Perimenopause Bloating – Why Am I So Bloated In Perimenopause?

Perimenopause bloating can be uncomfortable and frustrating. As perimenopause and menopause bloating are such common symptoms, many women just wait for it to pass. However, there are things you can do to ease your discomfort and reduce the frequency you experience bloating with perimenopause and menopause.

So, let’s discover everything you need to know about menopause and perimenopause bloating. From causes to things you can do and warning signs that you need to see a doctor about bloating.

Ready? Let’s go!

Does menopause cause bloating?

For many women, pondering does menopause cause bloating? is totally natural, because bloating is one of the most common menopause and perimenopause symptoms.

What does menopause bloating feel like?

Bloating – whether that’s during perimenopause, menopause or at any other stage in your life – feels like your abdomen is tightening. It visually bloats up, too, and you may also find that you’re gassier than usual.

It’s not good: not for your comfort or confidence!

Why perimenopause bloating happens

Just because bloating and perimenopause are often intertwined, it doesn’t mean it’s comfortable. Plus, perimenopause bloating can be mistaken for weight gain, which is frustrating, daunting and confusing for women who have been eating right, exercising and following strategies for weight control in menopause.

So, let’s take a look at why perimenopause and menopause bloating happens in the first place.

Slower digestion can cause bloating with perimenopause

In perimenopause, your oestrogen levels begin to fluctuate and fall. The lower oestrogen levels will then affect your gut’s motility. In simple terms, this means that it’ll take longer for the waste in your digestive system to leave your body.

As all of this slows down, all the broken up food and residue that remains will sit for longer in your digestive tract. This, in turn, leads to more fermentation by bacteria in your gut, which causes gas and perimenopause bloating.

Gut bacteria can become imbalanced in perimenopause

There needs to be a solid balance of friendly bacteria inside your digestive tract.

However, when your oestrogen levels start to fall in combination with dietary habits, stress, certain medicines and many other factors, your body can create too much gas-producing bacteria.

This excess bacteria can sometimes move up into your small intestine. When it does this, the overgrowth of bacteria in your small intestine can lead to bloating.

Perimenopause and menopause impacts water retention

Oestrogen is really important to help make sure the right amount of water and bile is in the body.

So, naturally, as your oestrogen levels start to fall and become imbalanced, your body copes with it by storing far more water. This makes you feel like you’re experiencing perimenopause bloating.

The stress that comes with perimenopause and menopause

Yes, stress really can cause menopause bloating.

When you’re stressed, your nervous system triggers the famous fight or flight response. It puts emphasis on the systems that matter most in that particular moment of supposed danger.

Believe it or not, your body actually doesn’t think digesting your food is all that important in that moment of fight or flight, caused by your stress levels.

Think about it. Have you ever had a moment where you experienced something stressful right after eating a meal? Did you find you had indigestion and discomfort? Perhaps a stomach ache? This is all down to our body trying to protect us, putting emphasis on the processes that matter to keep us safe from harm.

Stress can actually just switch off our digestion process. When this happens, the full cycle of food digestion will take much longer, and things will sit where they’re not meant to for extended periods of time.

As a result, you’re likely to get gassy. Stress is such a strong contributor to bloating with perimenopause.

Not drinking enough results in perimenopause and menopause bloating

Water is so crucial and helps with a huge range of menopause and perimenopause symptoms, from vaginal dryness to hot flashes and, of course, menopause bloating.

When you’re dehydrated, you become constipated. Constipation causes bloating, which is why it’s so important to drink more water.

You might think: but what about water retention? Wouldn’t it be counterintuitive to drink more?

The reality is that, when your body is given the hydration it’s desperate for, it’ll let go of any of the liquids it doesn’t need.

Bloating and perimenopause can be linked because of your eating habits

It’s not just about what you’re eating but, too, how you’re eating when it comes to the tie between eating habits and perimenopause bloating.

If you’re eating without paying attention to how much (and what) you’re eating, not actively tasting your food and instead just chewing and swallowing – in short, eating without being mindful of what you’re eating, you will actively slow down your digestion.

The act of digestion actually starts with your brain! Thinking about food will help release saliva in your mouth and digestive liquids inside your stomach.

That saliva plays a key role in terms of breaking down your food due to their digestive enzymes. So, when you create a larger surface area, you’re leveling up your digestive process. This includes being able to absorb nutrients better and getting rid of waste far quicker.

When you don’t have waste stuck inside your gut, you’re less likely to experience bloating.

That’s why it’s so important to eat slowly, presently and more mindfully. Avoid menopause bloating by practicing mindful eating.

Existing digestive issues

If you’re in perimenopause or menopause and you’ve already had some digestive problems in your life, like IBS, you may find these issues return or get worse.

This is down to the hormonal changes, which can trigger gastrointestinal problems for the reasons above. If you have already had a gastrointestinal disorder, there’s a chance it will return and cause further perimenopause bloating.

Perimenopause and menopause bloating – things you can do

While bloating and perimenopause often go hand in hand, that doesn’t mean you just have to deal with it and wait for it to pass. There are things you can do to avoid bloating with perimenopause.

1. Make changes to your diet

When it comes to menopause and perimenopause, nutrition is absolutely essential.

So, if you’re experiencing bloating with perimenopause or menopause, the first step is to make changes to your diet.

You’re going to want to avoid foods that are known to cause bloating.

But what are the foods that cause bloating?

