Can hormonal imbalance cause digestive problems?

Hormonal imbalance due to perimenopause is accompanied by a long list of physical and emotional ailments. Some more embarrassing than others.

If you have excessive constipation, diarrhea, bloating, and belching, you may wonder, “Can hormonal imbalance cause digestive problems?”

The answer is yes. Fluctuating hormones due to perimenopause can absolutely cause digestive problems.

Take burping for example.

Many perimenopausal women experience increased discomfort after eating. They may even experience an allergic reaction to certain foods and have trouble breathing afterward. Other times, eating is accompanied by excessive amounts of gas and belching.

And when I say burps, I mean a lot.

So much so that it can be difficult to control. All those burps can make dinners with friends embarrassing, to say the least …

Then what do you do?

Well, one option is to stop dining out with friends all together. Just avoid the situation entirely and save yourself the embarrassment.

But that’s not what I would recommend. After all, we need our friends and our community to stay healthy and sane. Many functional medicine professionals actually prescribe social contact to their sick patients because they understand the benefits it provides. This need for family and friends becomes more crucial than ever during a woman’s perimenopausal years.

A better solution to your digestive problems would be to get your diet and hormones back on track. You may even want to go on an elimination diet to see if you have any food sensitivities that are contributing to your digestive problems.

You’d be surprised how small changes to your diet can create a lasting transformation in your health. The same quality foods that you put into your body will work twice as long to not only aid your digestion, but also to help stabilize fluctuating hormones during the perimenopausal years.

So what kinds of foods are good for your hormones and your stomach?

A good diet to stimulate hormones is not as complicated as you might think. A whole food, plant-based diet rich in nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables is a good start.

But you don’t have to settle for eating salads all day. Healthy fats like butter, eggs, ghee, coconut, avocado, olive, and flax seed oils are great for your health. You can even enjoy delicious and rich nuts and nut butters.

Meats and fish are fine too as long as they are organic and not loaded with synthetic antibiotics and hormones. Try to eat some protein, plant-based or otherwise, at every meal.

So what foods should you avoid?

Almost anything packed in a box. Sugar is your enemy, just like processed foods in general. Cheap refined carbohydrates wreak havoc on your hormones, so stay away from them, too.

Sure, convenience foods make life easier, but you pay a price with your health.

Eating a whole foods diet may seem like more work at first, but you quickly get used to it. And the rewards of long-lasting, vibrant health and reduced digestive problems make the little effort worth it.