Does having children cause bloating or the “trots”?
Has your gut changed since having children? Do you experience more diarrhoea, constipation or bloating? Sounds like IBS, but why does it happen after women have children?
“Irritable bowel” or IBS can be recognised by one or more of the following symptoms:
- abdominal (gut) pain and discomfort
- wind (burping or flatulence)
- abdominal distension (bloating)
- altered bowel habit (ranging from diarrhoea to constipation, or alternating between the two).
IBS can be triggered by:
- Foods
- Stress
- Altered digestive bacteria
- Medications
- Caffeine
IBS is more commonly diagnosed amongst women than men, usually between the ages of 30 and 50 years. Considering all this, it would seem that a mum who doesn’t suffer from IBS is lucky (and unusual)!
Mums often change their own eating habits to fit in with the needs and wants of the rest of the family. Stress affects how your gut reacts to food, so lack of sleep and all the other worries that come with parenthood can contribute to IBS.
Tummy bugs and antibiotics alter the balance of healthy gut bacteria, and may be more common once you have children. And caffeine, well where would most parents be without it?
If this sounds like you, be comforted to know that you are not alone. Irritable Bowel Syndrome is one the most common gut disorders, affecting the health and well-being of one in seven adults around the world every day.
Why don’t we hear more about IBS? Like everyone else with the condition, you probably don’t like to talk about your bowels, bowel movements, farting problems or constipation. So you soldier on by putting up with pain and frequent discomfort. What to do, what to do?
If you have any more questions that you have always wanted to ask about IBS, make a booking for a video consultation with one of our gut health dietitians.