSc ( Hum Nutr ), BHSc , ND ( Adv ), DBM , DNutr , DSM , M . ATMS , Naturopath , Nutritionist , and Mentor . Adjunct Senior Lecturer , School of Health and Human Sciences , Southern Cross University .
Abstract Endometriosis is a severe chronic multifactorial and complex disease that affects about 15 % of women of reproductive age . Some of the symptoms of endometriosis include dysmenorrhoea , pain , pelvic floor muscle spasm , chronic pelvic pain , inflammation , and infertility . Magnesium is involved in mitochondrial health , neurotransmission , relaxation of smooth muscle , and the maintenance of normal muscle and nerve function . Magnesium shows potential in the management of endometriosis .
Introduction
March is Endometriosis Awareness Month . In this issue of JATMS , there are several articles discussing lifestyle and nutritional management of endometriosis , such as meditation , magnesium , and Vitamin D . Endometriosis is a multifactorial and severe complex disease that often requires multitherapeutic strategies to manage the symptoms . 1 Women with endometriosis experience dysmenorrhoea , 2-8 pelvic floor muscle spasm , 9 pelvic pain , 2-7 chronic pelvic pain , 10 , 11 dyspareunia , 2-8 bowel conditions , 2-7 , 10 , 12 and thyroid conditions . 12 Optimum nutrition is the foundation for optimum health . 13 Diet , nutrition , and lifestyle can influence the risk of developing endometriosis . 14
A previous article published in this journal 15 discussed the potential of herbal medicines in the management of endometriosis . A large prospective study conducted over a 14-year period found that total magnesium intake had an inverse relationship with endometriosis risk . The study found a statistically significant inverse relationship between magnesium intake from food sources and endometriosis ( RR 0.86 , 95 % CI : 0.73 , 1.01 ; P = 0.007 ). 8 This article aims to bring attention to the beneficial effects of magnesium in the management of endometriosis .
Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a chronic severe multifactorial inflammatory disease characterised by the presence of endometrial tissue outside of the uterine cavity . 3 , 5 , 8 , 10 The migration of uterine endometrial cells into the pelvic cavity form lesions on multiple sites across multiple organs . 10 Endometriosis is one of the most common gynaecological diseases in women , 16 affecting around
14 , 16
15 % of women of reproductive age . Women with endometriosis experience dysmenorrhoea , dyspareunia , 2-8 pelvic floor muscle spasm , 9 pelvic pain , 2-7 chronic pelvic pain , 10 , 11 , 17 chronic pain , 9 irritable bowel syndrome , 10 inflammatory bowel disease , 12 constipation , 2-7 headaches , 9 orofacial pain , 9 and thyroid conditions . 12 Endometriosis can also be asymptomatic , 16 leading to silent suffering . There is increased
18 | vol27 | no1 | JATMS