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

“Hormonal fluctuations that happen earlier than a lady’s interval can actually have an effect on the intestine,” says Asma Khapra, MD, an American Gastroenterological Affiliation (AGA) professional, co-founder of Olvihealth, and a gastroenterologist specializing in ladies’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 treatments to assist get issues transferring.

So, what causes constipation earlier than your interval?

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

Analysis on this matter is sparse, Dr. Khapra says—so consultants do not know precisely why or how constipation throughout this time happens. “But it surely’s clear that progesterone and estrogen play a job.”

Along with loads of anecdotal proof from ladies affected by constipation round their intervals, we now have research on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel illness (IBD). Though these circumstances have completely different causes and signs, each can produce gastrointestinal discomfort. Analysis has proven that girls with IBS and IBD can expertise flares simply earlier than their menstrual cycle, which suggests hormonal modifications as a transparent set off.

Cures 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—will help regulate your bowel actions, too. “Ingesting heat liquids within the morning can also be efficient,” she provides.

Goal for between 11.5 and 15.5 cups of liquid per day from each meals and beverage sources, per suggestions from the U.S. Nationwide Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medication. (Simply do not feel like it’s a must to go method overboard: “Staying hydrated is essential, however extra water than the essential 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 while you’re constipated, however even mild train akin to a stroll will help. That is as a result of “the colon strikes higher if there may be extra bodily motion—similar to different muscle groups within the physique,” says Dr. Khapra.

An everyday train routine also can assist forestall future constipation earlier than your interval. The most recent Bodily Exercise Tips for Individuals suggest 150 minutes of moderate-intensity bodily exercise every week, plus two days of muscle-strengthening train.

3. Improve your fiber consumption

Upping your consumption of dietary fiber will help you get via a present bout of constipation, in addition to help your digestive well being for the following time your interval approaches. “Fiber helps deliver water into the intestines, softening the stool and making it simpler to move,” says Dr. Ross. Goal for between 25 and 38 grams of high-fiber meals a day, akin to complete grains like oats, contemporary fruit like berries and apples, and veggies akin to broccoli, in addition to seeds and legumes.

4. Strive an OTC stool softener…

Often known as emollient laxatives, stool softeners moisten the stool, per the Cleveland Clinic, permitting you to move 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, akin to fiber dietary supplements like Metamucil, Citrucel, and Miralax. “These are gentlest in your physique,” says Dr. Ross.

They work by rising the quantity of fluid in your stool, making it simpler to move, per the Nationwide Library of Medication. Simply remember the fact that it is important to drink loads of water whereas taking these dietary supplements, as a result of they’ll truly trigger constipation to worsen should 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 various kinds of magnesium dietary supplements in the marketplace, however magnesium citrate is commonly really helpful for digestion as a result of it could actually produce a delicate laxative impact.

Are you able to forestall pre-period constipation?

All the methods above will help forestall constipation from occurring earlier than and through your interval, too. “Be in step with a high-fiber food regimen, common train, staying well-hydrated, and controlling life stressors to assist decrease constipation,” says Dr. Ross.

When you have heavy, painful intervals or endometriosis, discuss to your physician about your choices. Some folks might profit from oral contraceptives to assist handle their intervals, says Dr. Khapra, and this may increasingly ease the frequency of constipation, too.

When to see a health care provider

It could 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 Individuals who’ve constipation have by no means spoken to a health care provider about their signs.

Constipation is totally price a dialogue together with your practitioner, even should you do not assume your signs are notably extreme. But it surely’s particularly vital to hunt medical care should you discover any of the crimson flags under, consultants say:

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

And even should you’ve tried the entire dwelling treatments above, know that your physician might produce other instruments. “There are such a lot of new choices, even prescription medicines along with over-the-counter choices, which are 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 girl’s bowel habits,” says Dr. Ross. Whenever you’re pregnant, you expertise vital hormonal modifications, together with a bounce in progesterone. Increased ranges of this hormone can decelerate the motility of your intestines, Dr. Ross says, probably resulting in constipation.

On the similar time, “the iron and calcium in your prenatal nutritional vitamins and the shifting of your intestines by a pregnant uterus additionally create disruption in bowel functioning,” Dr. Ross provides. In keeping with the American Faculty of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), constipation is very widespread on the finish of your being pregnant, so make sure that to eat loads of fiber-rich meals throughout this time.

Can constipation trigger delay in interval?

By itself, constipation should not delay your interval,  in keeping with Dr. Ross. Nonetheless, “the signs related to [constipation], together with stress, sure medicines, and dietary modifications to deal with constipation might have an effect on a interval,” she says.

If you happen to’ve missed your interval, take into account taking a being pregnant take a look at to be protected.

Do you get constipated throughout ovulation?

Ovulation is the part throughout your menstrual cycle during 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, in keeping with ACOG. Equally to only earlier than your interval, you expertise hormonal modifications throughout this stage in your cycle, and it is doable for these shifts to have an effect on bowel functioning, Dr. Ross says. Throughout this time, you would possibly discover that you just’re constipated and even expertise diarrhea.