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I’ve been an irritable bowel sufferer for over a decade. When it comes to alleviating symptoms, I’ve tried it all. I’ve gone gluten-free, dairy free, vegan, vegetarian, yeast-free, sugar-free, soy-free, and raw. What I’ve learned is that, at the end of the day, if you have finicky intestines you have finicky intestines. Finding a diet that’s gentle on your digestive tract is certainly helpful, but your system practically looks for a reason to act up. All you have to do is eat a tiny portion of the wrong thing, and your body will punish you as if you ate nothing but steak and cheese for a week. In reality, you may have just had two pancakes, or a pasta sauce you didn’t realize had cream in it. The best diet in the world won’t stop some things from triggering your symptoms. Here are hidden IBS triggers sufferers should know about.
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Menstruation
A woman’s gastrointestinal cells do contain estrogen receptors, and these can act up to the fluctuation of hormones that occurs during menstruation. Many women with IBS state that their symptoms are worse when they’re on their period.
