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‘I found the miracle to cure my infertility'

Ellen Picton on her wedding day with her husband Anthony and daughter Isabelle - Ian Richards
Ellen Picton on her wedding day with her husband Anthony and daughter Isabelle - Ian Richards

After a decade of painful periods and intrusive examinations, Ellen Picton walked out of the hospital in tears. The consultant had not only told her she was infertile, but that the only way of eliminating the excruciating abdominal pain caused by endometriosis was to induce an early menopause – either with drugs or a hysterectomy.

‘I knew my condition might make it harder to conceive but I was shocked when the gynaecologist delivered the news. I was only 28 at the time and it seemed so final,’ says Ellen, now 34. ‘I was single and wasn’t ready to have a baby, but  I still felt like a failure that my body wasn’t able to do what was expected.’

But instead of accepting her medical fate, Ellen took matters into her own hands and within a year had transformed her life in the most remarkable way. She had cured her endometriosis, met the man of her dreams, and had a baby girl.

Ellen shortly after giving birth to Isabelle - Credit: Picasa
Ellen shortly after giving birth to Isabelle Credit: Picasa

Since puberty Ellen suffered from agonising periods and aged 18 was diagnosed with endometriosis, where the cells that usually line the womb are carried elsewhere in the pelvic region. These cells react to the body’s oestrogen as they would in the womb, building up then breaking down and bleeding, causing pain, inflammation and, in severe cases, damaged reproductive organs.

Ellen was put on the combined contraceptive pill, which suppresses oestrogen, but it played havoc with her mood so instead she relied on prescription painkillers for the best part of a decade as her condition worsened. 

‘I’d wear a Tens machine to work but even walking was sometimes too painful. I was single, exhausted and miserable. I’d push potential boyfriends away because sex was painful and made me bleed, which I found extremely embarrassing,’ she says. 

Nutritious & delicious dishes for the whole family to enjoy

In her mid-20s Ellen underwent two laparoscopies – keyhole surgeries to burn off accumulated endometriosis deposits. ‘Both procedures were awful. I was off work for six weeks and even too weak to do my washing.’ 

By her late 20s, Ellen weighed more than 14st. She knew dieting could alleviate her symptoms, but her efforts always failed. ‘As a coeliac, I ate gluten-free, but I was a comfort eater and relied on gluten-free bread and pizza, and chocolate to give me energy.’

It was October 2010 that she was given the distressing news that her reproductive organs were too scarred for her to conceive. But only when she met Anthony, now 29, two months later, did the full ramifications hit home.

Ellen with her husband, Anthony - Credit: Courtesy of Ellen Picton
Ellen with her husband, Anthony Credit: Courtesy of Ellen Picton

The couple had a whirlwind romance after meeting at a party, but Ellen’s happiness was tinged with anxiety. ‘I knew I’d want a baby with the man I’d fallen in love with and felt distraught that it would never happen. I was worried that without a baby we wouldn’t have a future together.

When Isabelle was born and placed on my chest there were a lot of tears from both of us

Fortunately, when I worked up the courage to tell him he said we’d deal with it together.’ The couple – who had moved in together by the January – were already discussing adoption when a new colleague told Ellen she had alleviated her symptoms of endometriosis by cutting out sugar and dairy, as advocated by nutritionist Dr Zoë Harcombe. ‘My colleague insisted her diet had changed her life and for the first time I truly believed that what I ate could make a difference,’ says Ellen.

Ellen cut out sugar, dairy, processed foods and alcohol, and crammed her diet with vegetables, olive oil, meat, fish and wholegrains. She swapped her gluten-free (but sugar-filled) breakfast cereals for eggs, vegetables and berry smoothies. For lunch she ditched her shop-bought sandwiches for vegetable soups and salads with fish. Instead of gluten-free pasta, dinner was pork, beef or chicken with vegetables and brown rice. 

