Sick to death of my awful bowels. Ruining my life.

[Rhetorical]

Morning all, I’m 52 and suffered from what the doctor has said is IBS since I was about 46, things went awry around the time my hormones probably started fluctuating. Here we are 6 years later and I’m still menstruating, still having horrible bowel issues.

When I was about 49/50 I visited the GP and she suggested HRT, even though I was still menstruating as I was having some other menopausal symptoms. I started on a low dose, one pump of gel and a progesterone tablet. After a week I felt so anxious, wired, jittery I stopped. I tried again and same thing happened. I also had diarrhoea at times, worse around ovulation.

I’ve tried on and off for two years to persevere but usually give up the oestrogen after a week, I feel rotten on it. I have kept taking the progesterone daily though as that seems to help me feel calm and has no negative effect on my stomach. As time has gone on the meno symptoms (fatigue, brain fog) have got worse and I’m think surely I need oestrogen by now.
I asked for low dose patches to hopefully deliver a steady dose. GP agreed and last week I started on a 25mg patch. First 3 days i slept well, no adverse effect, I really thought I’d cracked it. Fresh patch on yesterday morning and within an hour I could feel my lower stomach start bloating. It felt like I was being inflated with a pump! Went out to dinner with my husband last night and within 30 minutes I had the most awful pains and really bad diarrhoea, the pain is very low just above my pubic bone and feels like period pain but deeper. When I feel that I just have seconds to get to the loo and it’s full of yellow bile. It usually happens after a meal.

I ripped the patch off in frustration and went to sleep with a very sore lower stomach. Woken this morning after a poor night sleep feeling like I’ve been in a car crash, so much pain all over in my joints. My stomach feels like it’s been kicked and it’s gurgling and gassy.

I’m at a loss, I’m convinced my IBS is hormonal, I can’t cope with extra oestrogen but at the same time I need it for my other symptoms.

Any ideas please?

Bile in stools is a sign of liver disease/failure. Cirrhosis or some time of liver failure or liver disease at the least (long story how I know). Do you drink much alcohol?

You definitely need a colonoscopy. Im surprised you were diagnosed with IBS without one. I similar symptoms several years ago and was found to have microscopic colitis after a biopsy. Some initial medication, low fodmap diet( which took much longer than 8 weeks) and symprove probiotic for months did help me back to “ normal” but it took at least 18 months before i could go back to eating gluten, onions and garlic and I still have to be careful with dairy and some fruits, veg. Please ask for a colonoscopy and a referral to a gastroenterologist.

Your symptoms, especially the yellow bile and urgency after eating, sound like mine. I was diagnosed with bile acid malabsorption after many years of suffering. Mine came on after having my gallbladder removed. It is diagnosed with a Sehcat test. These are expensive, so GP may be reluctant to suggest. I eventually had mine privately.
Im now on medication which works well and has given me back my life. I can go out after eating without worrying.
Please have a look at this on the Guts Uk website. Lots of information there on many stomach issues.

How much did the test cost privately.

@IloveeverycatIm really sorry but I cannot recall. I was able to use DH’s work health insurance and it was several years ago.

i had continual trots until i cut out fruit veg and fizzy drinks (full fat ones now usually contain artificial sweeteners which make me go).

if you cut out carbs like people are suggesting then you need to fill up in somwthimg else. but what??!! if fruit and veg itll be worse. so i’d swap to oat based carbs, oatcakes, porridge etc. and cut back fruit/veg.

the yellow poo isn’t right though. you need that checked.

So many people get fobbed off with 'IBS' and never get properly diagnosed. In your own words, this is starting to ruin your life so go back to your GP and request for tests to look at other potential causes such as IBD or coeliac etc. My husband is suffering with similar symptoms and he was fobbed off for years as having IBS, tried all the FODMAP diet etc and nothing helped.

He finally had tests and a colonoscopy last year that show inflammation, so he doesn't have IBS, but yet to establish the cause!

@Catwoman8 had my colonoscopy last month as my tests showed inflammation and blood. Did a four day low soluble fibre diet, living off eggs, black coffee, cheddar cheese and white bread. Did the liquid prep. By the colonoscopy there was no inflammation.
Doc told me I was probably intolerant to dairy and wheat. But I was absolutely fine on the low soluble fibre diet.
Adding food back in now. So far have discovered, digestive biscuits, the skin off jacket potato's and most definitely milk cause issues.
This has been my most normal week -gutwise - in 6 months. Long way to go yet but I'll be mighty cross if all my issues over the last 18 years or so have been down to drinking milk.

I’ve got CMPA and it definitely caused me similar issues until I went completely DF. It can be a pain at times but anywhere you eat out now has to declare allergens do thibgs are a lot easier. Also read up on “accidental vegan” foods. Lots of foods you probably had t thought of are actually DF.

The Allergy board on MN can be useful too

Doesn’t seem like the OP wants to answer this one.

@SleafordSods trying to stay with things with less than 5% milk, hence cheddar is fine. I'm amazed at the things I can eat with no issues as opposed to the all encompassing ' go dairy free'. I'm also realising the only way I can swing this properly is to go processed food free.
Off to Google CMPA.
Nice to see a lincolnshire name by the way!

I had proper allergy testing many years ago wheb the NHS still did skin prick tests. A couple of the things I’m allergic to are used regularly in processed foods so we do a lot of home cooking. Your tastebuds do change fairly quickly though and I know don’t really like a lot of processed foods.

