Menopause and Indigestion: What To Do?
Has your stomach been bothering you lately?
Do you feel full too soon after you’ve started eating?
Is your stomach just generally uncomfortable around mealtimes?
If you’re experiencing other symptoms of menopause along with those above, don’t despair, you’re not alone.
Several studies said that women who are in menopause are more likely to have digestive problems (1)
In this article, I will explain why you could be getting these irritating symptoms, what it has to do with menopause and, most importantly, what you can do to ease your indigestion!
Let’s get going, shall we?
WHAT IS MENOPAUSE?
Menopause is defined as the time when your periods have stopped for 12 months and your ovaries lose their reproductive function. This usually happens in the UK around 45-55 years of age.
Perimenopause is the term used to describe the hormonal changes, usually the symptomatic time, that occurs before menopause, up until your 12th month of no periods. (2)
MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS
The most commonly reported symptoms of menopause are:
Hot flashes
Night sweats
Joint and muscle pains
Mood swings
Low sex drive
Still, as I’m sure you’re already experiencing, every woman is affected differently by menopause (3).
As I mentioned earlier, some studies say that menopausal women are more likely to have problems with their digestive systems (4).
We’ll talk in a minute about why this is sometimes the case.
SYMPTOMS OF INDIGESTION (also known as Dyspepsia)
If you have some of the following symptoms after you eat or drink, you may be experiencing indigestion,
Heartburn - check our article about acid reflux here
Feeling of fullness and bloating
Belching
Nausea (feeling sick to your stomach but not vomiting)
Farting
The feeling of bitter-tasting fluids or food in the mouth (5)
Weight gain
Although these symptoms can be related to other health conditions, in the case of indigestion it is something you can usually manage with some lifestyle/eating changes.
WHY ARE MENOPAUSE AND INDIGESTION RELATED?
Estrogen (oestrogen) has multiple effects on our gut. It can help to stimulate mucus secretion for easier digestion, protect our gut from acid, and works with progesterone to regulate gut muscle movements. Hormone levels fluctuate and decline significantly in menopause. As their protection fades, we can start to experience digestion problems. (6, 7)
Another theory of why menopause and indigestion may be related is that some researchers believe that melatonin (three cheers for the sleep hormone!) deficiency along with declining estrogen levels might cause indigestion in menopause (6).
Stress can be another enemy of gut health and can certainly impact our menopausal symptoms. Many women I speak to say that stress can be challenging to manage.
According to CarersUK out of the 6.5 million unpaid carers in the UK, 58% (3.34 million) are women and are more likely than men to be providing around the clock care. Women aged 45-54 are also more than twice as likely to have reduced working hours as a result of their caring responsibilities.
I mention this because many women are providing care for both children and elderly parents at the same time in their 40’s and 50’s and this, in combination with perimenopause and menopause, can lead to a lot of stress.
It is known that stress is highly related to indigestion. The stress hormone cortisol increases when we feel stressed, and this can cause our digestion to slow. (8)
Lastly, if you take any medications for other menopausal symptoms you are experiencing, including hormone replacement therapy, check the side effects (5). Speak to your doctor/GP for more information as we won’t be covering this in today’s article.
Want to learn more about gut symptoms in perimenopause along with bloating? Download our “Guide to Gut Calm for Bloating” E-book
HOW CAN YOU PREVENT INDIGESTION?
The key with indigestion is to try and prevent it in the first place, so let’s go through some tips on how to help that stomach of yours out:
Eat slowly: Chewing thoroughly breaks down food into more digestible pieces. Try chewing every mouthful piece 30 times (8) (Don’t worry, I’m not asking you to literally count every mouthful, but do try it a couple of times and see how long it takes.)
Yoga: A study found out that 12 weeks of yoga training decrease menopausal symptoms and stress levels. Women in the study reported an increased quality of life after the continuous yoga practice (2). Yoga for Menopause has become quite trendy lately and there is a brilliant book called ‘Menopause Yoga’* you may find it helpful to give your yoga teacher as a gift this holiday season - it’s brilliant!
