kateandlisaHow Can You Stop Stomach Upset Around Ovulation?
Do you experience stomach upset around ovulation and the week before/during my period? Does your stomach return to normal during the first part of your cycle? Do certain food trigger this? What can be done?
Your hormone fluctuations throughout the month can affect your gut. 
Changes around ovulation are usually related to the release of progesterone, which has a lot of benefits but can also slow things down in your digestive tract which can result in stomach aches or constipation.
How natural hormone fluctuation throughout the month can affect your stomach and gut issues:
- Your cycle day 1 is the first day of your period (full bleed, not spotting). Before your period inflammatory compounds called prostaglandins are released to help shed the uterine lining. Prostaglandins can affect your GI tract muscles since your uterus is nearby. This contraction can result in looser stools or even diarrhea on/around your period.
- After your period your estrogen levels start to rise. You may experience more regular bowel movements during this phase since prostaglandins aren’t on the rise and progesterone hasn’t kicked in yet. Typically you feel pretty good during the follicular phase with the rise in estrogen and increasing energy levels.
- Even though you may feel pretty good around ovulation – estrogen peaks, energy is up, right after you ovulate your corpus luteum starts releasing progesterone While progesterone is needed for healthy fertility, it also has anti-anxiety benefits due to its connect with GABA (your natural relaxation mood chemical). But this can also have some relaxing effects on the GI tract muscles and slow things down resulting in some mid-cycle constipation.
- In the second half of your luteal phase your estrogen and progesterone start to drop and this can provide some constipation relief. As you approach your next period prostaglandins are released again and the cycle goes on.
Symptoms of poor gut health include:
- Indigestion
- Heartburn
- Stomach pain or cramping
- Bloating
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
How poor gut health can affect hormones:
- Low stomach acid: adequate stomach acid is needed for breaking down and absorbing nutrients, protecting against gut infections, and prevent overgrowth bacteria. Low levels can affect nutrient absorption needed for healthy hormone production.
- Constipation: estrogen leaves through your poop. Not pooping at least once per day? Estrogen isn’t leaving and can recirculate and result in possible estrogen dominance. Can also be a sign of low thyroid function.
- Dysbiosis: an imbalance in bacteria in the gut – this can affect nutrient absorption and be an internal source of stress/inflammation. Any sort of stress has the potential to impair ovulation.
- Inflammation: can be due to gut infections, certain medications, inflammatory foods, excess sugar and this can also be an internal source of stress.
- Gut pathogens: we don’t want these! Can result in gut symptoms mentioned, affect healthy digestion, and be an internal source of stress.
- Intestinal permeability: often you’ll hear ‘leaky gut’ – which can impair nutrient absorption, result in food sensitivities, and be a source of inflammation.
Ready to uncover your hormone imbalances and gut issues? Let’s chat!
Little things you can do to help your gut:
- Incorporate probiotic-containing foods
- Digestive bitters before meals
- Lowering caffeine
- Cooking your veggies (versus raw)
- Ginger and turmeric
- Aloe very juice
- Bone broth and collagen
- Mindful movement – yoga can help!
- Vagus nerve stimulation (mind-body signaling nerve) – deep breathing, meditation, humming, cold shower
Let’s uncover what’s happening with you! Hormone and gut health testing along with one on one coaching can help! Set up a discovery call and we can start to unravel issues and concerns and get your hormones back into balance! Set up your call here!
I look forward to chatting with you.