Here’s our list of foods you should stay clear of if you’re ready to put a stop to menopause or perimenopause bloating:

• Dairy foods
  • For example: milk and cheese

• Processed foods
  • Due to their high levels of sugar and salt (and low nutritional value!)

• Carbonated drinks
• Beer
• Vegetables known to make you gassy
  • For example: sprouts and broccoli

Instead, you should opt for foods that actively help with bloating. The best foods to help with bloating include:

• Avocados
• Yoghurt
• Berries
• Cucumber
• Celery
• Ginger
• Bananas
• Asparagus
• Papaya
• Oats
• Rhubarb
• Kiwi
• Fennel

The properties of each of the foods on our list will help with your perimenopause bloating, so make sure you add them to your shopping list.

2. Manage any constipation as early as possible

Getting backed up during perimenopause or menopause can cause mayhem in your digestive system!

So, if you’re constipated – even in the slightest – make sure you work to clear everything out before it gets worse.

There are a range of home remedies for constipation, but if you need additional help, make sure you speak to your doctor. They will be able to prescribe you some laxatives to get everything ticking over nicely.

Home remedies to ease constipation include:

• Drink more water to stay hydrated, avoiding sugary and fizzy drinks as they can make constipation worse
• Eat more fibre, specifically soluble, non-fermentable fibre. Oats, beans, lentils and peas are great for constipation.
• Get moving and exercise more. Exercise can loosen up the stool and act as a good home remedy for constipation. Gentle exercise, like swimming, walking, jogging or cycling, should help with constipation.
• Try avoiding dairy. You may be lactose intolerant. Make sure you track your symptoms when you do consume dairy and when you don’t. That way, you can compare the results and draw conclusions.

3. Find a way to reduce your stress

Stress essentially switches your digestion off, which results to perimenopause and menopause bloating. For this as well as your own mental health in menopause, it’s crucial to find ways to reduce your stress levels.

There are many ways to find relief against stress, though it does depend on the person. For some, yoga works a treat. For others, bubble baths work better.

In terms of finding the best way to reduce stress and anxiety for you, it’s a bit trial and error. You need to discover something that works for you. Some ways to reduce stress are:

• Breathing exercises
• Meditation
• Going for a walk
• Yoga and pilates
• Journalling

4. Go for a walk after eating

Get in the habit of going for a brisk walk after a meal. A simple walk can work wonders for your digestive system due to creating a wave of contractions that will move your food through your digestive tract (also known as pertistalsis).

Not to mention, walking after your meals will help with your blood sugar levels, which can go a little haywire during perimenopause and menopause.

5. Discover your food triggers that cause perimenopause or menopause bloating

As with so many other symptoms of menopause, tracking your bloating means you can identify a pattern.

If you track, for example, that you see perimenopause bloating every time you consume dairy, you can conclude that dairy is the problem. Then, you can cut it out (or significantly reduce it) to stop the bloating.

When tracking, make sure you write down everything you eat, the time you eat it, and how long it takes to see or feel evidence of bloating.

Perimenopause bloating or weight gain?

You might be a little unsure about whether you’re experiencing bloating with perimenopause or weight gain, which is also common at this stage of life.

The changes to your hormones can result in quicker weight gain than you might be used to. On top of this, weight gain can be due to lifestyle, diet and family history.

Unlike weight gain, bloating should only crop up for a short amount of time. This usually happens around the time of your period if you’re perimenopausal. You can bloat, too, after eating a large meal, eat very quickly, or eat your trigger foods.

With bloating, your stomach will expand and change throughout the day. With weight gain, though, you won’t see fluctuations in the size and shape of your stomach throughout the day.

Is it water retention or gas retention causing my menopause bloating?

Menopause bloating can be caused by two main issues in the stomach: water retention and gas retention. It can be tricky to determine which one is causing your bloating.

Gas bloating usually happens in the stomach and is due to trapped air. A lot of the time, gas bloating can helped by eating slowly, avoiding fizzy drinks and eating smaller portions.

Water retention, on the other hand, can build up in more places. For example, you might notice that your hands and feet have swollen up and feel bloated. This form of bloating can be painful.

Postmenopausal stomach bloating – when to speak to a doctor

If you are experiencing postmenopausal stomach bloating (that is: you’re in the stage after menopause and experiencing frequent bloating), it’s time to speak to a doctor.

The falling levels of oestrogen are mainly responsible for the vast majority of the causes of menopause and perimenopause bloating. So, if you’re no longer experiencing these fluctuations in oestrogen and have made it through to post-menopause, doctors will need to assess the root cause for postmenopausal stomach bloating.

Of course, bloating is often tied to what we eat. So, before you head to the doctors, make sure you keep track of your diet for at least two weeks. Take that tracker with you and share it with your doctor so they can assess any patterns and determine a treatment plan.

Perimenopause bloating – in a nutshell

Perimenopause bloating and bloating in menopause is fairly common due to our oestrogen levels changing so drastically.

Many factors can cause bloating with perimenopause, such as stress, diet and eating habits, a lack of hydration and changes to your digestion process.

While bloating can be uncomfortable and painful, there are many home remedies to help. From making sure you’re not blocked up and constipated to going for a walk after meals, you don’t have to put up with bloating during perimenopause and beyond.

As with any perimenopause or menopause symptom, if you’re concerned about your bloating and it is causing distress, make sure you speak with a healthcare professional. They’ll be able to work with you to make sure you’re bloat-free. Ah, the dream!