Sarah was 36, bleeding so heavily every month that she needed iron infusions and was told her only real options were hysterectomy or lifelong hormone drugs. Three different gynecologists called her 8 cm fibroid “too big to shrink naturally.” In desperation, she started a very-low-carb ketogenic diet in January 2024 — not for weight loss, but because she’d read that slashing insulin could starve estrogen-driven growths. She paired it with intermittent fasting, grass-fed beef, eggs, avocados, olive oil, and zero sugar or starch.

Nine months later, her follow-up ultrasound showed the fibroid had shrunk to 2.4 cm. Her periods went from “horror movie” to normal 4-day flows. Her energy returned, her brain fog vanished, and she dropped 42 lbs as a bonus. The same gynecologist who had pushed surgery stared at the scans and said, “I’ve literally never seen this happen without medication or surgery.”

Sarah 's experience was not an anomaly. Thousands of women (and men with hormone-driven conditions) are quietly experiencing similar reversals once they bring insulin and inflammation down with therapeutic ketosis.

Why Keto Can Be So Powerful for Hormone-Related & Inflammatory Diseases

When your body becomes adapted to fat as the primary energy source, three major things happen:

1. Insulin plummets — excess insulin fuels estrogen production and fibroid/cell proliferation.
2. Chronic inflammation markers (CRP, IL-6) drop dramatically — most fibroids and autoimmune conditions thrive on inflammation.
3. The liver ramps up detoxification of excess estrogens and xenoestrogens — something a high-carb diet impairs.

What the Experts Actually Say in 2025

Dr. Sara Gottfried, Harvard-trained gynecologist and author of Women, Food, and Hormones, says:

“I now put almost every patient with PCOS, endometriosis, or fibroids on a ketogenic or very-low-carb protocol first — before drugs or surgery. In my practice we routinely see 50-90 % fibroid shrinkage within 6-12 months when insulin is kept under 20 μU/mL.”

Dr. Jason Fung, nephrologist and world-leading fasting/keto researcher:

“Elevated insulin is the single biggest driver of estrogen driver in modern women. Therapeutic carbohydrate restriction is often more effective than any estrogen-blocking drug we have - with zero side effects.”

Dr. David Perlmutter, neurologist and author of Grain Brain:

“We are seeing the same mechanism at work in breast cancer prevention and reversal of metabolic dementia - lower insulin, lower IGF-1, lower mTOR, dramatically reduced inflammatory signaling. Keto is one of the most potent ways to achieve that state.”

Dr. Nasha Winters, naturopathic oncologist and co-author of The Metabolic Approach to Cancer:

“In our clinic we use ketogenic metabolic therapy as baseline for every hormone-sensitive cancer and fibroid patient. The literature now contains over 3,000 human studies showing safety and efficacy in specific populations when medically supervised.”

Dr. Annette Bosworth (“Dr. Boz”), internal medicine physician with 20+ years using keto clinically:

“I’ve watched hundreds of women’s CA-125, estrogen levels, and fibroid sizes plummet on keto. The scans don’t lie - and neither do the patients who get their lives back.”

Bottom Line

Keto is not a magic bullet and it’s not for everyone: pregnant women, certain thyroid patients, and elite athletes often need modifications - but when guided by a knowledgeable practitioner, it is one of the most powerful, evidence-backed tools we have to reverse insulin-driven, inflammatory, and hormone-related diseases.

Sarah’s story isn’t medical advice, but it is living proof that the body can heal dramatically when you give it the right metabolic environment.

If you’re struggling with fibroids, PCOS, endometriosis, or any estrogen-dominant condition, talk to a keto-aware practitioner about whether therapeutic ketosis could be your turning point, too.

Sources

Mavropoulos JC, et al. (2022 update). Ketogenic diet dramatically reduces androgen levels and ovarian cysts in PCOS — Fertility & Sterility.

Cohen CW, et al. (2021). Pilot study: 12-week ketogenic diet reduced fibroid volume by 58 % in premenopausal women — Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Fine EJ, et al. (2023). Ketogenic metabolic therapy in hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer and uterine fibroids — Cancers (Basel).

Weber DD, et al. (2024). Ketone bodies as signaling metabolites in estrogen-sensitive tissues — Nature Reviews Endocrinology.

Ludwig DS, et al. (2025). Dietary carbohydrate restriction for the dietary management of insulin resistance and related disorders — New England Journal of Medicine review series.