Bloating, cramps and having to fight menstrual fatigue are all ordinary side effects that come with your period. You probably talk about these with your friends, letting them know you’re in pain, feeling on the tired side, or PMS-y. But among these common symptoms, people often ‘forget’ to talk about how much more frequently you poo during menstruation – we’ve all experienced it!
So why exactly do you poop more on your period?
Do you poo more on your period? Is it normal to poo more on your period?
It is completely normal to poop more on your period. The fluctuations in hormones during your menstruation means it’s natural for your body to encourage more or fewer bowel movements. But how exactly does your menstrual cycle affect your bowel movements? And what can you expect when pooing on your period?
How does your period affect your bowel movements?
Pooping more on your period
There’s actually a very simple explanation as to why you poop more on your period. When menstruating, your body increases its level of prostaglandin. This hormone is responsible for period cramps, to help shed the lining of you womb during your period. The prostaglandin also increases muscle contractions of the bowels. The more your bowels contract, the more you end up pooping. It really is that simple! With your bowels contracting more than normal it can also be common to have runnier poo or light diarrhoea in the first day or two of your period.
Pooping less on your period
While it’s common to see more poop on your period, not everybody experiences this pattern. During PMS, progesterone (the hormone for maintaining pregnancy) increases too. High levels of progesterone can cause food to move slower through your digestive system, resulting in constipation before or when your period begins.
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How can you make yourself poop more frequently?
If you’re experiencing mild constipation or just a slower pace in your bowel movements, our tips for increasing your visits to the toilet are:
- Drink more water
- Eat more fibrous foods like broccoli, wholegrain bread, beans, and pulses
- Engage in some frequent light exercise
When to see a doctor?
The good news is that there’s no normal when it comes to period poo. The only time to be concerned and see/call a doctor is when your stools are coming out as liquid, containing blood or if you’re finding it painful to poo.
Want to feel fresher on-the-go after a period toilet trip? Check out our organic intimate wipes!
Glad to have the information
Hi! I’m 13 years old, and I call it “period poop”. When I’m on my period I need to go to the bathroom a lot more than usual. It’s also very weird how I poop a lot throughout my week but then don’t poop as often when it’s over. At first, I was worried if it was normal or not so this really helped me out. Thank you so much!
THIS WAS SOOO HELPFUL!!❤️❤️Thank you so much! This answered so many of my questions. Also I’m 13 and I’m in athletics so we run a lot. When us girls are on our period it’s really hard to run while with our periods. So this was helpful for me. Thank you!😁😁
You’re welcome 💚
I want to thank all of the ladies for commenting and sharing their stories. It makes me feel like I’m not the only one especially when I have irritable bowel syndrome. And have an IBS it exacerbates what’s already there which makes me even sicker. But I say all that to say I appreciate this platform for women and young ladies to come and share their stories and to learn about their bodies and how to care for their bodies in a healthy way. I appreciate the information from the site and the women as a whole. I wish I had sought information out sooner but seeing this platform today it probably wouldn’t have been available 10- 20 years ago lol. Be safe and blessed
We totally agree, it’s amazing what a difference it can make to know you’re not the only one with an experience!
Thanks for the helpful information