Is your perimenopausal IBS driving you crazy?

Bloating, gassy, cramps, heavy, uncomfortable? One minute you can’t go to the loo and the next minute you can’t get off it?

The likely cause is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It’s incredibly common and often associated with times of stress or life changes, such as perimenopause. If you already have IBS, your symptoms may have been exacerbated by the hormonal changes that occur during perimenopause and menopause.

Your entire digestive system is full of oestrogen receptors, so when levels of oestrogen fluctuate wildly in perimenopause and decline in menopause, this affects how your gut functions. Higher levels of oestrogen in perimenopause have been linked to a greater risk of constipation in women. This may be because oestrogen slows the movement of your gut muscles, decreasing the time it takes for food to make its way through your digestive system. If food stays in your digestive tract for longer, this will also cause fermentation, bloating and gas. Raised oestrogen can also cause water retention, which is another cause of bloating.

Changes in levels of other hormones such as progesterone, serotonin and cortisol can also cause IBS symptoms. The stress hormone cortisol, needed for the fight or flight response, diverts blood flow away from the digestive system affecting its function and leading to symptoms such as bloating, constipation and diarrhoea.

As well as the hormonal shifts that are happening at this time, you also produce less stomach acid and fewer digestive enzymes as you age, contributing to reduced digestive function.

Unfortunately, according to the NHS, there’s not a lot you can do. The official view is that it’s a lifelong problem that no one really understands, probably caused by stress, and that there’s no cure for (although over-the-counter medicines can help symptoms). This is what I was told when I went to my GP with IBS in my 20s and it’s not hugely helpful.

As a nutrition professional who resolved my own IBS issues, I can tell you there IS hope. There are natural solutions that are likely better than taking over-the-counter medication AND a nutrition professional can work with you to find the root cause, enabling you to get to the bottom of what is causing the symptoms of IBS (excuse the pun), so you can take steps to fix it.

What might be causing your IBS symptoms?

One of the most common causes of IBS is SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth). This describes a condition where bacteria manage to grow and thrive in the small intestine, where they’re not supposed to be, causing fermentation and bloating.

It might be that you have lactose intolerance. This is when your body is not able to tolerate lactose, a type of sugar found naturally in milk and other dairy products, leading to a host of ‘IBS symptoms’. It might similarly be fructose malabsorption. Again, some people are not able to absorb fructose and symptoms are very similar to lactose intolerance.

Dysbiosis is an imbalance in the levels of beneficial (good) and pathogenic (bad) bacteria in the large intestine or colon, potentially caused by the overuse of antibiotics or alcohol, an increase in high sugar diets, and stress.

Or you might have a yeast overgrowth. Simply, the gut environment gets out of balance (due to dysbiosis) such that unwelcome yeast can thrive.  

None of these are pressing issues for regular doctors because there is often not the NHS testing or the framework for treatment of these problems. In some cases, digestive problems can be tricky to solve, and it almost always involves a lot of detective work. But if your symptoms are hampering your life in a significant way, I want you to know that there ARE things you can do. Although IBS might be very common, it is not normal to experience the symptoms you do.

What can you do about your IBS in perimenopause and menopause?

Below are some simple tricks you can put into practice today that might improve your symptoms of digestive distress and make enough of a difference to help you get your life back on track. I also want you to consider the degree to which your symptoms bother you. Are you satisfied with just covering up the symptoms and hoping for the best? That might be enough for you. If it isn’t, please book yourself in for a free 30-minute call with me here to get an idea of what you can do right away and what might be possible for you.

DO

·      Try a cup of hot water or ginger tea before meals to stimulate digestion.

·      Apple cider vinegar (with the ‘mother’) also works – take 1tsp before a meal.

·      Think about your food before eating it – the thought and smell kickstarts the digestive process, known as the cephalic phase.

·      Make sure you’re chewing properly. You should ideally be chewing your food around 30 times before swallowing! 

·      Try a few cubes of pineapple or papaya before a meal. These contain enzymes that can boost your digestion. You might also consider taking a natural digestive enzyme supplement from a health food store to support your body’s natural digestion process.

·      Take a 15-minute walk after eating if you can. This lowers blood sugar levels and improves digestion.

DON’T

·      Eat at your desk at work. Getting up and out is important for so many reasons. In this case, checking emails while you are also eating may have you gulp down your food or not chewing properly. Neither are good for your digestive health.

·      Try to eat on the go or when you’re stressed out. You won’t digest your food properly or absorb the nutrients. This is the quickest way to get heartburn.

·      Eat fruit after a meal. Fruit likes a quick passage through the digestive system. It can get stuck behind other foods that are digested more slowly and then ferment, causing gas. 

·      Drink too much water or other fluids with your meal as this dilutes the stomach acid needed to digest your food properly.