Causes and Remedies for Relief

Every month, you get your interval. And each month, like clockwork, your digestive system slows right down to what seems like a full cease. When you continuously expertise constipation simply earlier than or throughout your interval, know that you just’re not alone.

“Hormonal fluctuations that happen earlier than a girl’s interval can actually have an effect on the intestine,” says Asma Khapra, MD, an American Gastroenterological Affiliation (AGA) knowledgeable, 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 simple dwelling cures to assist get issues transferring.

So, what causes constipation earlier than your interval?

Like different adjustments it’s possible you’ll expertise once you’re menstruating (mood changes, cravings), hormones are more likely to blame right here. “Hormonal adjustments, particularly elevated progesterone, decelerate the intestines, inflicting constipation,” says Sherry Ross, MD, an OB/GYN, creator, and co-founder of Oneself & the Ladies’s Well being & Wellness College on the Mproov app.

Analysis on this matter is sparse, Dr. Khapra says—so specialists do not know precisely why or how constipation throughout this time happens. “Nevertheless 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, we have now research on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel illness (IBD). Though these circumstances have different causes and symptoms, each can produce gastrointestinal discomfort. Analysis has shown that girls with IBS and IBD can expertise flares simply earlier than their menstrual cycle, which suggests hormonal adjustments 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—may also help regulate your bowel actions, too. “Drinking warm liquids within the morning can 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. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (Simply do not feel like you must go method overboard: “Staying hydrated is vital, however extra water than the fundamental quantity to maintain you hydrated is not going to make a distinction,” says Dr. Khapra.)

2. Strive to slot in some train

Bodily exercise can really feel uncomfortable once you’re constipated, however even mild train equivalent to a stroll may also help. That is as a result of “the colon strikes higher if there may be 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 newest Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans suggest 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 may also help you get by way of a present bout of constipation, in addition to assist your digestive well being for the subsequent time your interval approaches. “Fiber helps carry water into the intestines, softening the stool and making it simpler to cross,” says Dr. Ross. Aim for between 25 and 38 grams of high-fiber foods a day, equivalent to complete grains like oats, recent fruit like berries and apples, and veggies equivalent to broccoli, in addition to seeds and legumes.

4. Strive an OTC stool softener…

Also referred to as emollient laxatives, stool softeners moisten the stool, per the Cleveland Clinic, permitting you to cross it extra simply.

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

5. …or a bulk-forming laxative

One other over-the-counter choice to get issues transferring? Bulk-forming laxatives, equivalent 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 cross, per the National Library of Medicine. Simply understand that it is important to drink loads of water whereas taking these dietary supplements, as a result of they will really trigger constipation to worsen when 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 does 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 selection of different types of magnesium supplements available on the market, however magnesium citrate is usually really helpful for digestion as a result of it will probably produce a delicate laxative impact.

Are you able to forestall pre-period constipation?

All the methods above may also 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 decrease 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 might 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 together with your practitioner, even when you do not assume your signs are notably extreme. Nevertheless it’s particularly vital to hunt medical care when you discover any of the pink flags under, specialists say:

• Constipation earlier than your interval is persistent
• You may have vital stomach ache and bloating
• You discover blood in your stool
• You may have sudden, unexplained weight reduction
• Constipation seems to be worsening and is troublesome to handle

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

FAQ

Is constipation a symptom of being pregnant?

“Being pregnant might be difficult for a lady’s bowel habits,” says Dr. Ross. While you’re pregnant, you expertise vital hormonal adjustments, together with a leap 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 vitamins and the shifting of your intestines by a pregnant uterus additionally create disruption in bowel functioning,” Dr. Ross provides. Based on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), constipation is very widespread on the finish of your being pregnant, so make certain to eat loads of fiber-rich foods throughout this time.

Can constipation trigger delay in interval?

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

When you’ve missed your interval, contemplate taking a being pregnant check to be protected.

Do you get constipated throughout ovulation?

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