# ibs and hormones????



## cdoylefl (Jan 8, 2002)

i seem to have and ibs attack a week to 10 days before i start my period. does anyone else have that connection?? i don't want to go on the pill cuz of weight gain. also i'm 45 next month so i am hoping the ibs will "all go away" after menopause.


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## cgd21 (Nov 28, 2001)

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings but I read that IBS can really flare up after menopause and unfortunately I'm finding it to be really true.


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## Kitty19HasIBS (Jan 8, 2002)

for about 2 days before my period till the last day my stomach gets severly worse no matter if im c or d i have constant d i usually have to stay home but birth control seems to lessen my cycle days and the impact it has on my stomach


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## ls (Jan 20, 2002)

I have the same connection between my period and IBS where my IBS symptoms flare up about one week to 10 days before. Then with the pain of menstruating this means about 1 week a month of pain free! I was on birth control for years to try to solve this problem, but this did not work for me. I found the other side effects (like being completely insane) to be worse. I guess you have to weigh out the costs of each. My regular doctor has suggested that I go on bc pills and only stop every 3 months to have a period. However, my naturopath hates bc pills which is understandable. So good luck wading through the solutions. I have tried diet changes, medications, birth control pills, etc. Never seems to go away. I definitely think that hormonal regulation is key for those who have the IBS-period connection, but how to do it without screwing up everything else is the challenge. And personally, I don't think synthetic hormones are the ideal answer. At least not for some of us.


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## Tiss (Aug 22, 2000)

I always had worse IBS symptoms around my period. I'm now 45 and in menopause. 2 weeks ago I was put on Estratest HS and Prometrium to be taken daily and my IBS has improved greatly. I do not know the explanation or rational forthis. I've thought perhaps the fluctuation in estrogen before periods might aggravate the C. I would really like to know that interplay between IBS-c and hormones.


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## M&M (Jan 20, 2002)

same here. i got diagnosed (eventually) with IBS after going from doctor to doctor thinking i had endometriosis. finally, a very attentive ob/gyn discovered it was really IBS, and quite possibly endometriosis too. my symptoms are very much tied to my period - pain and varying C and D. i am also on bc, i do believe it helps at least a little. and personally i have absolutely no side effects from it, and i have been on probably about 6 different kinds over the years - just searching for one that helped the most. best wishes!


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## KerryW (Mar 20, 2000)

Oh yes!!!! About 5 days before I'm due, I get constipated really bad







and that will last for 4 days. Then a day before and for the first 3 days I get really bad D







.Then I get an almost normal BM for a week, and then once a week I get D episodes, and then the cycle starts again.Isn't it great being a woman!


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## HipJan (Apr 9, 1999)

Well, I thought I was "done" with my "IBS" for a while. Then, lo and behold, it has reared it's ugly head to a degree again. I am about convinced that, in my case, fluctuating hormones have greatly influenced many (but not all) of my bowel problems. I seem to be worse as the estrogen peaks and slightly better when I'm lowest in estrogen. Progesterone cream had been helping me, but now it looks like I'm going to have to bump up the amount I take again.


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## Molly McGee (Dec 6, 2001)

HipJanWhat is progostorone(SP?)cream and do you have to have a prescription to get it?


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## Krissy (Jul 6, 2000)

Molly, i believe Jan and i are using the same brand,go to the Vitamin Shoppe site,they have it there,no script needed,the one i use is in a tan tube,with brown lettering. Krissy


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## HipJan (Apr 9, 1999)

molly, do some Internet searches for 1) progesterone cream, 2) Dr. John Lee, and 3) Emerita. You will find some good info. Low-dose natural pro. cream is OTC and is designed to simulate "real" pro.


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## HEIDIELLEN (May 31, 2001)

Hi , All I am really glad i found this page caise for months i have been saying to my husband that i feel worsr around the time of my period.i used to have D all the time , i would go about ten time a day. i felt as my body was running on over drive all the time , i was so low all i could do was sit i felt so weak all the time . Then came this change that i thought was good i thought i was getting better ( silly me) all my BM changed from D to c (i thought i was going back to normal what ever that is i cant remember). well now my back hurts , i get bloated , my head is not mine i cant think straight and i feel sluggish , then low and behold i come on with a rush of D . My GP told me that IBS burns it self out in about 5 years but i'm on year 6 i think he is talking #### . thanks for reading and i hope you are all keeping as well as you can . Heidi


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## mich2002 (Jan 14, 2002)

Join the club ladies - and I mean the broader club of being female!!! I get D a couple of days before my periods and always have even for years before any IBS symtoms started (have only had those for about 10 months) happened to mention to a group of friends who seem to have 'normal' colons that i get a bad attack just before my period and it only improves once I come on and they ALL said that around the time of their period they get either D or C or some changes in their bowel movement so maybe its just worse for us because our systems are more 'tender' (sorry couldnt think of another word) but seems like that even without IBS its quite a common phenomena.


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## booklover (Feb 13, 2002)

I keep telling my doctor that there is definitely a pattern here. I will have a huge flare-up, and then bam! My period starts. I then have alternating C and D for a week to two weeks, and by the time I've recovered, it's time for my period again.


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## Guest (Feb 15, 2002)

Now that I'm through menopause, I notice that my IBS is much better and I can eat foods I could never eat before. Must be less estrogen.


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