03/25/2021
Do you know what's really causing your IBS? Part 5!
There are multiple things that contribute to IBS, and hormones is one of them! Along with stress, diet and nutrition, your gut microbiome, and infections.
If you've ever noticed your IBS symptoms are worse when you're stressed out, (think pain and diarrhea right before a big meeting or speech, or constipation and diarrhea when you're trying to hit a big deadline at work), or worse around your cycle (think nausea, diarrhea, or constipation right before your period), then hormones are likely a big contributing factor for your IBS.
This includes stress hormones, like cortisol, as well as other hormones, like estrogen and progesterone. Progesterone and cortisol production are both regulated by the HPA axis and so if you are under chronic stress and your body needs cortisol, it will spend more of its energy to produce cortisol rather than progesterone production. The HPA axis (the hypothalaus pituitary adrenal axis) manages this, so if there is dysfunction anywhere in the HPA axis, there are going to be down stream effects.
So what does this have to do with your IBS? Well, we know that stress affects your gut and the microbiome, and your digestive tract has receptors for both estrogen and progesterone. So when hormones are low (even naturally low such as in the days before your period starts and during the menstrual cycle), GI symptoms such as stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea, and bloating, tend to be worse. Estrogens can contribute to HPA function and if you're under chronic stress leading to low progesterone, HPA dysfunction may be even more exacerbated.
Check out our guide to stress, the adrenal ABC's, with the link in bio and on our website, and get your stress under control.
And don't forget to keep an eye out for more IBS info coming soon!
