If you’ve ever sat on the toilet during your period and thought, “How am I back here again?”, you’re not alone. Yes, you’re bleeding, but you’re also peeing constantly and your bowels feel like they’re always under pressure. You’ve done your morning poop already but come 2pm and you’re back on the pot thinking, how is my body even producing so much poop?? A lot of us poop more on period days, and a lot of us are confused by why this happens.
But there’s real science behind these digestive period symptoms. And the more you understand it, the less you feel like your body is betraying you every month. Instead, it starts to feel like a system with logic. Chaotic logic, sure, but logic nonetheless.
So, let’s talk about what’s actually going on, why period affects digestion in such unpredictable ways, and why bowel changes during menstruation are way more normal than you’ve been led to believe.
First: Your Hormones Are Calling All the Shots
Your cycle is basically a hormonal roller coaster, and your digestive system is stuck in the seat next to it. When people wonder why they poop more on their period so much, they’re really asking about the invisible chain reaction happening between hormones and your gut.
Research shows that right before your period, your progesterone levels peak. Progesterone is the queen of slowing things down, your mood, your motivation, and yes, your digestion. This is why so many people get period constipation in the days leading up to bleeding. Your intestines literally move slower. Everything just… hangs out.
Then your period starts, progesterone drops, and your body releases prostaglandins. Think of prostaglandins as little chemical messengers whose job is to help your uterus contract so it can shed its lining.
But prostaglandins are overachievers, they don’t just talk to your uterus. They also talk to your intestines. And when they do, the message is loud and clear: move.
That’s why period diarrhea episodes are so common. Your stool can also smell stronger during your period because of that faster transit time.
It’s the same mechanism giving you cramps. Your gut is responding to the same chemical that’s making your uterus cramp.
Blog continues after the ad.
Next, The Uterus and the Gut Are Basically Roommates
This is where things get strangely relatable. Imagine your uterus and your gut sharing a tiny apartment. Every month, one roommate pulls out their emotional-support candles, starts redecorating, cries, rearranges the furniture, and occasionally sets off the smoke alarm. The other roommate, caught off-guard, reacts.
That’s exactly what’s happening between your uterus and gut.
When your uterus contracts, it literally nudges your intestines. Add prostaglandins into the mix, and your gut speeds up, making you poop way more than usual. It’s not in your head, it’s your just anatomy being dramatic and codependent.
Plus, PMS Doesn’t Help. At All.
Here’s another curveball. During PMS, your body tends to retain water and salt. This happens because shifting hormone levels, especially the rise in progesterone and changes in aldosterone (which regulates blood pressure by managing the balance of sodium and potassium in the bloodstream, signal your body to hold onto fluids, which creates that classic pre-period bloating. It also makes your stools harder and more difficult to pass. Enter, period constipation.
So you go from constipation before your period… to sudden overactivity the moment your hormones switch gears. Your gut does a full 180.
Cramps can mess with digestion too. When you’re in pain, especially pelvic pain, your nervous system goes into alert mode. This can change blood flow, which can slow digestion, or speed it up. If your worried about your cramps being a sign of something more serious, read this guide.
It’s all connected. Your gut isn’t isolated from what’s happening in your uterus. They share nerve pathways, blood supply, and way too much drama.
Also, Your Cravings Are Part of the Chaos
We can’t talk about digestive period symptoms without talking about PMS cravings. The salty snacks, the chocolate, the carbs that taste like emotional support (more about how to satisfy your period cravings here).
They matter more than you think.
And the reason you have PMS craving in the first place? Hormonal shifts, especially dropping estrogen, lower your serotonin levels, so your body instinctively reaches for carbs, sugar, and salty comfort foods as a quick way to boost mood and energy, even if they stir up your digestion in the process. So you’re basically inhaling simple carbs, which digest very quickly. You’re likely having some dairy, which can trigger bloating for people who are sensitive to it. Salty foods make you retain water, which backs things up. High-fat comfort meals hang out in the gut longer.
So yes, you may be pooping more on your period because of hormones, but you may also be pooping more because you inhaled a family-sized portion of fries and three brownies. No shame. Just physiology.
And Stress? Oh, She’s Involved.
Right before and during your period, your stress response tends to spike. Maybe it’s the hormonal shifts, the emotional load or it’s that one song that randomly made you cry.
Cortisol (the stress hormone) plays with your digestion too. It can make your stomach empty slower and your colon move faster. Basically your stomach’s like, Wait, and your intestines are like, Go!
This mismatch absolutely shows up as period diarrhoea episodes or sudden bathroom urgency.
If You Have Existing Gut Stuff, Your Period Amplifies It
The hormonal poop period connection is especially noticeable if your gut is already touchy. If you have IBS, endometriosis, or general digestive sensitivity, your period can feel like someone turned up the volume on everything.
Endometriosis can cause the uterus to irritate nearby organs, including the bowels, making period and gut health symptoms even more intense. According to research, IBS reacts strongly to hormonal shifts, which explains why digestion feels totally different during your cycle.
This doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you. It means your body is reacting exactly as expected when multiple systems collide.
How to Make This Whole Situation Less Intense
You can’t negotiate with prostaglandins (sadly). But you can soften the blow.
Stay hydrated like it’s your part-time job
Water keeps things moving at a pace that doesn’t feel… explosive.
Eat fibre, but the right kind
Soluble fibre (oats, chia seeds, bananas) helps if you’re dealing with diarrhoea period moments. Insoluble fibre (whole grains, veggies) helps if you’re stuck in a period constipation cycle.
Try a little heat
A heating pad like Nua’s Cramp Comfort Heat Patch relaxes uterine muscles and the surrounding gut.
Consider NSAIDs
Ibuprofen or naproxen reduce prostaglandins, meaning fewer cramps and potentially fewer gut spasms.
Don’t fight your body
If your body wants to go, let it go. If it’s being stubborn, be gentle with it. The more you try to control it, the more it rebels.
The Final Takeaway?
If you poop more on your period, your body isn’t being weird, it’s being efficient. Hormones are shifting, prostaglandins are doing their thing, digestion is adjusting, and your uterus and gut are communicating like emotionally volatile best friends.
These bowel changes menstruation brings are a reflection of how intertwined your reproductive and digestive systems really are. Your body is complex, sensitive, and responsive, sometimes annoyingly so, but also wonderfully so.
Period and gut health are part of the same story, and you deserve to know your body’s plot twists, especially the messy ones.
