Constipation in menopause: what to do?

For every man who suffers from constipation there are at least three women with the same problem. Is it also the fault of hormonal variations? Yes, it is no coincidence that when you are in menopause it is not uncommon to have intestinal irregularities.

With the last menstrual cycle, every woman undergoes important changes in the hormonal structure, with repercussions also on the mechanisms that regulate the intestine.

But beware: hormones are not the only ones to be put in the dock. Equally culprit are lifestyles that are not always healthy for intestinal regularity.

Especially the unregulated diet or too rich in fats and sugars, the lack of dietary fiber, a sedentary lifestyle, haste and stress.

In the morning, very calmly

Haste is an insidious enemy of good intestinal functioning. In a hurry, the urge to go to the bathroom is often not listened to. So the stool becomes dehydrated becoming harder and harder to evacuate.

It is therefore useful to take the right time to support (or rediscover) the physiological rhythm. Getting up half an hour earlier to do everything calmly.

And if the morning is a time when everything rages and stress is king, you can also get used to taking advantage of the stimulus that appears after meals.

At the table with fibers

In addition to slowing down the hectic pace, we take care of what we put on our plate. The diet must be rich in fiber, without exaggerating with bran and similar that could, if too many, create constipation.

So make way for bread, pasta and whole grains (two / three times a week), but especially fruit and vegetables: every day five / six beautiful portions between one and the other.

Not missing the two ideal allies for menopausal women: plums and almonds. Both have laxative properties, with some more “assets”. Let’s see what their properties are:

Enzymes, olive oil and lots of water

Do not miss yogurt and other foods rich in lactic ferments, which help to keep healthy not only the bones, but also the intestinal bacterial flora, important for regularity.

And to season use only raw olive oil, which has a positive effect on intestinal function. Remember to drink plenty of natural water, at least 1.5/2 liters a day, especially between meals, which should be consumed at regular intervals and without haste.

Movement and abdominals

A sedentary lifestyle also makes the intestines lazy. It is therefore essential physical activity, commensurate with age to one’s degree of training.

It is important to dedicate some exercise to maintaining the tone of the abdominal muscles and those of the pelvic floor, essential for defecation. Their weakness, common in menopausal women, predisposes to constipation.

Green disc for plants

If the intestine is very capricious, before resorting to medication you can take other small tricks.

Such as drinking an herbal tea in the mid-afternoon and one in the evening before bedtime made with plants rich in mucilage, such as Mallow or Altea.

Psyllium or flax seeds and glucomannan also soften the fecal mass and accelerate its transit in a gentle way.

Finally, you can turn to fiber supplements, if the intake with the diet is not sufficient. Always paying attention to the doses, so as not to run into problems with the absorption of some nutrients such as calcium, but also selenium, iron and zinc.

Medication as needed

Use laxative drugs, however, only occasionally, when all previous measures have had no effect, and only to regain a certain regularity.

Remedies that stimulate the contractions of the colon muscles favoring its emptying are very effective, but must be used for no more than one or two weeks, and not every day.

The habit of laxatives, especially anthraquinones, leads to the appearance of colic irritation and hypotonia of intestinal smooth muscle, thus worsening constipation.