Bad digestive issues since hitting Perimenopause

[rustydog]

I’ve actually had IBS for 25 years so do already have a very sensitive digestive system.

However, since I turned 45 (5 years ago), my digestive system has gone haywire.

I have regular nausea, acid stomach, belching, stomach pain, bloating in stomach and intestinal area. I get awful gurgling and rumblings which even wake me through the night. I have alternating soft stool and constipation. All in all a very unhappy gut the majority of the time.

Since 2019 I have had a string of tests (a colonoscopy and gastroscope with biopsies, ultrasound scans, a ct scan, a pill camera endoscopy and a fit stool test) all come back clear, thank goodness.

I watch my diet so carefully and follow the low fodmap diet, I drink only water or mint tea, no diary or gluten/wheat, no fried or spicy foods. In fact I have an extremely boring/bland diet.

I have tried all medications for my digestive system but very little helps. I exercise and listen to gut directed hypnotherapy.

The doctors are stumped and say it’s just IBS but I am wondering if my peri hormones are causing this upset. I do also have many other peri symptoms and at 50 am pretty sure I am in perimenopause.

Has/does anyone else suffer with their digestive system like this during this time? It’s really getting me down as it controls my day to day life.

[Rainbow2468]

Hi there i too have had ibs for 25 years and I would definitely say yes it's perimnopause that causes this i know its so frustrating isn't it. Sending you a big hug x

[rustydog in reply to Rainbow2468]

Thank you. You too x

[CofG in reply to rustydog]

Hello Rustydog, I have had IBS for years too and guess what? It is because I have endometriosis! and apparently it is what's causing it because of the inflammation. I had a hysterectomy in 2019 and they found it then. I had no IBS symptoms for 8 months post surgery after they removed the endometrioma and scrapped the endo they could find. When the symptoms returned, I suspected that so did the endo so I asked for a scan and they found a couple of new endometriomas in my remaining healthy ovary! HRT is improving the IBS and many other symptoms thank God! You might want to ask about endometriosis because the symptoms are always confused with IBS. It's awful how doctors don't diagnose endometriosis but partly because it is hard to diagnose. I was told for years that it was IBS. I wish it had been diagnosed earlier so that I could have avoided the hysterectomy. There are many radiographers that can diagnose endo from an MRI so request it. Hope this helps!

[rustydog in reply to CofG]

Thank you. I have often wondered if I have endometriosis as I have had years of gynae issues as well as the digestive issues. I often have ovarian cysts too and once was told one was a ‘chocolate’ cysts which I’ve since learnt is an endometrioma? My sister had an emergency op at 45 to remove a large ovarian tumour which actually turned out to be endometriosis which she had no idea she suffered from. I have been asked for a refer back to gynae to ask about this.