Causes and Treatments for Reduction

Every month, you get your interval. And each month, like clockwork, your digestive system slows all the way down to what seems like a full cease. If you happen to incessantly expertise constipation simply earlier than or throughout your interval, know that you simply’re not alone.

“Hormonal fluctuations that happen earlier than a lady’s interval can definitely have an effect on the intestine,” says Asma Khapra, MD, an American Gastroenterological Affiliation (AGA) professional, co-founder of Olvihealth, and a gastroenterologist specializing in girls’s well being and IBD at GastroHealth in Virginia.

Learn on for extra about why constipation can happen within the days surrounding your interval, plus straightforward dwelling treatments to assist get issues shifting.

So, what causes constipation earlier than your interval?

Like different modifications you could expertise whenever you’re menstruating (temper modifications, cravings), hormones are more likely to blame right here. “Hormonal modifications, particularly elevated progesterone, decelerate the intestines, inflicting constipation,” says Sherry Ross, MD, an OB/GYN, writer, and co-founder of Oneself & the Ladies’s Well being & Wellness Faculty on the Mproov app.

Analysis on this matter is sparse, Dr. Khapra says—so consultants do not know precisely why or how constipation throughout this time happens. “However it’s clear that progesterone and estrogen play a job.”

Associated Tales

Along with loads of anecdotal proof from girls affected by constipation round their intervals, now we have research on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel illness (IBD). Though these situations have totally different causes and signs, each can produce gastrointestinal discomfort. Analysis has proven that ladies with IBS and IBD can expertise flares simply earlier than their menstrual cycle, which suggests hormonal modifications as a transparent set off.

Treatments for constipation earlier than your interval

1. Drink loads of fluids

Although “water is the only option,” says Dr. Ross, fruit juice—prune juice particularly—might help regulate your bowel actions, too. “Ingesting heat liquids within the morning can also be efficient,” she provides.

Intention for between 11.5 and 15.5 cups of liquid per day from each meals and beverage sources, per suggestions from the U.S. Nationwide Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Drugs. (Simply do not feel like it’s important to go approach overboard: “Staying hydrated is essential, however extra water than the fundamental quantity to maintain you hydrated won’t make a distinction,” says Dr. Khapra.)

2. Attempt to slot in some train

Bodily exercise can really feel uncomfortable whenever you’re constipated, however even gentle train similar to a stroll might help. That is as a result of “the colon strikes higher if there’s extra bodily motion—identical to different muscle mass within the physique,” says Dr. Khapra.

A daily train routine also can assist forestall future constipation earlier than your interval. The most recent Bodily Exercise Pointers for People advocate 150 minutes of moderate-intensity bodily exercise per week, plus two days of muscle-strengthening train.

3. Improve your fiber consumption

Upping your consumption of dietary fiber might help you get by way of a present bout of constipation, in addition to help your digestive well being for the following time your interval approaches. “Fiber helps carry water into the intestines, softening the stool and making it simpler to go,” says Dr. Ross. Intention for between 25 and 38 grams of high-fiber meals a day, similar to entire grains like oats, contemporary fruit like berries and apples, and veggies similar to broccoli, in addition to seeds and legumes.

4. Attempt an OTC stool softener…

Also called emollient laxatives, stool softeners moisten the stool, per the Cleveland Clinic, permitting you to go it extra simply.

Dr. Ross recommends taking 50 to 100 mg of Colace twice a day to assist ease constipation brought on by period-related hormonal shifts.

5. …or a bulk-forming laxative

One other over-the-counter choice to get issues shifting? Bulk-forming laxatives, similar to fiber dietary supplements like Metamucil, Citrucel, and Miralax. “These are gentlest in your physique,” says Dr. Ross.

They work by growing the quantity of fluid in your stool, making it simpler to go, per the Nationwide Library of Drugs. Simply needless to say it is important to drink loads of water whereas taking these dietary supplements, as a result of they’ll really trigger constipation to worsen should you’re not well-hydrated.

6. Add a magnesium complement

Including a magnesium complement at bedtime can enhance colonic motility, says Dr. Khapra. Our physique would not make this mineral by itself, so we have to get it from dietary supplements and meals (pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, and chia seeds are all good sources).

There are a variety of various kinds of magnesium dietary supplements available on the market, however magnesium citrate is commonly advisable for digestion as a result of it could produce a delicate laxative impact.

Are you able to forestall pre-period constipation?

All the methods above might help forestall constipation from occurring earlier than and through your interval, too. “Be per a high-fiber weight loss plan, common train, staying well-hydrated, and controlling life stressors to assist reduce constipation,” says Dr. Ross.

You probably have heavy, painful intervals or endometriosis, discuss to your physician about your choices. Some individuals could profit from oral contraceptives to assist handle their intervals, says Dr. Khapra, and this may occasionally ease the frequency of constipation, too.

When to see a health care provider

It might not really feel like a “severe” concern, however constipation could be painful and debilitating, and many individuals do not search assist for his or her signs. A 2020 survey led by Cedars-Sinai, for instance, discovered that 3 out of 5 People who’ve constipation have by no means spoken to a health care provider about their signs.

Constipation is completely price a dialogue along with your practitioner, even should you do not suppose your signs are significantly extreme. However it’s particularly essential to hunt medical care should you discover any of the pink flags beneath, consultants say:

• Constipation earlier than your interval is persistent
• You’ve gotten vital belly ache and bloating
• You discover blood in your stool
• You’ve gotten sudden, unexplained weight reduction
• Constipation seems to be worsening and is tough to handle

And even should you’ve tried all the dwelling treatments above, know that your physician could produce other instruments. “There are such a lot of new choices, even prescription medicines along with over-the-counter choices, which can be very secure long-term that can be utilized,” says Dr. Khapra.

FAQ

Is constipation a symptom of being pregnant?

“Being pregnant could be difficult for a girl’s bowel habits,” says Dr. Ross. Whenever you’re pregnant, you expertise vital hormonal modifications, together with a bounce in progesterone. Greater ranges of this hormone can decelerate the motility of your intestines, Dr. Ross says, presumably resulting in constipation.

On the similar time, “the iron and calcium in your prenatal nutritional vitamins and the shifting of your intestines by a pregnant uterus additionally create disruption in bowel functioning,” Dr. Ross provides. In accordance with the American School of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), constipation is particularly widespread on the finish of your being pregnant, so ensure that to eat loads of fiber-rich meals throughout this time.

Can constipation trigger delay in interval?

By itself, constipation should not delay your interval,  in line with Dr. Ross. Nonetheless, “the signs related to [constipation], together with stress, sure medicines, and dietary modifications to deal with constipation could have an effect on a interval,” she says.

If you happen to’ve missed your interval, contemplate taking a being pregnant take a look at to be secure.

Do you get constipated throughout ovulation?

Ovulation is the part throughout your menstrual cycle by which your physique releases an egg, making it the optimum time to get pregnant. This often happens round 14 days earlier than the beginning of your interval, in line with ACOG. Equally to simply earlier than your interval, you expertise hormonal modifications throughout this stage in your cycle, and it is doable for these shifts to have an effect on bowel functioning, Dr. Ross says. Throughout this time, you may discover that you simply’re constipated and even expertise diarrhea.