You might want to stop all dairy fkr at least 2 weeks. This will give your gut a chance to heal but it will also make you more aware of how you feel when dairy is reintroduced. Right now you probably think hiw you feel after consuming dairy is normal for you

Sorry, I missed this. I don’t drink apart from a few proseccos on Christmas Day. Definitely not alcohol linked.

I suspect gluten and high fat dairy. Around the time of my original post I’d switched bread, away from my usual sourdough to a seeded batch. This went through me like a dose of salts, I know it was that as the seeds were coming out too.

I stopped bread altogether at breakfast and switched to scrambled egg which helped the following morning, I didnt have the usual urgent loo 3 or 4 times.

Also, this latest dreadful couple of day coincided with the run up to my period. Period has now started and I’ve been better.

I need to start to keep a food / menstrual cycles diary, see if I can narrow things down.

Not sure if this will be helpful, but I've had IBS (D) for years, which got worse as I went through the menopause. I have coeliac and secondary lactase deficiency so am gluten and lactose free. I also had my gallbladder out about 10 years ago.

My IBS got so bad that in recent years I couldn't go on anything other than short walks, unless I knew where a toilet was - any trip out was tricky etc. It was awful.

Last year I started on Mounjaro, for weight loss and within the first week, the IBS completely disappeared and a year later I am still free of it - it's incredible to have freedom again! It obviously wasn't the weight loss, as it changed within the first week. Mounjaro slows digestion and I think has also helped with inflammation my body, as my chronic plantar fasciitis also disappeared within the first week - truly life changing.

So, I have no idea if you are overweight, but if weight is also an issue and you have been wondering about Mounjaro, it may also have a positive effect on your IBS. Apologies though if weight isn't a problem and this isn't relevant!

I think I mentioned earlier that it is worth trying to talk to a specialist. I know of this dietician as one of my family consulted her. She's one of the best in the UK www.wisediet.co.uk and has won numerous awards.

If you want to try an elimination diet, it's better to do it with professional support.

ZOMG!! That’s amazing!! You can cure crippling gastric issues with positive mental
attirude!! And, you know we all have the same 24 hours a day!!

Whilst anxiety/cortisol can impact on digestion, it’s incredibly dismissive to tell someone who clearly has menopausal and dietary stuff going on that they can just ‘think themselves better’

Hey no need to be rude. I was trying to help OP. Being perimenpausal and having had crippling gastro issues for 30 years I think I'm qualified to share what worked for me. Particularly as I've tried most of the other suggestions on this thread and this is what finally worked!

If you don't want to look into it, scroll on. Maybe my suggestion will help someone.

The brain-gut connection is well established, so the psychological approach should never be dismissed.

If you suspect dairy I woukd cut it out alright for at least 2 weeks and see how you feel after having a complete break from it.

Hello, you've had loads of advice already. So I'll keep mine short. I have had ulcerative colitis for many years.

I was told by my IBD specialist to give up dairy for bile/mucus.

I gave up gluten a few years ago as a last desperate attempt for symptoms similar to yours and it has been life-changing. Urgency is still there and first thing is still the worst time but I can usually get through a day out now.

Hope you get some relief soon, the constant needing to go NOW is so exhausting and demoralising.

You need a gastro specialist for gastro issues.

It might feel like all the bad things happening in your 40s/50s have something to do with menopause but not everything can be fixed with HRT/more HRT. (Though there's posters on this board who'd tell you otherwise!)

I do worry that with the ever increasing list of physical and mental complaints apparently linked to peri/menopause that women could overlook something else really serious happening to their bodies.

I hope you get some answers soon.

If your stools are full of bile I would be asking for ct scan on your gall bladder.

I started to get bowel issues a few years ago but mine was constipation. After I got a few other symptoms I went to the doctor, she did the usual qfit and ca125 which were fine also had a ct scan which showed diverticular disease.
Apart from chronic constipation I don’t have any other symptoms anymore, I feel perfectly fine have no stomach issues like bloating or pain just trouble going to the toilet so I try everything I can to rectify that, with varing success.
Diverticular disease/diverticulosis can cause the issues you are having so a colonoscopy would be beneficial.
I would push your doctor for this

The Brain-Gut connection is more to do with gut flora impacting on anxiety and mental health, not PMA curing gut issues. Yes adrenaline & cortisol impact on gut function, but it’s not as simple as some people make out.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10384867/

Stress and anxiety can definitely affect your stomach. I've had GI issues since October 2024 and do parkrun every week. Because I am worried about needing a loo break during parkrun, I go about 5-6 times beforehand - it's exhausting. It doesn't happen on other days (though things certainly aren't perfect the rest of the week). I think for some people hypnotherapy would definitely help - the relationship isn't just one way.

One other thing to consider for menopausal women is collagen. We associate it with skin, but it is a big component of the gut lining too. So it might be a good idea to take it.

But in your case OP I think the fact your poo is yellow is the key thing. Guts UK says:

"Yellow poo can be caused by a condition called bile acid diarrhoea, where bile stays in the stools without being reabsorbed, and hence discolours the poo. Yellow, fatty poo often smells bad too and can be described as ‘greasy’. People with IBS can sometimes have symptoms when they eat fat in their diet. However, steatorrhoea might indicate the fat that is eaten in the diet is not being absorbed well. Other causes can be coeliac disease or pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI)."