Women with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) experience a worsening of symptoms during menses. This has been found among 29 women with IBS who were examined during their menstrual cycle in a study by Dr Lesley Houghton and colleagues at the Department of Medicine, University Hospital of South Manchester, Manchester, England.
According to the clinicians, women with IBS have sensitive guts. They suggest that these women may become more sensitive during menses due to factors such as varying hormone levels. They note that healthy women have looser and more frequent stools during menses, and firmer stools for the rest of the month. This may be related to changes in the level of female sex hormones. Sex hormone changes may explain why more women than men suffer from IBS and patients often report worsening of these symptoms at the time of their menses.
All women studied had a normal cycle of about 27 days and none were taking oral contraceptives or a drug known to affect gastrointestinal (GI) motility. They all kept a diary of symptoms to assess abdominal pain and bloating and bowel habits. Anxiety and depression were also assessed.
Dr Houghton found that abdominal pain and bloating worsened significantly during menses. Bowel movements were more frequent and, while the women said they felt less well, depression and anxiety were not associated with their menstrual symptoms. |
