5 Ways to Manage IBS During Perimenopause and Improve Your Life Forever
- Brainz Magazine
- Sep 25
- 6 min read
Written by Charlotte Cheetham, Gut Health Coach
Charlotte Cheetham is an expert coach in gut health for menopausal women. She is the founder of Lifeinsights and aims to help all menopausal women one by one to heal their symptoms, which are preventing them from living a normal life. She has also written articles for Healthieyoo magazine about gut health, menopause, and psychobiotics.
Perimenopause is often described as a rollercoaster, full of physical, emotional, and hormonal shifts that can feel overwhelming. For many women, this transition brings not just hot flashes, mood swings, or irregular cycles, but also digestive discomforts such as bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and food sensitivities. These are the hallmark symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and unfortunately, perimenopause can make them worse.
Research shows that declining oestrogen and progesterone, combined with rising cortisol, affect the gut microbiome, digestion, and motility. What may have once been a minor annoyance in your 30s can become a daily burden in your 40s and 50s. The frustrating part? Many women are told it’s “just part of getting older” or that they’ll have to “live with it.”
The truth is, you do not have to live in discomfort. By learning to understand and support your body during perimenopause, you can heal your gut, reduce IBS symptoms, and dramatically improve your quality of life, not just now, but forever.
Here are five powerful, science-backed, and natural strategies to help you manage IBS during perimenopause.
1. Rebalance your diet to soothe your gut
Food is often the biggest trigger for IBS symptoms during perimenopause. Hormonal changes affect how you metabolise carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, while also altering the balance of bacteria in your gut. This means that foods you once tolerated without issue may suddenly cause bloating, cramps, or urgency.
The good news is that your diet is also one of the biggest tools for healing.
Key steps
Identify your triggers. Common IBS triggers include gluten, dairy, processed sugar, alcohol, and high-FODMAP foods like onions, garlic, beans, and certain fruits. Keep a symptom diary for two weeks to track patterns between what you eat and how you feel.
Consider a short-term elimination plan. Removing the worst offenders (often gluten, dairy, and ultra-processed foods) for 4 to 6 weeks can give your gut a chance to calm down. The goal isn’t restriction forever, but rather to discover which foods your body can tolerate once balance is restored.
Focus on gut-healing foods. Add foods that feed your microbiome and reduce inflammation:
Prebiotic fibres (asparagus, leeks, bananas, oats).
Fermented foods (sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi, if tolerated).
Omega-3-rich foods (salmon, flaxseeds, walnuts).
Polyphenols (berries, green tea, olive oil).
Stabilise blood sugar. Perimenopause is a time of increased insulin resistance. Blood sugar spikes and crashes fuel both IBS and hormonal chaos. Balance your meals with protein, healthy fats, and fibre.
Why does this work long-term? Rebalancing your diet gives your gut a chance to heal while lowering inflammation, regulating blood sugar, and improving hormone communication. Over time, this isn’t just about symptom management, it’s about teaching your body how to thrive again.
2. Manage stress & calm your nervous system
If there’s one thing that consistently worsens IBS, it’s stress. The gut and brain are intimately connected via the vagus nerve. When stress hormones rise, digestion slows or speeds up unpredictably, leading to constipation, diarrhoea, or painful spasms.
Perimenopause adds another layer. Fluctuating oestrogen and progesterone make your nervous system more sensitive to cortisol, the stress hormone. That’s why many women feel more anxious, irritable, or “on edge” at this stage of life.
Stress-reducing techniques:
Breathwork for digestion. Deep diaphragmatic breathing stimulates the vagus nerve, which directly calms the gut. Practice: inhale for 4, hold for 2, exhale for 6, and repeat for 5 minutes before meals.
Mindfulness & meditation. A daily practice of even 10 minutes reduces cortisol and improves how your body responds to stress. Apps like Headspace or Insight Timer can guide you.
Gentle movement. Yoga, walking, or tai chi reduces nervous system arousal while keeping your gut moving.
Nervous system reset breaks. Instead of pushing through fatigue and overwhelm, build short breaks into your day. Step outside, stretch, or simply pause and breathe.
Why does this work long-term? When you retrain your nervous system to move out of fight-or-flight, your gut is able to digest, absorb nutrients, and eliminate waste more effectively. This isn’t just symptom relief, it’s foundational healing.
