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[dangermouse]

I always wondered why taking a laxative to help my deathly slow transit last year would make the anxiety I had felt all day vanish within an hour or so. (Back them I had assumed my mood issues had been solely linked to my digestive issues).

Have since read that if oestrogen sits in the bowel for too long it gets reabsorbed and elevates levels higher than they should be. I suspect it also interferes with HRT regimes by making it build up rather than it flowing seemlessly through the body.

I added flaxseed to my food yesterday and last night I felt my mood really lift and have woken today feeling better than have in a long time.

Just thought this might be helpful to others.

[Kate50]

Have always focused on keeping the bowel moving having read many years ago about the problems that happen if you dont. I had taken anti biotics at the time for pleurisy and they completely messed it up.  So always take psyllium husk pro biotic etc and occasional colonics when needed.  I have found the recent slowing down of transit since menopause much more difficult to manage though.

[babyjane]

I use Linwoods milled seeds on my porridge and a probiotic (acidophilus) capsule every morning. I always found that oestrogen blips would affect my bowels.  Now I am post meno with less oestrogen I have less trouble but occasionally have a day or two of slow transit.

I have recently started a low dose SSRI and my bowels have been easier that I have ever known.  I can only presume it is because serotonin is produced in the gut and if the levels are higher the bowel is happier.

[dangermouse]

Yes as much as the pill and bio identicals have all helped enormously with my symptoms, nothing has replicated that feeling of going from high anxiety to completely chilled out when there is an unclogging of the bowels! (Small bowel in my case).

I actually had the opposite effect with Amoxicillin speeding up my transit and probiotics clogging it up, but gastro who did the transit study thought I may have had SIBO going on (hormones of course were never mentioned!). That has all improved since going on the pill but the flaxseeds gave me a much stronger shift and will be good for metabolising the artificial pill hormones more completely  too as I'm not having any breaks.

[dangermouse]

A lot of the drugs for slow transit are made from serotonin so that makes sense and is possibly another reason why SSRIs can indirectly help with hormone probs.

I did feel great about 18 months ago when I did a course of Oxy Powder (the magnesium not the clothes stuff!) but, as always with mag, I eventually found it imbalanced me too much so had to stop.

[dahliagirl]

I'm not sure about oestrogen, but progesterone definitely slows down transit, by relaxing the smooth muscle and reducing peristalsis (the wave of muscular contractions that move through the intestines).  That is why a lot of people have problems during pregnancy.

Plenty of soluble fibre (oats, beans and vegetables) and plenty fluids are supposed to be the thing.  I have had no response whatever from flax seed in my porridge and the only thing that works for me is a daily kiwi fruit or movicol.

There are lots of advantages to keeping it all moving,  including avoiding prolapse 

[scriv]

My family recommend Fybogel which you can buy in a pharmacy.  It is a natural bulking agent and helps move things along gently but effectively I am told.

[babyjane]

Fybogel is good but it gives me terrible wind and bloating.

[CLKD]

Fybogel    the packets I had went into the compost heap 

[Sooby]

What an interesting post Dangermouse.....?


        I have a somewhat sluggish bowel and what ever I try becomes ineffective eventually but will give the seeds a try. Think I read somewhere that mag needs to be balanced with potassium so perhaps a combined supplement could work...?

[CLKD]

I do remember that when having regular periods, 10 mins. B4 the bleed began I would have to dash to the loo with 'the runs'. I couldn't travel anywhere around 'that time' 

[dangermouse]

Oh I've tried every vitamin and mineral supplement that I think the Nutricentre stock! I'm just very sensitive to them all, even the tiny amounts that Larry Wilson's programme sells. I also bloat up like the michelin man on Vitamin D?! Not sure if its my dodgy hormone profile or the way I absorb them (although tried all the transdermal minerals too) but am just sticking with healthy foods now. To be fair, even they can make me feel bad, particularly if I overdo veg and ultra healthy stuff, so reckon its some kind of phytoestrogen link. I know flax also falls under this so will make sure I don't overdo it!

Fibergel is psyllium husk (plus that key ingredient, aspartame ) which can work well for some.

I think it is true about high progesterone causing constipation, hence it being worse in the second half of cycle for most, but seems to be all month if having strong peri surges.

[Noodle]

I'm not sure about oestrogen, but progesterone definitely slows down transit, by relaxing the smooth muscle and reducing peristalsis (the wave of muscular contractions that move through the intestines).

I'd like to say that I don't necessarily agree that this is true for everyone.  I've also always had a sluggish bowel but found that when I was on the mini pill Cerazette, which is just progestegen (desogestrel) my digestive system became very regular and reliable. I wish they had this in HRT recipes, but they don't.

[dangermouse]

Yes on reading more (incl. Dr Ray Peats anti oestrogen forum), there has been an assumption that progesterone is responsible for slow transit as this commonly occurs in the luteal phase. However, there are many docs who write about the importance of the oesrogen-progesterone ratio in the luteal phase and when oestrogen is too high it interferes with the ratio causing classic PMT including constipation. Adding prog in this case would then make sense.

It's so confusing though when well respected doctors completely disagree about whether it's oestrogen or progesterone that protects the heart and is key for post menopause. Peat has many post meno women on the forum who have tried and failed, and turned their backs on oestrogen replacement and are doing well with progesterone only (mainly the Progest-E drops) which has stopped their flushes etc. Just to add, he does say that progesterone supplementation will likely make you feel much worse initially as he believes menopausal women have lots of oestrogen stuck in the deep tissues and the prog therapy will drag this out into the bloodstream at first.

I guess we just all have to try things for ourselves and make the judgement because there seems to be well documented evidence for both.

[Kathleen]

Hello dangermouse.

 A healthy diet is a good thing at any age and  I am always on the look out for ways to make improvements.

I have also started using flaxseed\linseed but I grind the seeds first so that I can absorb all that wonderful goodness instead the little devils just passing straight through me lol.

Wishing you well.

K.