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Experiencing Bowel Discomfort. Test Results Show Drop In Hormone Levels. Caused By Menopause And Hormones?
Question: Hi! I´m a 51 year-old female experiencing bowel discomfort lately. X-rays, blood tests and sonograms show no signs of liver, gallbladder, ovarian and bowel problems, but an abrupt drop in hormone levels. I have been having frequent bowel movements only in the mornings made much worse by stress. Could this be all caused by menopause and hormones (or lack thereof) messing up with nervous and gut control?
Hello!
Thank you for the query.
What do you mean by bowel discomfort? Is there any abdominal pain? Where is it located? Does it radiate to the back? Is it triggered by a meal? Do you have any diarrhea, constipation, blood in stool, weight loss?
It is very common that when all tests are negative and abdominal pain is located in the upper middle abdomen, peptic ulcer is the reason. It can not be seen in X-rays or ultrasound, does not cause any changes in the blood work. The only test which can diagnose it is gastroscopy.
Moreover peptic ulcer can be caused by stress. Stress increases stomach acid secretion. And so is coffee, fatty foods, spicy foods, alcohol.
I suggest you to have this one more test - gastroscopy. Only after this test you can blame hormones or stress.
In a meanwhile please avoid fatty foods, spicy foods, alcohol and coffee.
Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.
Thank you for the query.
What do you mean by bowel discomfort? Is there any abdominal pain? Where is it located? Does it radiate to the back? Is it triggered by a meal? Do you have any diarrhea, constipation, blood in stool, weight loss?
It is very common that when all tests are negative and abdominal pain is located in the upper middle abdomen, peptic ulcer is the reason. It can not be seen in X-rays or ultrasound, does not cause any changes in the blood work. The only test which can diagnose it is gastroscopy.
Moreover peptic ulcer can be caused by stress. Stress increases stomach acid secretion. And so is coffee, fatty foods, spicy foods, alcohol.
I suggest you to have this one more test - gastroscopy. Only after this test you can blame hormones or stress.
In a meanwhile please avoid fatty foods, spicy foods, alcohol and coffee.
Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
I have been experiencing frequent bowel movements without an urge to open the bowels, just preasure in my pelvic area. I also feel pain and pressure as if something inside were not ´in place´but that feeling comes and goes. I have no vomiting or pain in my stomach area and the frequent bms don´t seem to be related to any specific type of food. My appetite has lessen a bit too so I have lost some weight, about 7 pounds in seven weeks.
OK, so it does not sound like a stomach disease.
Such symptoms are more characteristic for large intestine diseases. Especially that you are over the age of 50. You need to know that over the 50, the risk of colon cancer significantly rises. That is why, such symptoms should be always checked with large intestine condition. Weight loss is very neglecting symptom.
Stress has a great impact to bowels and it can be also the reason of your symptoms. Due to stress, regular bowel movements can be impeded resulting with diarrhea or constipation. So this is also possible. Such condition is called IBS.
Chronic bowels infection can also give such symptoms (IBS can be caused by chronic bowels infection).
I suggest you to:
- visit your doctor and have colonoscopy done (every person older than 50 should have this test every 10 years); if the doctor wont make this test, please have at least FOBT (fecal occult blood test)
- make stool culture test to establish if there is any chronic infection; discuss Rifaximine treatment with your doctor
- start Magnesium 400 mg/24 hours supplementation
- avoid coffee (very important), alcohol, fatty foods,
- increase fiber XXXXXXX products and mineral water intake
Hope this will help.
Regards.
Such symptoms are more characteristic for large intestine diseases. Especially that you are over the age of 50. You need to know that over the 50, the risk of colon cancer significantly rises. That is why, such symptoms should be always checked with large intestine condition. Weight loss is very neglecting symptom.
Stress has a great impact to bowels and it can be also the reason of your symptoms. Due to stress, regular bowel movements can be impeded resulting with diarrhea or constipation. So this is also possible. Such condition is called IBS.
Chronic bowels infection can also give such symptoms (IBS can be caused by chronic bowels infection).
I suggest you to:
- visit your doctor and have colonoscopy done (every person older than 50 should have this test every 10 years); if the doctor wont make this test, please have at least FOBT (fecal occult blood test)
- make stool culture test to establish if there is any chronic infection; discuss Rifaximine treatment with your doctor
- start Magnesium 400 mg/24 hours supplementation
- avoid coffee (very important), alcohol, fatty foods,
- increase fiber XXXXXXX products and mineral water intake
Hope this will help.
Regards.
Note: For further follow up on digestive issues share your reports here and Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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