Tips for Preparing for Endometriosis Surgery (From a Dietitian Who’s Been There)

I really enjoyed researching and sharing our recent blog post on non-diet strategies for managing endometriosis. In that post, I only briefly touched on medication and surgery options since my wheelhouse as a dietitian is more on the nutrition side of things, of course. At the same time, nutrition can play a big role in prep and recovery from surgery which is what I want to dive into today. If you are having surgery soon for endometriosis, I hope this post is helpful and comforting as you plan ahead!

I had laparoscopic surgery to diagnose + excise endometriosis in October 2025. I researched a ton before and of course learned a lot from going through it myself. This post will cover the kinds of things I actually talk about with clients going through surgery - practical, non-diet, realistic tips to help you feel a little more prepared for the recovery process.

Before surgery: fuel your body, prep, plan

Waiting around for surgery can be hard, especially when you're dealing with pain and other not fun symptoms. But this time can be productive! My biggest tips are to fuel your body, plan for surgery, and follow your surgeon's prep guidance.

Eating enough

Surgery is a physical trauma to the body, and healing takes a lot of energy and nutrients. Your body needs fuel to repair tissue, manage inflammation, support your immune system, and regain strength afterward. Because of that, this is not the time to try to eat "perfectly", cut out a bunch of foods, or push yourself into a calorie deficit (IMO, it never is! Read more about our nutrition philosophy here).

Instead, focus on eating enough overall, having a good balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fats, and keeping meals as consistent as you can. You don’t have to do anything extreme to prepare for surgery, but going in nourished can make a difference in how your body handles recovery.

Plan for surgery

Think about what you will need the weeks surrounding surgery. Figure out your work schedule and how much time you'll take off. Talk with support people about how they can help you. If you're a meal prepper, make some meals or snacks ahead of time that you can freeze. Stock up on foods/drinks. Gather supplies and medications you may need. I'll touch on some of the thingsI found helpful in the "after surgery" category below.

Follow your surgeon's guidance on prep

You may have a special diet to follow ahead of surgery. Some surgeons require a full bowel prep before surgery, while others don’t. Some have specific instructions about what to eat the day before, and some have fewer restrictions. As much as possible, try to stick with their plan.

Day of surgery: plan ahead

The day of surgery you'll likely be up early, so some of this may need to happen the night before. Wear comfortable clothes like very stretchy pants or a dress. Due to the incisions and bloating it will be uncomfortable for anything to be tight. Wear slip on shoes so you don't have to bend and tie your shoes right after surgery.

Before you leave your house, have your recovery area set up. I settled in on the couch when I got home because it was lower and easier to get on and off compared to my bed. It will be very uncomfortable to use your abdomen at all, so think about (and even try out) different areas to see what might work best. Then set up a table right beside it with snacks, a water bottle, and all the meds you'll need. Make things as easy as possible for post-surgery you!

After surgery: take care of yourself

Right after surgery you'll be focused on getting home and getting as comfortable as you can. The couch or your bed is going to be your friend for a while! You will likely be told after surgery what they found (if you have endo and what stage), so it's normal to be overwhelmed and emotional. Be sure to talk to people about how you are feeling. Some other tips are:

Keep track of your meds and follow surgeon guidance

I highly recommend using pen and paper or a chart of some kind to keep track of your medications. There are a lot to take in those first couple days after surgery and it can be hard to keep track without a schedule.

Follow your surgeon's lead on things like Miralax and gas x. The bloating can be pretty crazy and painful after surgery because they pump your abdomen full of gas to be able to see and access everything. Gas x can help release some of this. Some people get referred pain in their shoulder from the gas I mentioned - gas x can help with that as well. Your doctor will likely have you on some type of laxative regimen to keep your bowels going as anesthesia can lead to constipation. Follow their guidance!

