Beansprout Nutrition

I found out I had endometriosis just before I turned 30.
In the middle of COVID.
In isolation.

And not just endometriosis…
adenomyosis and PCOS too.

It was one of those moments where everything finally made sense...
the symptoms, the pain, the things I’d questioned for years.

But if I’m honest… the overwhelming feeling wasn’t relief.
It was fear.

Because my very first thought was:
“Will I be able to have children?”

At that point, I had no real education on these conditions.
No understanding of what it meant for my fertility.
Just a spiral of worst case scenarios, alone in lockdown.

We ended up going private after long delays with the GP,
and found the most incredible gynaecologist, someone who actually listened, explained, and gave us a plan.

We started with medicated cycles…
and when those didn’t work, we moved to IVF/ICSI

IVF is a lot.

Physically, yes, but emotionally? Even more.

The waiting.
The hope.
The constant underlying fear of “what if this doesn’t work?”

And then…
we got Anaya 🤍

Our first round. Our little miracle.

Now we’re here again, in a frozen embryo transfer (FET) sibling round
and it’s brought up so many of those same feelings.

Because even with success before…
that fear doesn’t completely go away.

What I don’t think is talked about enough is the loneliness of all of this.

Even when you have support.
Even when you’re surrounded by people.

There’s a part of this journey that feels incredibly isolating.

If you’re in this space right now, a few things that have genuinely helped me:
✨ Let yourself feel both gratitude and fear can exist at the same time
✨ Stay away from Googling every symptom (I say this as someone who definitely did)
✨ Find one or two people you can be completely honest with
✨ Focus on what you can control e.g. nourishment, rest, support
✨ And remind yourself: your story isn’t finished yet

I’m sharing more of this side of my life because it’s real.

And because so many women are quietly going through it.

If that’s you, I see you 🤍

Endometriosis affects around 1.5 million people in the UK — a similar number to those living with diabetes.

Yet it still takes almost 9 years on average to receive a diagnosis.

Historically, women were largely excluded from medical research, with requirements to include women in clinical trials only becoming widespread in the 1990s.

This has contributed to decades of under-recognition and underfunding in women’s health.

Endometriosis awareness isn’t just about statistics.

It’s about recognising the experiences of millions of women living with this condition every day.

It’s Endometriosis Awareness Month 💛

Endometriosis isn’t “just bad periods.”
It’s chronic pain. It’s exhaustion. It’s being dismissed. It’s strength you never asked to have.

If this is you, you’re not dramatic, and you’re not alone.
And if you love someone with endo… believe her.
💛

I used to think feeling exhausted meant I needed more sleep.

But over time through motherhood, navigating PCOS, endometriosis, adenomyosis and infertility, I realised something important:

Sleep is only one piece of the energy puzzle.

So much of women’s fatigue lives in the invisible spaces.

The constant thinking ahead.
The remembering.
The emotional holding.
The decision making.
The blood sugar dips between meals.
The sensory overload of noise, mess and interruptions.

You can sleep 8 hours and still feel drained when your brain never switches off.

Energy isn’t just physical.
It’s cognitive. Emotional. Hormonal. Nervous system based.

And sometimes the most supportive thing you can do is stop asking “why am I so tired?” and start asking “what is costing me energy?”

If something in this carousel felt familiar know that you’re not dramatic, lazy or doing life wrong.

You’re likely just carrying a lot. More than you realise.

What drains your energy the most right now? 💭

There’s something about 10pm.

The house is quiet.

The distractions are gone.

And suddenly the thoughts get loud.

So you Google.

You don’t tell your friends.

You don’t want to sound dramatic.

You don’t want to seem ungrateful.

You don’t want to “jinx it”.

But your body feels different.

Your cycle feels confusing.

Your emotions feel intense.

And instead of reassurance… you get forums and horror stories.

Here’s what I want you to know:

You are not broken.

You may be under-nourished. Over-stressed. Mildly inflamed. Mineral depleted. Running on cortisol and coffee.

There is nuance. There is physiology. There are reasons.

And there is support.

If you’ve Googled any of the above recently you’re not alone 🤍

Tell me which one hit.

No one tells you how much fibre you actually need…
or what 10g of fibre looks like on a plate 👀

Here's 3 easy peasy recipes each containing 10g fibre to get your bowels moving!

🍫 Chocolate Chia Pudding
Feels like dessert. Is actually fibre therapy.

Ingredients (3):
• 2 heaped tbsp chia seeds
• 150ml almond or oat milk
• 1 tsp raw cacao powder

Fibre hit: Chia seeds = ~10g fibre

Why it works for hormones:
✔ Oestrogen clearance
✔ Omega-3s for inflammation
✔ Cacao = magnesium + mood support

How:
Stir well, rest 10–15 mins (or overnight). Top if you want (optional).

🧄Lemon Garlic Chickpea Smash
Savoury, satisfying, zero sad vibes.

Ingredients (3):
• 165g cooked chickpeas
• 1 tsp olive oil
• Lemon + garlic (zest or juice + ½ clove crushed)

Fibre hit: Chickpeas = ~10g fibre

Why it works for hormones:
✔ Blood sugar stabilising
✔ Supports ovulation & insulin balance
✔ Prebiotic fibre for gut–hormone axis

How:
Lightly mash, season, spread on toast or eat as a bowl.

🥣 Raspberry Gut Bowl
Pretty. Gentle. High-fibre.

Ingredients (3):
• 150g raspberries
• 2 tbsp coconut yoghurt
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed

Fibre hit: ~10g fibre

Why it works for hormones:
✔ Antioxidants + lignans
✔ Oestrogen metabolism support
✔ Gut-friendly & low sugar

Why fibre matters for hormones 👇
✔ Helps remove excess oestrogen
✔ Stabilises blood sugar & cortisol
✔ Feeds gut bacteria → hormone balance

💡Tip: Spread fibre across the day for best results.

Heavy periods don’t just affect your womb, they affect your nervous system too.

When bleeding is heavy, painful or draining, the body often slips into a stress response. That can look like:
feeling wired but exhausted
more pain sensitivity
poor sleep
anxiety or overwhelm
slower recovery during your bleed

Supporting your nervous system during your period isn’t “extra”... it’s foundational.

A few gentle ways to do that ⬇️
• Warmth (hello whirlpool bath, baths, hot water bottles)
• Slowing right down — less stimulation, fewer demands
• Deep belly breathing to shift out of fight-or-flight
• Blood sugar support (regular meals, protein + carbs)
• Magnesium-rich foods or gentle supplementation
• Reassurance + rest — safety signals matter

Calm the nervous system, and the body often copes better with pain and blood loss.

If your periods are consistently heavy, painful or wiping you out, that’s your body asking for deeper support 🤍

Save this for your next cycle + send it to someone who needs the reminder.

Heavy periods are often minimised by doctors, workplaces, even ourselves.

But soaking through pads, passing large clots, planning life around your cycle, or feeling exhausted every month is not something you should just accept.

Heavy bleeding can drain iron, energy, and quality of life and it’s often a sign that something deeper is going on hormonally or structurally.

This is why investigation matters. And why support needs to be individual.

Save this post 🤍

Share it with someone who needs reassurance.

And if you’re struggling with heavy periods and want nutritional, hormone-informed support alongside medical care, you can DM me or use the link in my bio.