Menstrual cycle can affect women's bowel problems
According to a study conducted at the University of Chicago, in Illinois, the menstrual cycle can affect bowel symptoms in women with inflammatory bowel disease or irritable bowel syndrome. Dr. Stephen B. Hanauer, who headed the study says, "We observed in our large clinical practice that many women were reporting changes in their symptoms or flare-ups of their inflammatory bowel disease correlating with their menstrual cycle."
Dr. Hanauer and colleagues interviewed 49 women with ulcerative colitis, 49 with Crohn's disease, 46 with irritable bowel syndrome, and 90 healthy women without bowel problems. The symptoms of such disorders range from abdominal pain and diarrhea under stress to more severe bowel inflammation that can cause fever, anorexia, frequent hospitalization and the need for surgical removal of a portion of the intestine.
The researchers found that 93% of women reported one or more of 18 premenstrual symptoms, including irritability, depression and weight gain, and those with bowel disease reported premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and menstrual symptoms "more frequently" than other women. Those with irritable bowel syndrome and irritable bowel disease reported more diarrhea, either before or at the time of menstruation. And women with bowel disease were significantly more likely to have a monthly pattern to their bowel symptoms than controls.
Dr. Hanauer says treatment can help such cyclic variation in symptoms. "In many cases, either changing the cycle with oral contraceptives, or ablating the cycle with progesterone or leuprolide acetate (Lupron) can improve cyclic-related flare-ups," he said.
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