Do gastrointestinal symptoms vary with the menstrual cycle?

J Moore, Jane Moore, David J. Barlow, D Barlow, D Jewell, Derek P. Jewell, S Kennedy, Stephen Kennedy
British journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 1998 · vol. 105(12) , pp. 1322–1325 · doi:10.1111/j.1471-0528.1998.tb10014.x · PMID:9883927 · W2089638095
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

This review explores physiological and symptom-based studies of gastrointestinal variation during the menstrual cycle, noting that one-third of women experience gastrointestinal symptoms during menstruation and nearly half of those with IBS report a perimenstrual increase.

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Abstract

This systematic review presents both the physiological and symptom-based studies which have explored gastrointestinal variation across the menstrual cycle. Understanding this variation may be helpful in identifying the origin of pelvic pain, particularly as the symptoms associated with causes, such as endometriosis, also vary across the cycle. One-third of otherwise asymptomatic women may experience gastrointestinal symptoms at the time of menstruation, and almost 50% of women with irritable bowel syndrome report a perimenstrual increase in symptoms.

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Condition tags

endometriosisirritable_bowel_syndrome

MeSH descriptors

Gastrointestinal Diseases Menstrual Cycle Abdominal Pain Abdominal Pain Abdominal Pain Colonic Diseases, Functional Colonic Diseases, Functional Colonic Diseases, Functional Diarrhea Diarrhea Diarrhea Female Gastrointestinal Diseases Gastrointestinal Diseases Gastrointestinal Transit Gastrointestinal Transit Humans Menstrual Cycle Surveys and Questionnaires

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References (20)

Cited by (19)

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License: CC0 · commercial use OK