Digestive discomfort during midlife is more common than most women realize, and it’s not always about what you’re eating. As your hormones shift, you might notice new or more frequent gut symptoms that feel unpredictable, frustrating, and hard to manage.
Here’s what to know about gut health during menopause and how to feel better.
Common Gut Symptoms
Many women in midlife experience symptoms including bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and irritable bowel syndromethat are gut-brain interaction disorders,. Even if you’ve never had digestive issues before, these symptoms often appear during perimenopause and menopause.
You might experience:
- A constant feeling of fullness or pressure
- Constipation altering with loose stools
- Gas that’s hard to relieve
- Feeling bloated even when you haven’t eaten much
In many cases, these symptoms aren’t caused by excess gas, but by increased gut sensitivity. Your body may be reacting more strongly to normal digestion, not necessarily to what you’re eating.
How Hormones Impact Digestion
Estrogen and progesterone help regulate how quickly food moves through your digestive system. During perimenopause, these hormones start to fluctuate in unpredictable ways. When estrogen is high, digestion speeds up, leading to looser stools or more urgent bowel movements. In contrast, high progesterone levels slow digestion, often causing constipation and bloating.
As you approach menopause, both estrogen and progesterone levels decrease, slowing overall digestion. At the same time, declining estrogen affects metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and body composition, all of which further impact digestion.
Menopause, Stress, and the Gut-Brain Connection
Your gut and brain are always talking to each other. When hormonal changes, stress, or poor sleep interfere with that communication, your gut can become more reactive to everyday digestion. One explanation for this is a condition called abdominophrenic dyssynergia, where the diaphragm contracts instead of relaxing during digestion. This can increase abdominal pressure and cause visible bloating, even without excess gas. Years of gut issues, holding in your stomach, or restrictive diets can increase this reactivity over time.
How To Support Your Gut During Menopause
Digestive relief doesn’t come from cutting out every possible trigger—it comes from building supportive habits that work with your changing body:
- Add fiber gradually. Work toward 25 grams per day from fruits, vegetables, legumes, seeds, and whole grains. Chia seeds, strawberries, pumpkin seeds, and potatoes with skin are gentler options than inulin or bran.
- Stay hydrated. Keep things moving smoothly by drinking more fluids. Drink fluids, especially water as needed each day to meet total water requirements of 11 cups a day for women.. All fluids in foods and liquids contribute to total body water that do not contain alcohol.
- Move your body. Walking and strength training support gut motility and overall digestion.
- Include fermented foods. Yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi help maintain a healthy gut microbiome.
- Check for lactose sensitivity. Lower estrogen can reduce your ability to digest lactose. Try lactose-free dairy options to keep calcium intake up without the bloat.
- Relax your core. Constantly holding in your stomach can put pressure on your digestive organs and worsen bloating.
Summary
Gut symptoms in midlife aren’t just something to deal with—they’re a sign that your body is changing. But those changes are manageable. With small shifts, the right support, and a little patience, you can feel more comfortable in your body again.
Click here to read our last blog post How to Rev Up Your Self-Care Motivation and Lose Weight
Curious what’s holding you back? Take our free quiz: Top Inner Roadblocks to Weight Loss Success and get your next best step today!
References:
- Jacobsen M. Midlife Nutrition — Helping Women Over 40 Overcome Nutrition Challenges. Today’s Dietitian. 2014;16(3):30. https://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/030314p30.shtml
- Damianos JA, Tomar SK, Azpiroz F, Barba E. Abdominophrenic Dyssynergia: A Narrative Review. The American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2022;118(1):41-45. doi:https://doi.org/10.14309/ajg.0000000000002044
- Yang PL, Heitkemper MM, Kamp KJ. Irritable bowel syndrome in midlife women: a narrative review. Women’s Midlife Health. 2021;7(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40695-021-00064-5
- Korf J. The Hormone-Digestion Connection: From Postpartum to Perimenopause (and Beyond). Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Published July 7, 2021. https://mspmag.com/health-and-fitness/the-hormone-digestion-connection-from-postpartum-to-perimeno/
Kay Loughrey, MPH, RDN, LDN Transformational Speaker, Breakthrough Coach, Nutritionist-Dietitian
Thank you for reading this blog post. Join the Sweet Life Newsletter to stay up to date on blog posts, events, and other ways to live your best sweet life.
Kay Loughrey, MPH, RDN, LDN is a licensed Nutritionist-Dietitian and a weight loss coach with 30+ years of experience in helping people lose weight and develop healthier relationships with food. She coaches her clients nationwide providing weight loss planning, video check-ins, and more. Schedule your free consultation.