Hormonal Balance & Constipation?

What is Constipation?

Before we look at why low hormones can cause bathroom issues, let’s look at what constipation is and some common causes. Constipation is infrequent bowel movements or the inability to pass a stool for several weeks or longer. 

The amount you go to the bathroom varies from person to person, but not pooping at least three times per week is a sign you’re constipated. Occasional constipation can be expected, but excessive constipation resulting in straining to go to the bathroom can lead to chronic constipation and have profound health implications.

What Causes Constipation?

Constipation can be caused by many factors, but the most common is a lack of fiber. Fiber is more present in fruits and vegetables than in other foods. So, a lack of fiber directly results in constipation. But other things can cause constipation, including: 

• Lack of exercise

• Not drinking enough water

• Abuse of laxatives

• Avoiding going to the bathroom

• Changes in lifestyle (pregnancy and old age)

• Irritable bowel movement

• Problems with the intestine

• Medications

• Menopause

 Menopause, while known about, isn’t talked about that much due to the stigma and embarrassment women feel from going through “the change.” Menopause comes from low estrogen levels. Estrogen is a vital hormone for women’s reproduction, bone health, and the digestive tract. Women experience menopause usually around age 50, and symptoms can go on for years. 

Link Between Low Estrogen &  Constipation

 As mentioned, menopause comes from low hormones, particularly estrogen and progesterone. This prevents women from menstruating. Once this occurs for one year or longer, women are officially entering menopause.  

A drop in estrogen directly affects cortisol production. Cortisol is the stress hormone responsible for many physiological responses, such as handling dangerous situations and triggering the stress response.  

But elevated levels of cortisol over a period cause us to feel chronic stress, which can cause depression and anxiety, and have severe consequences for our relationships. Estrogen regulates cortisol production and keeps cortisol levels low, so people feel more balanced and less stressed. High cortisol levels can also cause constipation. 

High Cortisol & Poor Bowel Movements

Estrogen lowers cortisol levels, whereas lower estrogen levels increase cortisol. This influences the digestive tract. It causes the body to break down food more slowly, resulting in a sluggish system and fewer bowel movements. Stools become more complex, more compact, and more difficult for the body to eliminate. 

In addition to the body's slower processing of food, postmenopausal women have weaker pelvic floor muscles. The pelvic floor is the area under the bladder and acts like a cradle of connected muscle and tissue to support the organs.

A weaker pelvic floor makes it harder for women to go to the bathroom and can cause further straining when trying to have a bowel movement. In addition, it can also cause sexual intercourse to become painful as well.

How to improve constipation?

 Constipation results in painful bloating and gas. You can also feel sluggish, run-down, and moody. However, these symptoms can be alleviated. Here are a few ways you can improve chronic constipation. 

Increase Fiber Intake

Increasing fruit and vegetable intake increases fiber intake. More fiber in your diet will naturally increase your bowel movements and improve your overall health. It adds more weight to your stool and softens it simultaneously, making it easier for your body to push out. Plus, more fiber means a healthier diet, which is always good. 

Add More Water

We’ve known for years that water is vital for a healthy lifestyle. Our bodies are over 70% water, and having enough of the clear stuff makes for a happier life. Water also improves bowel movements by making the stool softer.

Move More

A sedentary lifestyle is unhealthy in multiple ways, but it also significantly affects bowel function. Moving jostles the digestive system and initiates peristalsis. Exercise can also improve water intake. Both lead to happier bathroom time. 

Take Your Time Eating

A fast-paced lifestyle leads to eating on the go, increased fast-food consumption, and less enjoyment of meals. You quickly eat, stand, and proceed to the next part of your day. But if you eat slowly and sit for a bit after a meal, gravity may take over and cause you to have a bowel movement. So do what the Italians do and savor a meal. 

Balance Your Hormones 

Despite all your best efforts to increase fiber intake, exercise more, and monitor your water intake, you may need a hormone supplement. Bioidentical hormone supplementation is by far the best and easiest way to bring your hormones into balance.  

Hormone therapy exists for any low hormone, but the most common hormone therapy is estrogen and progesterone supplements. Estrogen replacement therapy is “replacing” your depleted hormones with bioidentical ones. Restoring estrogen helps maintain regular bowel movements and alleviates constipation. 

Oral Hormones VS Transdermal Creams

 Hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, comes in different forms. Most doctors prescribe oral tablets or pills you take once daily, but these aren’t the most effective form of supplementation. Instead, it’s becoming more common to use transdermal hormone creams. First, topical ointments are more effective than pills.  All of which are safe for use and have minimal side effects. 

People apply estrogen creams directly to the skin. Estrogen soaks through the dermis to awaiting receptors, whisking the hormone to where it’s most needed. For individuals with constipation, it helps reduce cortisol production. In turn, this helps to alleviate constipation. 

Hormonal imbalance can cause constipation. But through hormone creams, men and women can find the relief they need. 

Come see me, I can help.

Twenty-Five years experience balancing men & women's Hormones

www.pharmacistfrank.com

(636) 362-4638