As it is safe, try to slowly walk around

Of course, you will not be doing much the first few days after surgery, but I was encouraged to do short laps around my house when I could. I tried to do a lap around my kitchen every time I got up to use the bathroom. The first day I was hunched over and going very slowly. By day 2 I tried to do 2 laps each time and was standing up a little more straight. This helps with gas pain and overall healing.

Longer-term, your surgeon will give you an idea of when you can reincorporate your "normal" movement. There is a limit on how much you can lift for several weeks (usually something like 10 lb for 4-6 weeks). Follow what your surgeon says! Even if you feel better before then, remember you have stitches inside you cannot see and a lot of tissue is still healing.

Overall, I would say it took me a full month to feel more normal (in terms of everything from energy, pain, bloating, strength) but everyone's experience varies. I did not attempt a walk for a few weeks, and nothing more strenuous than that like cycling or running for a month to month and a half. This is going to be a period of low activity and that is okay. It is necessary for your body and your insides to heal.

Eat and drink what you can

Your appetite is likely to be wonky so get whatever food and hydration you can tolerate! The first several days, it was much easier for me to drink rather than eat so nutrition drinks were a must. The bloating and nausea can make it really hard to eat. This is normal- just do what you can.

Things that saved me and that I've heard recommended from others:

• CorePower protein drinks

  Ensure Clear. The fruit punch is a good flavor switch up from milk-based nutrition drinks)

• Starbucks bottled Frappuccino- hot drinks sounded terrible at first due to nausea and I needed my daily caffeine fix! Plus, I'm pretty sure a full coffee pot would have been too heavy to lift on my own at that point.

• Granola bars

• Mac and cheese

• Frozen foods

• Uncrustables

• Cereal and milk

• Sandwich supplies

• Frozen smoothie packs or frozen açaí bowls

When you grocery shop before surgery, think of what types of foods you can usually eat even when you feel bad, and foods that require no or minimal prep.

Non-food supplies I highly recommend:

• A wedge pillow. Here's the link to the one I have - not an affiliate link, just want to share since I love mine so much! This felt silly to buy because I knew I wouldn't use it much beyond recovery, but it was so worth having. After surgery, you do a lot of laying around but 1- laying down flat is really uncomfortable and 2- sometimes you may want to sit up more. I even slept on my wedge pillow at night for a while. Adjusting a pillow stack when you have multiple incisions is NOT fun at all- something supportive like this is really helpful. I also appreciated the removable neck support on the one I got.

• All the stretchy pants. Seriously, my loosest pajama pants were uncomfortable for weeks. I broke out some of my old maternity sweats and rotated those with one more loose-fitting pajama bottoms I bought the week of surgery.

My biggest tip in all of this: be flexible and kind to yourself.

Surgery is a big deal. Recovery looks different for each person, but overall expect several weeks of things being different. It took me weeks to cook a meal again or exercise, as it should! Your body is going through a ton and I just kept reminding myself "my job is to rest and to heal."

You will have many days ahead of you to be back in your normal routine, and hopefully you're feeling way better than before surgery and you'll get to enjoy it even more. But for now, your job is to rest and let your body repair itself. Going through surgery and recovery did give me even more appreciation for my body - it was crazy to imagine all that happened in surgery and that my body could just... heal!

I'm about 6 months out from surgery now- my scars are still visible although to be fair I haven't been focused much on scar cream or anything like that. But it does remind me that I'm tough, and I'm not ashamed of them at all! On that note, do not be surprised or alarmed if your body looks different after surgery. In the short term right after surgery, all of the bloating and swelling will make your abdomen look different. It can take weeks or even months for things to seem "normal" again, or your "normal" may be different than before and that's perfectly okay. If you notice struggling with body changes post- surgery, I highly recommend sharing it with a loved one, therapist, or other supportive person in your life.

If you're going through surgery soon I am wishing you all the best! I am rooting for you.

If you're looking for 1-on-1 support with nutrition as you navigate endo + surgery, reach out and we'd love to chat.