--- title: Does the menstrual cycle change gut sensitivity in women with IBS? description: Yes. Women with IBS have more sensitive bowels during their period compared to other times, which may explain why their IBS gets worse. Women without IBS do n url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-menstrual-cycle-affects-rectal-sensitivity-in-patients-with-irritable-bowel-2002/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does the menstrual cycle change gut sensitivity in women with IBS? Survey study, 2002 # Does the menstrual cycle change gut sensitivity in women with IBS? Yes. Women with IBS have more sensitive bowels during their period compared to other times, which may explain why their IBS gets worse. Women without IBS do not show this change. Early or limited evidence 29 women aged 21-44 with IBS diagnosed by Rome I criteria ## What they did 29 women aged 21-44 with IBS were tested at four different times in their cycle: days 1-4 (period), days 8-10 (middle of cycle), days 18-20 (late cycle), and days 24-28 (before period). Researchers measured gut sensitivity, pain, bloating, bowel habits, and mood. ## What they found During the period, women with IBS had worse abdominal pain and bloating compared with other cycle phases. Bowel movements became more frequent during the period. Gut sensitivity increased during the period compared with all other phases. No changes were found in gut wall tension, muscle contractions, or anal pressure across the cycle. ## What it means for you Women with IBS respond differently to their menstrual cycle than women without IBS do. Their gut becomes more sensitive during their period, which explains why their IBS symptoms get worse. This is a small study (29 women) so more research is needed to confirm these findings. 29 women Number of participants aged 21-44 Age range 4 phases Cycle phases tested ## About the study Original title The menstrual cycle affects rectal sensitivity in patients with irritable bowel syndrome but not healthy volunteers Authors Houghton LA, Lea R, Jackson N et al. Journal Gut Year 2002 Study design Survey study Participants 29 What was tested None - observational study tracking changes across the cycle Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1136/gut.50.4.471](https://doi.org/10.1136/gut.50.4.471) ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Irritability and anger](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-irritability-anger/)[Bloating, breast tenderness and physical symptoms](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-physical-symptoms/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[IBS and gut symptoms](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-ibs-gi/) 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 Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Survey study, 2025 Can a plant-based supplement reduce PMS symptoms? Survey study, 2024 What factors are associated with PMS and PMDD in adolescent and young women? Survey study, 1982 Are premenstrual and menstrual symptoms separate problems or part of one larger problem? Survey study, 1964 How common are mood and physical changes around menstruation? Cohort study, 2025 How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