Why do I get diarrhoea on my period?
Ever noticed that when you’re on your period your poo changes? Do you find things have gone a bit ‘looser’?
Well, it's not because you’ve had a dodgy dinner, and it's not just you! Period poo is a real thing.
The exact link between your period and diarrhoea isn’t known yet, but it's generally thought to be because of hormone changes just before your period. Your body will see increased levels of prostaglandins and a drop in progesterone.
How hormones affect your poo
But why would these hormones affect your digestion? Well, when the hormone prostaglandin is released in the womb during your period, it starts to cause contractions (aka, cramps!). The contractions help get the womb lining out of your body, causing bleeding - this is your period.
These useful prostaglandins have the same contracting effect on the smooth muscle of your bowel. And this increased activity in the bowel feels to us like the urge to poo more often. It can make your poo more runny too. With so much activity in your bowel, your body does not have the time it needs to reabsorb the water from your poo - which is what usually happens to create a healthy stool.
Then the falling levels of progesterone can cause symptoms in your tummy and digestive system. This could include diarrhoea, but also could be bloating, constipation, nausea and pain.
Other causes
There’s other things going on during your period that can add to your chances of diarrhoea. Feeling more stressed and anxious, for example, can cause changes in your bowel. And the cravings we get during menstruation do not help us out either. If you’re changing your diet at that time of the month, eating more sugary food or fattier or spicier food than usual, then this can also cause changes to your regular poo.
What can help
Although it’s totally normal that you get diarrhoea on your period, and it will go away after a few days, we don’t always want to deal with it. You can reduce the effects of upset stomach and diarrhoea by:
avoiding artificial sweeteners, fried food, and any food that’s more sugary, fatty or spicy
drinking less caffeine
drinking plenty of water and replacing your electrolytes with rehydration sachets
eating foods rich in soluble fibre which bulks your poo (such as oats and apples)
in some cases, you might need to take a diarrhoea relief tablet
If you are experiencing severe, frequent or persistent diarrhoea, or you have other symptoms such a fever or bloody stools, speak to your GP or call NHS 111 for advice.
