Unbeknownst to most women, their toilet habits change during their menstrual period. An unexpected diarrhea or constipation affects the body as if it wants to add spice to the pain.
So what happens during menstruation that causes our intestines to cause diarrhea or constipation?
The basis of this problem is that menstrual hormones affect the muscles in the intestines close to the uterus, thus making bowel movements faster.
The body begins to secrete hormones called prostaglandins just before the menstrual period. These hormones stimulate the smooth muscles in the uterus, causing contractions, and that’s when unbearable pains begin for some of us.
In addition to pain and cramps, these contractions also bring about some changes in the uterine lining. If the body produces more prostaglandin than needed, this hormone enters the blood circulation.
Affecting blood circulation also causes changes in bowel movements. That’s when constipation and diarrhea become inevitable.
The prostaglandin hormone, which is responsible for this condition called menstrual stool, so to speak, sometimes causes constipation by causing food to move slower in the intestines, and sometimes causes diarrhea by causing faster movements.
In fact, the manifestation of this hormone in the intestines may begin a few days before menstruation. While headache, waist and groin pain are common during menstruation, it is also natural for the stool to take on various forms.
On the other hand, another hormone that plays a role in our body during menstruation and affects our intestines is progesterone.
Progesterone, like prostaglandin, causes various effects in our intestines. However, progesterone can cause diarrhea or constipation between menstrual cycles rather than during the menstrual cycle.
Essentially, this hormone is responsible for the thickening and growth of the uterine walls. It reaches its peak just before ovulation, but its effect usually shows before or after menstruation.
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