Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: ibs. menstration and diahrea

Hi - This is a problem for almost every woman with IBS. Prevention is the best thing, but that can be hard too. Try increasing your soluble fiber supplement in the days before your period is due, and be extra careful to avoid trigger foods then, get extra sleep, and keep exercising. If you take any medications for cramps, try to use them to pre-empt the cramps before they get too bad - it's often the cramps themselves that then trigger colon muscle contractions and IBS attacks. Heat, from heating pads or hot water bottles or even sitting in a really hot tub, can relax all your muscles and help prevent/relieve the IBS spasms (and thus the diarrhea). And keep drinking your peppermint tea, all day long.

Personally, I have found yoga to be the single best thing for dealing with this problem. It's weird, because it took at least six to nine months of regular practice, but one day I just realized that I never, ever have IBS flares with my period any more. And the only thing that had changed was I'd started yoga. I've also noticed that, unlike any other form of exercise, yoga actually helps stop cramps altogether (other workout would make them much worse). I'm to the point where I no longer pay extra attention to my diet or fiber supplement with my period, and even if I get whacked by cramps my IBS never flares. I don't know exactly how or why the yoga has done this, but it definitely has.

Best,
Heather

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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!

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