Digestive Problems and What May Be Causing It
Up to 72% of women report struggling with digestive/gut issues in the past 12 months.
Can you relate to struggling with bloating, cramping, diarrhea, or constipation? Find out why and what to do here:
Today, I’m here to give you a sense of control back and it starts by identifying the root cause of your digestive distress.
Do you find yourself toggling between infrequent or uncomfortable bowel movements and episodes of bloating and gas?
Feeling disgusted when your clothes don’t fit the way you want?
Do you experience digestive symptoms associated with your menstrual cycle or do they happen all the time?
For many women, hormonal imbalances or fluctuations increase gastrointestinal symptoms.
Hormones are the chemical messengers in the body and are released into the bloodstream to regulate more body systems, including metabolism, emotions, fertility, and heart rate.
Fluctuations in sex hormones, particularly estrogen can contribute to the frequency and intensity of your digestive symptoms.
The cells in your gut lining have receptors for both estrogen and progesterone that latch the hormones to the cells. These hormones control the smooth muscles in your intestines, which dictate how quickly food travels through your system.
During perimenopause and menopause when hormone levels drop this can slow down the movement of food through your system.
Also, Estrogen boosts the production of serotonin, a feel-good chemical in your brain, so when estrogen levels are higher (typically in the follicular phase or first half of your menstrual cycle) you tend to feel better.
However, after ovulation (the luteal phase) estrogen levels drop significantly and may create more discomfort.
If you struggle with chronic digestive problems the first step to reducing or eliminating these symptoms is to identify the root cause dynamic that is affecting your unique body. This allows you to be more targeted and effective in changing it.
In my experience, there are 2 common clusters of dynamics that contribute to persistent digestive/gut imbalance are:
1. Food sensitivity or digestive intolerance combined with hypothyroid state that is causing poor digestive secretions. This means your food is not able to be adequately digested and broken down and therefore is causing inflammation in the gut and sluggish bile flow.
OR
2. Microbiome imbalance in the gut which does not allow for adequate secretions and normal output of either hydrogen or methane from our microbial friends to allow for the synthesis of serotonin.
Many women don’t realize that a course of antibiotics they took after a UTI infection or a surgical procedure can create lasting side effects of microbial imbalance for years.
When you are able to put together the unique factors for your body in terms of hormone balance, a history with antibiotic use, a history of hypothyroid function, or food sensitivities you are able to create a specific solution and feel your best.
This is how you get rid of constipation and bloating for good? It’s possible!
Our team at Hinman Holistic Health is passionate about supporting women just like you to be in the driver's seat of your health so you can feel amazing and do the important things you are here to do!
Learn more about what may be at play in your body. Take this free Hormone Assessment in our Hormone Health Kit today.
Are you not sure how you’d create a step-by-step plan to improve this hormone imbalance or what’s next? This is exactly what we do in our programs: we help women to balance their hormones naturally.
Our support is why they no longer deal with uncomfortable bloating and digestive issues.
Are you curious about what that would be like for you?