What, how much, and when your child or young person eats can all impact their pelvic pain. While food doesn’t cause pelvic pain, there are small changes they can make to what they eat that can help them feel more comfortable.
Fast facts
- What and when your child or young person eats can affect how pelvic pain feels.
- Eating regularly can help the nervous system and make pain easier to manage.
- Skipping meals can worsen symptoms by contributing to low blood sugar and higher stress in the body.
- Some foods such as sugary drinks, processed snacks, and deep-fried foods can make pain worse.
- Eating anti-inflammatory foods like fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and fish is particularly beneficial.
- You can start by adding anti-inflammatory foods to meals your young person already eats.
- If eating is confusing and stressful for your young person, consider getting some help from your GP or a dietitian.
Eating regularly
Food isn’t just about satisfying hunger. It helps your young person’s brain and body function properly, and can impact their nervous system. The nervous system is the body’s built-in command centre that ‘checks’ if they’re okay or not.
When the nervous system is happy:
- Mood feels more balanced
- The body feels calmer
- Energy levels are higher
- Pelvic pain is easier to manage.
Eating regularly is a simple way to keep your young person’s nervous system happy and reduce their pelvic pain. Skipping meals can make things worse.
If your young person doesn’t eat regularly, their blood sugar drops and they may:
- Feel more tension in their body
- Feel their pain is sharper or more intense
- Feel anxious, irritable, or overwhelmed
- Struggle to deal with things they can normally handle
- Experience a rise in stress hormone levels (like adrenaline)
- Notice their body goes into ‘something’s wrong’ mode
- Feel more sensitive to pain.
What is a good eating routine?
Small changes can make a big difference to mood and pain. Encourage them to eat:
- Three balanced meals a day
- Two to three nutritious snacks a day
- Every three to four hours.
Make sure their meals include different types of food, like:
- Carbs (carbohydrates), which give them long-lasting energy
- Bread, rice, pasta, fruits and cereals
- Protein, which keeps them fuller for longer
- Meat, eggs, beans, nuts and dairy
- Healthy fats, which are good for their brain and hormones
- Avocado, nuts, seeds, oils and fish.
(1).png "The food groups")
Illustration of the five food groups.
Is my young person eating enough?
Your young person might not be eating enough if you notice they have:
- Energy crashes
- Mood swings
- Brain fog or trouble focusing
- Pain that gets worse at certain times of day.
Food to support the brain and nerves (anti-inflammatory eating)
Inflammation is the immune system’s way of protecting itself. However, sometimes inflammation sticks around too long and causes symptoms like pelvic pain.
Foods like fish, nuts, seeds, wholegrains, fruit, and vegetables contain nutrients that support the brain and nerves. These nutrients also help the body to manage stress, energy, mood, muscle tension, and inflammation.
Anti-inflammatory eating is about choosing foods that help calm down the immune system instead of irritating it.
Examples of anti-inflammatory foods:
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Fruits and vegetables
Packed with important vitamins and minerals
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- Berries like strawberries and blueberries
- Leafy greens like spinach and kale
- Carrots, broccoli, and sweet potato.
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Healthy fats
Good for their body and your brain
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- Fish like salmon and tuna
- Avocado
- Nuts and seeds like walnuts or chia seeds.
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Wholegrains
Slow energy that lasts longer
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- Oats
- Brown rice
- Wholegrain bread or pasta.
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Protein
Helps them grow and stay strong
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- Beans, lentils or tofu
- Eggs, chicken or fish.
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Drinks
Keep them hydrated
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- Water – always the best choice
- Herbal teas like peppermint or ginger
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Start by adding anti-inflammatory foods to dishes they already eat. For example, add:
- Berries to cereal or yoghurt
- Frozen vegetables into noodles, pasta, or rice
- A handful of nuts to daily snacks
- Beans or lentils into mince dishes or soups.
Foods that can make pain worse
Everybody reacts to food differently, but there are some foods that doctors know can make pain worse. You don’t need to ban them from your young person’s diet completely. Just encourage them to limit these to ‘sometimes foods’ and only eat them occasionally.
- Sugary drinks like soft drink or energy drinks
- Ultra-processed snacks like lollies
- Deep-fried food like hot chips
- Processed meat like salami
- Foods with lots of artificial colours and flavours.
Daily food tips
You don’t need to overhaul their whole diet – a few tweaks can make a big difference.
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Start with breakfast
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Encourage them to eat something in the morning, even if it’s small.
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Add before they subtract
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Focus on adding supportive foods to their diet instead of following strict food rules.
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Keep snacks handy
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Quick options are best. Prompt them to try yoghurt, fruit, nuts, or crackers and cheese.
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Encourage them to eat even if they are not very hungry
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Don’t let them wait until they’re starving. Encourage them to eat regularly. Their body always needs fuel.
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Swap, don't ban
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Help them make some simple food swaps:
- Soft drink → water
- Chips → nuts or yoghurt
- White bread → wholegrain bread
- Fast food → homemade meals (when you can).
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Get them involved
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Encourage your young person to get involved by choosing foods they like, helping with grocery shopping, and cooking meals for the family.
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Feeling nourished helps the body feel safe
Your young person’s nervous system responds to whether their body feels supported. Eating enough food regularly sends a message to their body that they are safe and cared for.
When the body feels safer:
- Muscles may relax more easily
- Stress responses may reduce
- Energy and mood improve
- Pain can feel easier to cope with.
Anti-inflammatory eating is not about having a ‘perfect’ diet or curing pain with food. It’s about giving the body consistent support, so the nervous system has a better chance to regulate and settle.
Food sensitivities and pelvic pain
Some people find that certain foods make their symptoms worse. This includes symptoms related to pelvic pain, bladder pain, vulval and vaginal pain. This is called a food sensitivity. Common sensitivities can include:
- Caffeine
- Spicy foods
- Artificial sweeteners
- Foods that may contribute to digestive symptoms like bloating, constipation, or diarrhoea.
If you think a food may be contributing to your young person’s symptoms, try:
- Noticing patterns between what they eat and how they feel
- Talking to a healthcare professional before cutting out whole food groups.
Food sensitivities are different for everyone. There is no single way of eating that works for all people with pelvic pain. A dietitian can help your young person work out whether food is affecting their symptoms and make sure they’re still getting the
nutrients their body needs.
When to get help
Support is available. You may need to talk to your local doctor (GP) or speak with a dietitian if:
- Your young person feels stressed or confused about eating
- Your young person worries that food may be affecting their symptoms and making their pain worse.
Support options
Dietitian
A dietitian is a specialist in food and nutrition and can help you and your young person understand how food and nutrition can influence symptoms, energy, and overall wellbeing, without making eating feel complicated or limiting.
A dietitian can help if your young person:
- Skips meals or struggles to eat regularly
- Has ongoing digestive symptoms such as bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, or nausea
- thinks certain foods may be triggering symptoms
- Is considering cutting out foods or following a special diet
- Feels anxious, stressed, or overwhelmed about eating
- Wants practical ideas for meals, snacks, and managing symptoms.
Your local doctor can provide a referral to a dietitian they know and recommend, or you can search the Dietitians Australia website to find someone in your area.
Your local doctor (GP)
Your local doctor or GP can also help if:
- Your young person’s pelvic pain is getting worse or affecting their daily life
- They have significant changes in appetite or weight
- Eating becomes difficult because of pain, nausea, or digestive symptoms
- You’re unsure whether their symptoms could be related to another health condition.
Remember, your young person doesn’t need to have a ‘perfect’ diet to support their health. Small, consistent changes and getting the right support can make a big difference.
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