IBS and Menstrual Cramps

Hi there!

I'm a 5 month IBS newbie, having only realized I have IBS-C last November. I can't have dairy, caffeine and must try to have as little gluten as possible, and if I go a day without taking soluble fibre tablets before every meal then I'm in pain for the rest of the day. I get a stabbing pain in my lower left abdomen, that often makes me need to sit down. This pain used to be worse -actually making me fall over in the street!- until I started seeing a hypnotherapist, going to yoga and swimming on a weekly basis. Also, drinking about a liter of water or a couple cups of hot-water infused with fennel seeds everyday decreases the pain within minutes.

Anyways, I have always had horrible menstruation that sometimes used to put me in bed on the first day of the cycle. I've been told that stress often affects this monthly pain, and now with IBS that stress is heightened in a catch 22 situation as I stress generally about my work, then stress about my IBS, then stress about my period, then yes, it all feeds into a vicious cycle. Every month, I get unbearable cramps a few days before bleeding, then I get a numbing pain in my upper left leg which makes it uncomfortable to move all day, and almost always feel I have to pass a very painful bowel movement after a series of spasms. After years of experiencing painful menstruation, I automatically correlate periods with having an upset stomach, but now with my IBS symptoms I can't take my usual anti-menstrual pain medicine. Does anybody know what kind of a pain-killer (not ibuprofen and not paracetamol) I might be able to take without setting of any IBS-related pain?

Thanks so much !!!

Its pretty common for hormones to upset some people IBS.

I don't know of any pain pills off hand and I would be careful with the ibuprofen as that can do a number on IBS.

There is also HT and CBT for IBS and pain and symptoms that might help as well.


Women: Special IBS Issues
It has long been known that women, especially those age 15 to 45, make up the bulk of IBS patients — approximately two-thirds of IBS patients are female.

This section was developed in response to an e-mail inquiry to us by an IBS patient. She described her elation in being freed from IBS symptoms during her pregnancy. However, one month after delivery, her symptoms returned. This prompted a search of the IBS literature for the effects of female hormones on IBS.

http://www.mindbodydigestive.com/mbdc/women-special-issues/

thank you for the suggestions shawn12. Unfortunately, ibuprofen really jump-starts my pain. but as I've never heard of HT and CBT, I will ask my GP. I've also been told by my hypnotherapist that IBS goes away after giving birth, and despite being in my early twenties and nowhere near planning on having a baby soon, I've been skeptical about that statement. It seems IBS really is just something to live with and manage as best you can.

I found this topic on a google search and wanted to chime in. I'm 48 and have only been diagnosed with IBS since I began having perimenopausal symptoms. (Interestingly, my actual perimenopause symptoms are almost nonexistent, but IBS has cropped up and been blamed on perimenopause/hormones because my IBS symptoms flare during my period.) I've searched for food intolerances and gone off various foods at various times, certain it's the gluten, the sugar, the caffeine, the beef, the bananas, the eggs, the dairy, the alcohol . . . I'm now following the Clean diet "Elimination Diet" put forth by Dr. Alejandro Junger, and it seems to be helping with between-period symptoms. My primary IBS symptom is nausea. I know--not a typical IBS symptom, but it accompanies some mild-but-wonky lower gut stuff (constipation one day, almost-diarrhea the next, so that's the diagnosis I've been given. My GP blames it on hormones, and my gyno blames it on my gut, and all anyone wants to prescribe is ibuprofen for the crampy overfull sensation I get during my period and bentyl to possibly calm my gut. (I took that once and it made me anxious.) It's like everything doesn't fit in there, causing things to sit too long where they're not supposed to. The worst days are the days of a big hormone shift--Day 3, when my flow changes from very light to very heavy in a matter of about an hour, and Day 5, when the opposite occurs. Oddly, on Day 4, or the heaviest day, I'm more comfortable than I am on either of the bookending days. Sometimes recovering from Day 5 takes three days. It's like things have to shrink back to size.

I can totally relate to the comment about stress and periods and IBS and the ugly circle because one causes the other causes the other. My doctor tried to pin my symptoms on stress and I finally said, "Look, I have a big job and a busy family and a lot going on, and the single biggest stressor in my life is this nausea that appears out of nowhere. Help me solve that and we will have solved my stress."

I rarely take ibuprofen because it--you know--chews up your stomach. Doesn't seem like a good option for someone with nausea. :)

I guess I'm just here to say that, yes, IBS and hormones go hand-in-hand, sometimes in a big way. I'm still hoping to get to the bottom of it all with diet and exercise and by addressing nutritional deficiencies, food triggers, etc., but if I should hit menopause and have it all just disappear without my having solved it any other way, that'd be okay, too! The sooner the better!

Eager to hear if anyone's got any other brilliant ideas for any of us to try. Thanks.

When I had my period, the pain was so intense...I did not eat on the first day. I kept working though and then on the second day...would have something very simple like bread and a small bowl of soup all day. On the third or fourth day when it was really flowing, I might have bread, soup and a small section or a piece of fruit. Then it was back to normal. I was constipated then but figured it was because I did not eat. Everything seemed too complicated to eat...soft boiled eggs might be ok.

I came down with IBS very bad when I was perri-menopausal. Now I am post menopausal and have basically given up on the mess. I have one bowel movement a day and sometimes more and certainly don't have too much bowel movement.

Anything that is predominately a female problem ... they don't want to bother with.