Inspired by her health and body transformation, the following year Ellen quit her job as a sales director to retrain as a nutritionist. - Credit: Ian Richards
Inspired by her health and body transformation, the following year Ellen quit her job as a sales director to retrain as a nutritionist. Credit: Ian Richards

The dietary changes took iron willpower. ‘I craved sugar and for a fortnight I could have murdered someone for a chocolate bar. I got headaches, I was irritable and felt flu-like some of the time. But I was determined to prove the doctors wrong. My GP was cynical and didn’t believe changing my diet could help, but after just two menstrual cycles, my abdominal pain was subsiding.’

Continuing to follow the diet, Ellen also shed 3st 7lbs and dropped to 11st. ‘I’d never worn jeans before in my life,’ she says of her weight loss. ‘I’d lived in leggings and long tops and had such low self-confidence. But when the weight came off I started to enjoy shopping for the first time.’

5 simple dietary rules to follow for a longer, healthier life

There have only been limited studies on the link between diet and endometriosis and their findings are inconclusive and conflicting. It’s thought that sugar and dairy can cause inflammation in the body, exacerbating endometriosis symptoms; although conversely, one study has shown that increased dairy intake can reduce the risk of developing it in the first place.

Another suggests a low intake of vegetables and a high-fat diet can aggravate the condition, while fish oil can help reduce the pain. 

My GP didn’t believe changing my diet could help, but after just two menstrual cycles, my abdominal pain was subsiding

‘Most evidence is anecdotal,’ says consultant gynaecologist Tim Child, medical director at the IVF clinic Oxford Fertility. ‘My advice would be that you have nothing to lose by changing your diet.’

After three months, Ellen realised her period was late. ‘We hadn’t used contraception as getting pregnant wasn’t an option. At first I didn’t buy a pregnancy test as I was sure it would be negative. But one day I bought one on a whim and went to the toilet in the supermarket to use it.

I was so stunned when it tested positive, I went back to buy three more. Then I called Anthony to tell him we were having a baby. We were both shocked, but beyond delighted.’ 

Ellen and Anthony's miracle daughter, Isabelle - Credit: Courtesy of Ellen Picton
Ellen and Anthony's miracle daughter, Isabelle Credit: Courtesy of Ellen Picton

Told she was at high risk of miscarrying, Ellen was closely monitored throughout. ‘When Isabelle was born and placed on my chest there were a lot of tears from both of us,’ says Ellen, who married Anthony the following September. ‘She arrived on Mother’s Day and was the perfect gift.’

Just over a year after the hospital appointment that had left her in tears, Ellen walked out of the same building holding the miracle baby she was told she would never conceive.

‘Cradling Isabelle in my arms I felt euphoric. I wanted to take her to the waiting room of the gynaecological department downstairs to show the women who might be considering drastic medical intervention – and tell them that they shouldn’t give up,’ says Ellen. ‘Isabelle is proof to me that food is an effective medicine.’ 

Ellen - Credit: courtesy of Ellen Picton
Credit: courtesy of Ellen Picton

Inspired by her health and body transformation, the following year Ellen quit her job as a sales director to retrain as a nutritionist. Then in 2014 she launched a health centre in Milford Haven, south Wales, with the help of Harcombe, whose diet she encourages clients to follow. The pair have now released a cookbook full of sugar- and dairy-free, high-protein recipes. 

The happy family - Credit: Courtesy of Ellen Picton
The happy family Credit: Courtesy of Ellen Picton

‘I have witnessed women with other conditions from polycystic ovarian syndrome to arthritis and eczema improve their symptoms through the same eating plan I follow,’ says Ellen, who recently celebrated Isabelle’s fifth birthday. ‘Modern medicine has its limits. If I hadn’t opened my mind to the power of diet, I’d be in a very different place today.’

‘The Real Food Cook Book: Nutritious & Delicious Dishes for the Whole Family to Enjoy’ by Ellen Picton and Zoe Harcombe  (£15, Columbus Publishing) is out now.

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