# IBS and hormones - new treatment options?



## Jena (Jan 16, 2018)

Hi everyone - I just posted this in general discussion and realise I should have posted it here. I am wondering if anyone out there has done much research on what it know about the influence of hormones on IBS for women. It is well known that symptoms often are worse at different times in the menstral cycle and I have seen some research that HRTs can increase IBS symptoms - but going beyond that, I am interested in doctors or research looking at the use of hormones in IBS treatment - and doctors that are working with women with IBS in monitoring hormonal fluctuations and impact on IBS. Does anyone have any information to share??


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## VULCAN (Jul 7, 2018)

I have been having menopause symptoms for the last 15 + years and been on HRT since 2010. I have been suffering from IBS since 2005. No one has ever suggested there is a link between the 2 but I can tell you when both flare up at the same time i'm almost suicidal. lol


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## Uno1234 (Jun 6, 2012)

I was a healthy woman that had 2 children.. 1 year after my son was born I had my tubes tied. It was then I began to get very sick, and eventually end up with Ibs-c. I even had a colonoscopy that came back normal. I was perfect on paper, but miserable every day. No matter how hard I tried I could not go poop..I was so bloated I looked 6 mo pregnant with heart palps weighing 108 because I couldnt eat.. Water even caused me to swell. I had a terrible constant burning pain in my left abdomen that drove me into depression. I ended up getting a tubal reversal, and I was doing great! Finally cured.... until about 5 months ago and now I am getting sick again, and having perimenapausal symptoms.. I am in a panic because I have so much I want to live for.. even a new job I worked hard to get... for me I feel hormones have something to do with my troubles.. Im having a time right now, and my bloating is severe, irritable, Brett tenderness etc... Im so sad.


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## VULCAN (Jul 7, 2018)

I have suffered from IBS for well over 14 years. It initially started because I was in a long term relationship that wasn't working and I refused to give up on it. About 16 years ago I started to have hot sweats I was 36. I am now 52. I am still suffering from the menopause and have been referred to the menopause clinic as the HRT is not controlling the symptoms. I have always thought of the IBS and Menopause as 2 separate illnesses until recently. I had been suffering from a pain in my side for over 2 weeks so I went to the doctors who arranged a scan. The scan was clear but the lady that did the scan said she thought my pain was coming from my bowel. I went back to the doctors again after another 2 weeks as the pain still hadn't disappeared. At this point I never even thought it was my IBS until the doctor gave me a prescription for buscopan. The pain didn't seem the same as the IBS pain so I wasn't convinced he had diagnosed me correctly. I was at the end of my tether so I took 3 buscopan every 4 hours and decided to just eat the foods I know my IBS is not unhappy with. This consisted of eating porridge and bananas for 3 days. I quit drinking coffee and had only peppermint tea and water. I also started taking a probiotic and bio-kult. I still had the pain 3 days later all be it a little less painful. I had a friend do some reflexology on me and the day after the pain had gone. It hasn't disappeared completely though. I am now convinced that when my hormones go up the spout, the hot flushes come with vengeance and cause the lack of sleep which in turn gives me anxiety, brain fog and sore joints and muscles. This is at the point where the depression starts to kick in which in turn starts the IBS to flare up. So to summarize when my hormones are fluctuating I need to keep a hold on my emotions, once they start to dip I struggle badly with both menopause symptoms and the IBS. I have just asked the doctor for more anti depressants as this is the only way I can control my mood myself. I have 1 other thought on this though, over the past 3 years I have noticed that at the end of August right the way through to March I suffer from S.A.D so I am also guessing that this is also related somehow.


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## Rinsver (Feb 15, 2021)

Hi there Jena! I am not an expert when it comes to this topic, but I have recently read that hormones can influence the IBS status. I have learnt from an online source that Indeed during the menstrution with hormone levels falling to the lowest, IBS symptoms get intensified. While surfing online, I also stumbled across a site that talks about a new kind of hormone therapy: it is called bio-identical hormone replacement therapy. I have got all the information from xcellr8.health, in case you want to check it out.


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## Positiveside (Apr 19, 2017)

I also read online that women are about twice as likely to have IBS than men. some research shows that sex hormones, like estrogen and progesterone, may be the reason. They can trigger IBS symptoms, which may explain why we have more flare-ups at different points of your menstrual cycle.


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