Hormonal constipation

[Prunemaster]

The last time I had constipation was when I'd just had dc2, was bf and on mini pill.

It is back. But this time with a stage 1 posterior prolapse, so I need to be careful with pooing. Which has never been a problem before.

How can I stop it? My diet, which used to keep me regular, hasn't changed, so I'm thinking it must be peri related ( I'm 46).

Diet currently similar to this:
Veggie Chilli/ curry/ veggie spag bol. All the beans.
Salmon/tuna steak/ veg/ couscous
Lunch: oat cakes+ some kind of topping.
Breakfast: greek yog + coffee
Water. The odd apple, but it's been winter so not so much.

Run twice a week. Gym twice a week.

What am I doing wrong? Is it time for hrt?
Tried prunes yesterday. I don't like them😁

I have found drinking lots of water the most helpful thing to do.

Flax seeds on your greek yoghurt and make sure you’re getting 5 a day of fruit and veg.

I do that already!
Usually hit 5 fruit and veg, not so much at weekends. That's the frustrating thing. I never used to have a problem.

Went for a run today, up and down hills and everything, felt things start to move. Even wondered if I'd make it home. Got home and.... nothing.

Sorry OP, can't add anything constructive. Just wanted to say I can sympathise greatly.
I'm on HRT and my constipation and bloating is probably the worst it's ever been. My diet is good, loads of fruit & veg, kefir, flaxseed, prune juice, lots of water. I'm just completely fucked off now and fed up looking 5 months pregnant. Only good thing is that my heavy, 6 week long periods have stopped. Other than that I can't say I'm any happier. And at least when I was bleeding I would occasionally manage a no2!

Laxido from gp seems to help me. I have a healthy diet and lifestyle and was always regular. I was in terrible pain. While this was being investigated it was discovered I have a thyroid problem. Not sure if this is the cause but very likely. I have laxido before going to bed and now never eat bread which I loved

Bugger. I keep wondering whether hrt will save me.

*Brightredtulips *that'swhat they've given me. Took one last night and nothing yet. Wish I didn't have to dissolve it in liquid. I'm doing it in cranberry juice, but it still makes me gag.

Are you drinking enough? It doesn't matter if it's tea/ coffee/ water - but try to drink 2 litres a day- use a measuring jug to count if you aren't sure.

Have you estimated your fibre intake? Recommended minimum daily amount is 30gms (there are loads of charts online where you can work it out.)

Looking at your typical day in your post, fruit doesn't seem to figure much.

'5 a day ' is the minimum - can you eat 3 pieces of fruit? (apple, banana, citrus, berries, tinned fruit like pears or apricots?) And 3-4 veg- some at lunch and dinner.

Lunch - Salad with- for example - a mix of grated carrot, coleslaw, avocado, leaves, beetroot, tomatoes, sweet peppers, etc and veg with your main meal?

Plus wholegrains- at least 2 portions of either wholegrain rice, bread, pasta .

Nuts?

I have Greek yoghurt for breakfast but I also add a handful of blueberries or cherries (frozen), half a banana, mixed seeds, and sometimes a dollop of almond butter.

What you posted looks healthy but it doesn't look as if you're getting enough fibre.

Eat more veg, especially green, leafy veg. Drink more water - if you're eating more fibre you need more water too. Have a strong coffee when you get up in the morning.

5 portions of fruit and veg is a minimum (and it's not the same guidelines universally) so if you're not getting 5 portions at the weekend then you're very likely not getting enough fibre and nutrients.

On hrt, the progesterone makes me terribly constipated. I don’t like prunes either, but I eat a lot of them, every day, and it helps.

I have coffee before work, then another when I'm there.
2 cups of green tea, then a litre of water through the day. I talk a lot, so I need it.
I could def up the fruit. I don't eat enough in the winter.

Dh is good at putting leafy veg in stuff. Annoyingly, his bowels work a treat on the same diet. I only get 30 minutes for lunch, so it has to be quick and something that can be bolted if something comes up and I have less time. I'm better at taking salads in the warmer months though.

Definitely up the fruit. You can get frozen berries etc that are ok if you add them to yogurt etc.

Dried fruit like figs, apricots and prunes are very high fibre.

How about taking a flask of soup to work? There are plenty of 'healthy' ones around- with lentils or veg (like peas, beans etc.)

Or something like hummus pot and carrot sticks?

Frozen fruit and veg tend to have a higher nutrient content than fresh, unless you've picked them from your garden, because they are processed and frozen quickly after harvesting.

I often have veg with chicken pieces for lunch and add a bit of olive oil and vinegar to make a salad - we have a microwave at work so it's two minutes to cook the veg.

