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[pixie]

Has anyone else noticed that consitipation has become an issue since being perimenopausal.  To put it crudely my bowel motions are like rabbit pellets! I eat at least five portions of fruit and veg a day, and drink a lot of fluids.  I am managing it with suppositories at the moment, but has anyone found a more natural way to shift it!  I think it must be hormones, because I used to be like this just before a period, and then when the period came, I went loose!  I'm going to try all bran, but it looks like something that belongs in the the rabbit hutch!  I usually try to walk at least 30 minutes a day, but find I don't have much time at work to go to the toilet.  I am going to drink lots of water today, to see if this will get rid!  Coffee has sometimes worked in the past but even that isn't doing the trick.

[Dyan]

Yes Pixie I have problems there too.
Like you I eat fruit,veg,whole meal/ seeded bread.
I drink 6-8 big glasses of water a day.
I never go regularly.
I did go to Doctors and was given something called menovac it worked but you can only take it for 2 wks and it's very unpleasant to take.
I have All bran crunch with prunes for breakfast which is much nicer than plain all bran.Kelloggs do it in caramel and chocolate flavours.

I think this meno has a lot to answer for.
Dyan X

[Bette]

Fybogel has sorted it for me too but I do need to eat a bowl of porridge and at least 2 slices of wholemeal bread a day too.
Bette x

[sweettooth]

Yes Pixie, i have this on and off, i too use lactulose occasionally, fybogel etc. I think hormones, stress etc can upset the bowel - arent we complicated?! good luck

[CLKD]

Fybogel    I find Actimel helps a lot.  When I don't drink 2-3 pots daily my bowels get very slow.  Rabbit pellets: yep mine comes out like that sometimes.  2 weeks ago I had a day eating only fruit, 2 days later I had to dash - I was in the bathroom around 3 hours all told  - not ill, having a 'good clear out'.  Since which my bowel has been really slow 

[Bette]

I tried the drinks and they did nothing for me.
Bette x

[paisley]

I range from constipation to really loose depending on where my anxiety level is on that particular day.

[Bette]

That sounds like IBS, paisley, which is what I've got, although I'm only like that when I have a bad flare-up. Have you read "Irritable Bowel Solutions" by Prof. John Hunter? Brilliant book.
Bette x

[pixie]

Thanks everyone for your really helpful suggestions.  I may get my thyroid levels checked Mrs P and no I'm not on any meds.  I do take paracetamol and ibuprofen sometimes, but it got worse last year when the hot flushes started, and I wonder if we can sometimes get mildly dehydrated which mean more water is reabsorbed from the the bowel, so yet more water and all bran.  I tried fybrogel in the past and it blew me out a bit! X

[2cats]

Yep I'm just as you described Pixie!  Having said that when I was on Femseven Sequi patches my bowel was much improved.  I've just changed to a pill HRT and my bowel has gone wrong again!
No suggestions other than what the others have written already.  Good luck

[CLKD]

HORMONES 

[pixie]

Would you believe I'm still passing rabbit pellets - sorry to be so crude!  I drank nearly 3 litres of fluid yesterday and nearly half a container of grapes and all bran and that was the outcome.  Anyway I thought sod it going to have a small glass of wine tonight.  Have also got some fibrogel and prunes.  Really feel like an old lady now. Apparently it can take up to a month before the extra high fibre diet kicks in.  Thing is constipation gives you such a headache.

[Bette]

I've got a great book - "Irritable Bowel Solutions" by Prof John Hunter - which explains the different types of laxatives and how to use/combine them (with dietary and lifestyle ideas too.) Well worth buying, even if you haven't actually got IBS.
Bette x

[Smokey]

I found I was suddenly constipated, and yes it was thyroid problems, I have found a good product called Dulcobalance you take two sachets mixed with water take in morning and rather than give you bad tummy ached and suddenly making you want to go which is really really painful it gradually softens your stools over a24/48 hrs period and no tummy ache and enables you to go really easily and is just soft.

I still find I'm constipated if I don't eat a lot of fruit and plenty of seeded bread warburtons is really nice. I still think my thyroid dose is too low at 25mgs as still tired and still get horse voice every now and then.

I also found out pixie that one HRT is started it can mess up your thyroid and it's recommended that it's checked after being on HRT for three months or so.

Hope you feel better soon.

[pixie]

Thanks Bette, I will have a look at the book. I've read a bit already and on part one of the Bristol scale!  Will give my new gut regime 70 hours to work and update then!
Smokey, thanks for your suggestions,  could be thyroid, no other symptoms of it and I'm not on HRT. X