Let's talk about periods and poop

Everybody poops, even on your period

I know it is not the 'done' thing to talk about periods or poop, but it is important to take the fear out of certain things. For women who have periods there is something that might happen to you each month, your poops might change. 

Now this doesn't mean they will for every woman on their period, but for a lot of women this will be something they recognise. Let's talk about periods and poop. This is based entirely on my own experience and I am just one woman in billions around the world so my experience is different to yours. A lot of the long words I got from the article 'Why is period poop the worst? 10 questions, answered'.  

1. Diarrhea and just sooooo much poop

Certainly when my period starts I just can't seem to stop pooping. I get a really heavy day right at the beginning of my menstral cycle and for me the cramps are the worst! I feel sick and get headaches from the cramping. Ibuprofen just about takes the edge off, but what I really want to do it just lie in bed or on the sofa with a hot water bottle and just do nothing but watch TV. 

However, there is one thing that will get me up on my feet, pooping. The cramps are felt in the pelvis and lower back for me and it makes me feel like I need to go to the toilet and drop the bombs. Sometimes it is false alarm, but when it isn't it is like a crime scene!

So why can't we stop pooping? The lining of the uterus releases prostaglandins just before the period begins and these stimulate the walls of the uterus to contract (a very minor version of what happens when you give birth) and this allows the lining to shed (period blood). With some women they produce more prostaglandins than they need and if they get into the blood stream it causes other smooth muscles, like your bowels, to contract as well. This can speed up the digestive process and make you need to poop a lot! This can also lead to diarrhea, which is essentially the sped up digestive process. 

The only thing you can do is drink a load of water, which also helps cramps. Caffiene might seem like a good idea when you are tired, but it can lead to heart palpatations that mimick an anxiety or panic attack and can make cramps feel worse! It is one of those pieces of advice that is easy to give and harder to take notice of as we are also told to take exercise and eat healthy when all we want is to veg out on the sofa and eat chocolate.

2. The smell! Oh God, the smell!

This is likely caused by a change in eating habits. Just before your period you might eat more junk food or just bigger portions than usual. For me I eat a butt ton of food for a few days and then the day before and the first couple of days of my period I can't stomach food at all. This sudden change will confuse your digestive system and cause a whole range of weird smells when you go to the toilet or pass gas. It is embarrasing more than anything, especially if someone goes in the toilets at work after you and they see you leave...

3. Yeah, but what about constipation

Most women will feel this just before their period starts, but some might experience this during as well. For me I always know I am due to come on because I get constipated for a few days. It doesn't matter how good my diet is, or how much water I drink, I am still bunged up and it hurts to squeeze one out.

Again this is due to hormones. If you have low levels of prostaglandins and high levels of progesterone your digestive system slows down a lot and that means material in the gut has more chance to have water taken from it. This will lead to tough poops that are hard to push out.

4. Other weird shit to do with shit

It hurts

It can hurt to poop for a number of reasons. You might be constipated and that causes pain in the gut and the butt. If you have diarrhea you might have cramps in your gut and this will cause pain. If you have bad menstral cramps this could be what is really going on and not poopy pains.

Poop or period?

Because I feel pains in my lower back I sometimes think I need to poop but it is false alarm (as I said above). This is because everything is contracting and hurting and making me think I need to poop.

The worst thing is when you think it is a false alarm, make a decision and it turns out to be the wrong one when you pass gas. 10/10 would not recommend.

AAAARRRRRGGGHHHHH! BLOOD!

If you are really heavy you will have a combination of blood and poop to clear up and the toilet can be left looking like a fucking murder scene! I have descovered flushable wipes recently and they are god send! I actually discovered them before reading the article linked above and you have the pandemic to thank for that.

Do you remember everyone thought COVID-19 affected their arse and panic bought all the bog roll? Well, all I could get were these Andrex flushable wipes (other brands are available) and they have turned out to be the best thing to use on my heavy period days whether I poop or not. I am left feeling fresh as a daisy so I would hightly recommend them.

You are not alone

I know this is a bit tongue in cheek at times, but poop is supposed to be natural and is fucking funny! Basically I want you to know that, whatever happens to you during your period (if you have them, not all women do for a variety of reasons) it is normal for you.