Also drink more water than you are doing - a glass of water before your first coffee, etc. More water and more veg keep things moving. Eat whole grain version of bread, rice, pasta. Potatoes with the skins on, etc.

Definitely more water. You're not drinking enough imo

Now figs I like. And regularly have on yoghurt for breakfast.
I thought 1l + 2 x tea and 2x coffee would see me through, but I'll make it a challenge. I know some of the women in work compete.

I also know more why in my 20s, when I was starving all the time, the older women (like me now!) Were always eating tubs of salad for lunch and apparently not starving to death.

I'd aim for 2.5 litres of just water. Plus other drinks. Seems a lot but once you get used to it, its not so bad!

Hi OP. I have a stage 3 posterior prolapse and it's a decking nightmare and I obsess over my poo everyday.

I drink 6-8 pints of water plus tea and coffee. You should definitely head for 6 pints at least during the day.

I down two pints before I do the school run/commute and then two pints before lunch, one in the afternoon and one when I'm home from work. I keep a pint glass on my desk.

Things that work for me - lots of nuts, but v calorific so go easy.
Tons of fruit. I love it so can eat two massive navel oranges, a banana, an apple, berries on my breakfast every day.
Cooked carrots. Oddly this really helps me.
I make my own pickled red onions in live apple cider vinegar and add them to my salad at lunch.
Avocado is very high in fibre.
Also I am obsessed with 90% dark chocolafe from Waitrose which has an unexpectedly high fibre content.

For me, the kiwi thing that people talk about doesnt make much difference, neither do dates or prunes.

I've had surgery this week and so am using lactulose but it causes more problems than it solves I think.

Those orange drinks are rank. If things get too bad, get a suppository from the chemist and some latex gloves and get things happening from the other end.

Is just the weirdest thing. One cup of coffee in the morning and about an hour later, I'd have to go. It was like magic. Same with apples. I couldn't go for a run within an hour of drinking coffee. That's what's really thrown me. How has my body become immune to its triggers?

Maybe I need a big night out, so I can get the alcohol poo the next day.

ilovelowry you're where I'm apparently going to be in 5 years. Hope your surgery went well.

Thank you 😊

You can reverse a grade one surely with kegels?
I would sincerely advise you to only go ahead with surgery if your life is poorer without it.

Mine failed within a few months. My surgery this week was to remove scar tissue.🤢

I wish I could poo after a coffee too! That would make my life so much easier!!

I just saw this and thought of you!

vm.tiktok.com/ZNd1wKPaw/

I didn't know fresh ginger is laxative!

@Prunemaster This doesn't have to be linked to hormones.

I'm sure you know that any change in bowel habits that lasts longer than 3 weeks should be mentioned to your GP. A FIT (stool sample) is the first thing.
They're going to be given to over-50s routinely, as screening, as the age has been brought forward from 54.

If your bowels don't respond to the helpful advice here, do see your GP just to be sure all's okay.

I am 45 and it has got progressively worse for me since turning 40. My GP said hormonal changes can be responsible- I have a healthy diet and lifestyle and nothing I was doing was helping. I now am prescribed Movicol and thus has made a huge difference to how I feel.

I did pilates/ pelvic floor exercises for 20 years. Nurse basically said there's no point at my age cos everything's too weak/ thin/lost elasticity.

I think part of all this is absolute outrage that there's anything wrong with me. I don't even get colds. How dare my body start to weaken?

Dr didn't seem unduly worried by my change in bowl habits. But I will go back if it continues.
Sache 3 of orange powdery shit and nada.

We can keep people living in space. IN SPACE. But we can't make nice laxatives.

What else is out there?
Crab apples and cooking chocolate?
Wrap of wizz from your boyfriend's mate's brother who swears it's not cut with anything? Mushrooms from up the mountain in red wine? 😄

If you are really blocked up you can use Dulcolax but this isn't a long term option. Causes horrible cramping sometimes, which can be awful but works for me and clears me out. Usually kicks in around 6 hours after taking. I always have a box in. I also now take orange Fybogel daily. Started off with 2 sachets daily for around 3 months then dropped to 1. It works for me as like you as soon as I was half way through my tea in a morning I needed to go. It takes time to kick in but being consistent with it worked for me.

Hi, you are using estradial cream yes?

I was 44 and went to a pelvic physio because I was leaking. She told me I had prolapses and sent me to GP. GP gave me estradial cream and gynae has me using it daily.

If you aren't on it and want to PM I can tell you more. You have my sympathies as I now haven't been since Thursday but I have the added pain that my scar splits every time the prolpase protrudes if I try to poo 😱😭

*estriol cream. Too early I'd just woken up. 🤦🏼‍♀️