*Note: the book link above is an affiliate link, this means if you purchase the book using our link we receive a small percentage of the sale. Thank you :-)
Some other of my favourite resources are:
Yoga with Adriene (Free & Paid)
Do Yoga With Me (Free & Paid)
Pull back on the booze: Even though there are conflicting studies on alcohol and digestion, it can slow the speed that food leaves our stomach, this means that food stays longer in your system and can bother you with symptoms of indigestion. (9)
Lower your daily coffee intake (wow, I can hear you screaming at me from here! Just kidding… or am I?): Coffee can irritate the stomach so if you’re having issues with indigestion it’s best to give it a pass for now (9). You can try decaffeinated coffee but a lot of people find that irritating as well.
Avoid spicy food: Capcaicin is a component that exists in spicy food. It can increase your stomach pain so we recommend you take a break from the jalapeno and chilli peppers for now. (9)
Keep a symptom diary: Search to see if you have any foods that trigger your symptoms. Determining these specific foods and avoiding them might give you some relief. If you’re noticing these symptoms always happen with a specific food (or category of foods such as lactose-containing [milk products] or gluten-containing [select grain and wheat products]), do speak to your GP/doctor or dietitian, you could potentially have a food intolerance or allergy.
Make your mealtimes regular: Irregular meal times are highly associated with unexplained indigestion. (9)
Go with lower-fat options more often (or have smaller amounts of higher fat foods): An experiment showed that high-fat meals caused more indigestion symptoms than a high carbohydrate meal (10). This doesn’t mean change everything over to low fat but be conscious that fat slows down digestion so it’s inevitably going to cause some issues.
Looking for more support? Grab the FREE Ditch Digestive Distress: Gut Control Masterclass. Put yourself back in the driver’s seat of your gut and “get your life back”.
What’s the best diet for indigestion?
There is no specific diet for indigestion but the Mediterranean diet can be considered a great option for those in perimenopause, menopause and beyond. A study suggested that when people adapt to diets that are similar to the Mediterranean diet, they have fewer symptoms of indigestion. (9)
What is the Mediterranean diet?
Mediterranean diet can vary from country to country, but it generally consists of large amounts of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, beans, cereals, grains, fish, and unsaturated fats (like olive oil). It is known for lower intakes of meat and dairy as well. (11)
Are there herbal supplements I can take for indigestion?
Some studies suggest that herbal remedies can help with indigestion but the results are contradicting. There are two with a bit more research we’ll discuss here:
Peppermint oil: In one study, peppermint oil helped to ease IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) symptoms such as abdominal pain and discomfort. This may be a helpful one to try for your indigestion if you’re also suffering from IBS (12).
Ginger: Ginger has been used as a natural remedy for indigestion for a very long time. Some studies suggest that it can prevent bloating and help reduce nausea. Here is a ginger tea recipe for you to try. (13)
WHEN TO SEEK CARE
If you feel like you have tried everything and your digestive issues won’t go away or if your symptoms get worse, it is best to talk to your doctor/GP.
They will be able to assess your symptoms and ensure there is nothing else going on in your body.
IN SUMMARY
Menopause and indigestion are far more related than most people think.
Rapidly fluctuating and declining hormones in menopause make our guts more likely to experience irritation and indigestion. Stress can also play a role in our digestive tract.
There are several tips that you can try including making some simple changes to your diet and trying to add yoga (or mindful stretching) into your day. Finding out your trigger foods can be the key to managing symptoms as well, sometimes pointing to food intolerances or allergies.
As always, if symptoms worsen or don’t go away with self-help or time, do reach out to your GP/doctor to discuss your options.
Want to learn more about gut symptoms in perimenopause along with bloating? Download our “Guide to Gut Calm for Bloating” E-book
Looking for more support? Grab my Digestive Issues in Perimenopause (and beyond) Workshop. Put yourself back in the driver’s seat of your gut and “get your life back”.
A Gutsy Menopause is a specialist gut health nutrition clinic run by nutritionist and dietitian, Emily Foster. We offer consultations, workshops and online courses.