--- title: Does the menstrual cycle affect bowel disease symptoms? | Niyora description: Yes, significantly. Women with bowel disease reported much more cyclical bowel symptoms than healthy women, with Crohn's disease patients particularly affecte url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-menstrual-cycle-and-its-effect-on-inflammatory-bowel-disease-and-irritable-1998/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does the menstrual cycle affect bowel disease symptoms? Case-control study, 1998 # Does the menstrual cycle affect bowel disease symptoms? Yes, significantly. Women with bowel disease reported much more cyclical bowel symptoms than healthy women, with Crohn's disease patients particularly affected. Early or limited evidence 49 women with ulcerative colitis, 49 with Crohn's disease, 46 with IBS, and 90 healthy controls ## What they did This was a retrospective study where researchers interviewed 49 women with ulcerative colitis, 49 with Crohn's disease, 46 with IBS, and 90 healthy controls about their health, medications, pregnancies, and menstrual symptoms. ## What they found 93% of all women reported premenstrual symptoms. Women with Crohn's disease reported increased gastrointestinal symptoms during menstruation significantly more often than other groups, with diarrhea being the most common. All disease groups showed cyclical patterns in bowel habits significantly more than controls (p=0.01). Women with bowel disease were twice as likely to experience cyclical changes in bowel habits (odds ratio 2.0, 95% CI 1.2-3.2) compared to controls. ## What it means for you The menstrual cycle affects bowel symptoms in women with bowel disease. Doctors should consider the menstrual cycle when evaluating whether a woman's disease is getting worse. The main limit is that women reported past symptoms from memory rather than recording them when they happened. 93% percentage of all women reporting premenstrual symptoms 2.0 (1.2-3.2) odds ratio for cyclical bowel habit changes in disease women p=0.01 significance for all disease groups vs controls showing cyclical patterns ## About the study Original title The menstrual cycle and its effect on inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome: a prevalence study Authors Kane SV, Sable K, Hanauer SB Journal The American journal of gastroenterology Year 1998 Study design Case-control study Participants 49 What was tested None Read the paper [doi.org/10.1111/j.1572-0241.1998.540_i.x](https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1572-0241.1998.540_i.x) ## Topics [IBS and gut symptoms](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-ibs-gi/)[Pregnancy and postpartum](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-postpartum/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Irritability and anger](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-irritability-anger/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Randomised trial, 2017 Does Sepranolone reduce symptoms of severe premenstrual syndrome (PMDD)? Case-control study, 2003 Do IBS symptoms change across the menstrual cycle and vary by contraceptive use? Survey study, 2024 How do hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle affect gut health and mood? Randomised trial, 2023 Does a smartphone app for heart rate variability biofeedback reduce premenstrual and depressive symptoms? Cohort study, 2010 How do anxiety disorders differ across different life stages? Survey study, 2009 Why do some women feel depressed or anxious when progesterone increases before their period? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