Understanding Constipation and Your Menstrual Cycle
Feeling bloated and uncomfortable during your period is common. But combined with issues like abdominal pain, straining, and infrequent bowel movements, it may signal another problem – constipation related to your menstrual cycle.
Constipation definition involves having fewer than three bowel movements per week plus hardened, difficult to pass stool. While no fun anytime, getting backed up right before or during your period feels particularly awful.
What causes this poop problem to flare when you get your period? And how do you find relief from period constipation woes?
Why Constipation Occurs Pre-Menstruation
Hormone fluctuations during your menstrual cycle can trigger gut issues like cramping, loose stools, and constipation. Here’s how your cycle phase may set the stage for bathroom backup:
Ovulation Slowdown
After an egg goes unfertilized, your progesterone production declines. This slows digestion, meaning food you eat takes longer passing through your system. Slower motility allows more fluid absorption, leaving harder, drier stool behind.
Prostaglandin Production
As your uterus sheds its lining during a period, it releases hormone-like compounds called prostaglandins. These make smooth muscles in the intestine contract. Spastic squeezing hampers coordinated movement to push stool through.
Inflammation Increase
Having your period activates inflammation pathways in the body. Swelling in the intestines left behind can paralyze contractions that normally keep waste moving out. This allows stool to dry out and become more challenging to pass.
Under all the hormonal happenings, constipation can quickly occur if bowel habits aren’t kept regular through diet, fluids, exercise and other positive constipation relief habits.
Dealing with Menstrual Constipation Symptoms
No matter the reason behind it, dealing with constipation on top of menstrual cramps, bloating and heavy bleeding feels terrible. Common period constipation unpleasantries involve:
Infrequent Bowel Movements
Going longer than normal without a productive trip to the bathroom characterizes constipation. While regularity varies per person, having fewer than three bowel movements weekly qualifies as backed up.
Hard, Lumpy Stools
Dry, dense poop that you have to strain excessively to pass points to constipation. Stools should feel soft and hold their shape versus resembling hard pebbles.
Straining to Go
Needing to push intensely or experiencing painful bathroom trips signals constipation. You should not feel like you’re giving birth every time you poop during your period!
Abdominal Discomfort
When you don't poop regularly, waste backs up in your intestines. This causes bloating, cramping and sluggish digestion. General tummy troubles continue until relief occurs.
Getting stopped up from menstruation can make an already uncomfortable time feel unbearable. By understanding the hormonal drivers and applying the right solutions, you can bounce back from constipation quickly.
Dietary Adjustments to Improve Bowel Flow
Your first line of defense against period constipation involves tweaking your daily menu. Focus on foods that enhance digestion and promote more frequent, healthy pooping. Top choices include:
High Fiber Fruits and Vegetables
Filling up on fiber-rich produce helps form soft, bulky stool. Target fruits like berries, figs, prunes and kiwi plus cruciferous veggies and greens.
Probiotic Powerhouses
Fermented items like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi contain beneficial bacteria to balance gut function. Healthy flora improves intestinal coordination and stool consistency.
Magnesium Mighty Foods
Mineral magnesium found in nuts, seeds, whole grains, leafy greens and beans draws more water into your colon to keep things softer. Low magnesium intake directly correlates with constipation.
Water, Water Everywhere
Menstruation driven constipation often relates to lack of fluids. Not getting enough water causes dry, hard poop. Strive for eight 8-ounce glasses minimum daily plus herbal tea.
Adjusting your plate to include more of these digestion-easing edibles makes preventing and resolving period constipation much easier. But diet alone sometimes isn’t enough...
Additional Constipation Remedies
For moderate to severe menstrual constipation, you may need to bring in reinforcements beyond just fiber and water to get back on track. Helpful extra measures include:
Exercise
Physical movement stimulates contractions throughout your gastrointestinal tract to push things along. Aim for at least 30 minutes of cardio plus core strengthening sessions if stopped up.
Probiotic Supplements
Over the counter probiotic capsules replenish healthy flora to optimize digestion and excretion. Look for multi-strain blends with at least one billion CFUs.
Herbal Laxatives
All natural stimulant and lubricating herbs like senna, ginger and flax help alleviate even severe bathroom backup. Follow individual product instructions for best results.
Coffee Query
Caffeine sparks movement through your colon in as little as four minutes after consumption. Enjoy organic coffee or tea in moderation when constipated.
Squat Instead
Pooping in a squatting versus sitting position straightens your rectum for more complete emptying. Use a small stool to prop your feet while going.
When dietary adjustments fail to deliver constipation relief before or during your flow, putting these quick fixes into practice gets things moving ASAP. Just take care not to become dependent on certain solutions like laxatives too frequently.
Know When to Seek Medical Care
Mild menstrual bouts of constipation typically resolve once your period ends and hormones regulate. But if symptoms linger frequently for over seven days or worsen, seeking medical care becomes vital.
Signs a doctor should evaluate your period constipation include:
- Weight loss from poor nutrient absorption
- Blood visible in stool
- Consistently irregular bowel habits
- Fever or vomiting along with constipation
Severe, recurring constipation may indicate an obstruction, bowel disease or other complication requiring targeted treatment. Don’t delay getting assessed if you don’t find relief using standard interventions.
When Constipation Persists
For women battling chronic constipation, deeper dietary and lifestyle adjustments often become necessary. This may mean eliminating common triggers like:
- Dairy products
- Gluten grains
- Fried and processed fare
- Refined sugars
- Caffeinated drinks
Focusing on soothing foods like bone broth, cooked fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and anti-inflammatory herbs rebalances digestion long-term. Stress management also proves critical in regulating bowel habit rhythms disrupted by ongoing anxiety, depression or tension.
Rebounding from recurring constipation revolves around identifying and avoiding personalized triggers while adopting gut-friendly nutrition and self-care strategies.
When to Use Caution
For most women, temporarily battling backed up bowels due to their menstrual cycle poses no major health hazards. However discomforting, period-driven constipation remains relatively harmless provided it lasts under a week.
Yet those managing certain chronic conditions should take extra precautions when constipation strikes coordinate with their cycles. This includes women with:
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Hemorrhoids
- Ulcerative colitis
- Diverticulitis
The added bowel pressure and inflammation from constipation negatively impacts these digestive disorders. Being preemptive with diet adjustments, fluids, exercise and stress reduction helps minimize risks of complications or severe flares premenstrually.
For females taking medications that list constipation as a common side effect, working closely with their doctor to adjust dosing if needed to prevent severity around their periods becomes vital too.
The Takeaway on Period Constipation
Suffering from cramps, bloating and backup when you get your monthly visitor constitutes classic period constipation. The hormonal rollercoaster stimulating and suppressing your digestion in different ways breeds trouble.
Luckily by knowing the correlation between your flow and bathroom sluggishness, you can better prepare your diet, lifestyle and supplemental supports accordingly. Prioritizing gut soothing foods and relaxation while curbing common triggers alleviates most menstrual-driven constipation.
For recurring or severe symptoms, seek qualified medical guidance to rule out complications. Identify and address any underlying causes perpetuating chronic constipation monthly. This delivers the lasting pooping prosperity you deserve all day, any day – even during that not so fun time of the month!
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.
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