Written By: Tania Tarafdar | Published : October 30, 2017 1:11 PM IST
All the mood swings, cramps and cravings already make that time of the mind the least favourite time. And if you have no control over your bowel movements things gets even worse. Gynaecologist Dr Shankar Chatterjee tells you how your periods messes with your poop.
The prostaglandins cause you to poop more: Your body releases prostaglandins during the first few days of your periods which trigger the uterus to contract. The prostaglandins also prompt your smooth muscles to contract and thus you tend to poop more in the first few days of your period. So, avoid gastrointestinal stimulants like coffee and prunes if you tend to poop too much during your periods.
You get bouts of diarrhoea: You can once again blame the prostaglandins for your bouts of diarrhoea during the first few days of your periods. In fact, the diarrhoea could be a sign that you have large amounts of prostaglandins in your body. You can pop an Ibuprofen 24 hours before the start of your periods to limit the release of prostaglandins floating in your body.
The prostaglandins cause you to poop less: While some women tend to run to the washroom more often during periods, some tend to get completely constipated. This could be because you make fewer prostaglandins in your body. Here are the 8 medical conditions that lead to constipation.
Change in diet gets you constipated: One more reason why you could be pooping less is that you change your diet before and during your periods. Crowding out fibre rich fruits and veggies with simple sugars and carbohydrates will change your usual bowel movements.
Stress messes with your bowel movements: Stressing about whether you will make it through your commute without stinking or staining can make your situation worse. Since there are more neurons in your gastrointestinal tract than your brain your bowel movement goes out of whack when you are nervous.
However, if your bowel movements are usually bad and they get worse during your periods, it could signal a bigger problem such as IBS. Here are 6 signs of healthy constipation.
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