Does menstruation make you gassy? A gynecologist reveals how to deal with period farts

Have you ever noticed your gut going for a toss, when your chums are due? And because of this, you suddenly become all gassy and end up farting a lot more than usual. Yes missy, this is a normal pre-period symptom, known as period farts.

Period farts are another addition to the list of other premenstrual symptoms like bloating, tender breasts, and cramps, etc. Don’t feel weird about it, because period farts are normal.

Do you know why you get period farts? 

Ladies, it’s all because of the hormones — estrogen and progesterone. Yes once again, they are responsible for severe period farts.

“When your periods are about to kick in, there is a surge in estrogen levels in your body. On the other side, the progesterone levels dip. This leads to gas formation in the intestinal walls, and hence you fart more than the usual, before and during your periods,” explains Dr Gandhali Deorukhkar Pillai, consultant obstetrics gynaecologist at Wockhardt Hospital.

Another reason could be excessive production of the hormone, prostaglandin. This hormone helps in shedding the uterine lining. If it is produced more than usual, it can lead to contraction of muscles around the abdominal area. This can also lead to gas creation and constipation. This is one of the most common reasons why your pooping schedule change amid periods.

“When you are on your periods, there is a lot of water retention that happens in your body. That’s why most of you experience bloating. This also leads to gas, and hence you get period farts,” she suggests.

Can you avoid period farts? Dr Pillai suggests these four helpful tips: 

1. Avoid cruciferous vegetables

According to Dr Pillai, if the period farts are troubling you way too much, then you must cut down your intake of vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, besan/chana, beans, one week before the commencement of your periods.

You may also like

Hansaji Yogendra on Managing Menopause with Yoga Watch Video

Hormonal imbalance during periods: 9 tips to manage the side effects Read Article

2. Increase fluid intake

“Have as much water as you can. Include curd and lassi in your diet. This will soothe your gut and will reduce the gas formation effectively,” recommends Dr Pillai.

3. Low dose birth control pills

There are a lot of low dose birth control pills that are available in the market. They can lower down the water retention in the intestinal walls. These pills can also help to reduce period farts. But Dr Pillai suggests not to take these medicines without consultation.

4. Exercise

“There is no harm in doing light exercises during periods. In fact, it is recommended to keep the period flow in check, and to keep PMS at bay”, she says.

Also, watch:

“If your gastric issues are still not resolved, then I would recommend you to go and see your doctor, as this can be the symptom of irritable bowel syndrome or even endometriosis,” concludes Dr Pillai.

So ladies, instead of getting embarrassed by those period farts, it is better to take these measures and do something about it.