3. Support hormone balance through gut health
Perimenopause is defined by shifting levels of oestrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. These hormones don’t just affect periods and hot flashes, they also directly influence digestion and gut bacteria.
Oestrogen: Declines can slow motility, leading to constipation and bloating.
Progesterone: Drops make the gut more sensitive, amplifying pain signals.
Cortisol: Chronic stress raises cortisol, which disrupts gut barrier function and increases inflammation.
Supporting your hormones naturally:
Eat for the estrobolome. The estrobolome is the part of your gut microbiome that regulates oestrogen metabolism. Fibre, flaxseeds, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, cauliflower), and fermented foods support healthy oestrogen balance.
Support liver detoxification. Your liver and gut work together to clear excess hormones. Support them with leafy greens, bitter foods (rocket, dandelion), and hydration.
Use phytoestrogen-rich foods. Foods like flaxseeds, soy, and lentils provide plant-based compounds that can gently support hormone balance.
Why does this work long-term? By supporting your hormones through gut health, you reduce both digestive and perimenopausal symptoms, helping your body transition smoothly rather than chaotically.
4. Prioritise restorative sleep
Sleep often feels elusive during perimenopause. Hot flashes, night sweats, restless legs, and anxiety can leave you lying awake at 3 a.m. Unfortunately, poor sleep worsens IBS symptoms by raising cortisol, disrupting digestion, and weakening immune function.
Steps for better sleep:
Set a consistent sleep-wake cycle. Go to bed and wake up at the same time, even on weekends. This stabilises circadian rhythms.
Create a wind-down routine. Swap late-night scrolling for calming rituals such as a warm bath, herbal tea (chamomile, valerian, lemon balm), or journaling.
Support melatonin naturally. Dim lights in the evening, avoid screens an hour before bed, and get morning sunlight to regulate melatonin production.
Gut-supportive evening snack. A small protein-rich snack (turkey, pumpkin seeds) can support tryptophan production, which aids serotonin and melatonin.
Why does this work long-term? Deep, restorative sleep is when your gut repairs itself. Night-time healing reduces inflammation, supports healthy bowel movements, and calms the nervous system.
5. Build a movement & lifestyle routine that lasts
Exercise is often underestimated in its power to heal IBS. During perimenopause, women often swing between over-exercising, which leads to cortisol spikes, and avoiding movement due to fatigue or discomfort. The key is balance.
Movement tips:
Gentle, consistent exercise. Walking, yoga, Pilates, or swimming improve gut motility and reduce stress without overwhelming the body.
Strength training. Building muscle supports blood sugar regulation, hormone balance, and confidence. Aim for two sessions per week.
Avoid high-intensity overload. While HIIT has benefits, too much can spike cortisol and worsen IBS symptoms. Use sparingly.
Lifestyle habits that support gut health:
Mindful eating. Slow down, chew thoroughly, and eat without distractions. This alone can dramatically reduce bloating.
Hydration. Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water daily. Add electrolytes if you’re experiencing night sweats.
Connection & support. Community and emotional connection reduce stress and improve resilience, both vital for gut healing.
Why does this work long-term? When movement and lifestyle changes become part of your daily rhythm, your gut stays balanced, your hormones stabilise, and your confidence grows.
Conclusion
IBS during perimenopause can feel like a cruel double blow. Your body is changing, your hormones are fluctuating, and now your digestion seems unpredictable. But here’s the empowering truth: you can heal.
By rebalancing your diet, calming your nervous system, supporting hormone balance, prioritising sleep, and building a movement and lifestyle routine that fits your body, you create a foundation for lifelong health.
This isn’t about a temporary fix. These five strategies are about giving you tools to transform not only your digestion, but also your energy, mood, confidence, and quality of life.
Perimenopause doesn’t have to be a time of struggle. It can be a powerful chapter of renewal, healing, and growth. Your body is asking for attention, and when you give it what it needs, it will reward you with freedom, resilience, and joy.
Charlotte Cheetham, Gut Health Coach
Charlotte Cheetham is an expert Gut Coach for menopausal women. After suffering from an acute gut infection, she had to learn how to manage her gut health to prevent another massive flare-up. She has learnt how to manage her nutritional needs to become healthy and happy during menopause. Her mission is to help as many women as possible manage their diet and lifestyle, so they can also learn how to become healthy and happy again.
