This may sound familiar: you’re at work, in a social setting, visiting with family, or sitting around at home and it hits you: gas pains, feeling nauseous, a bloated and hard stomach, and the “oh no, not again” thoughts racing through your head. You’re already dealing with perimenopause and menopause symptoms like fatigue, hot flashes, and weight gain. Why can’t you catch a break?

We would like to give you some tips on how to catch that break. Let’s begin with some natural remedies for gas and bloating that are common in the perimenopause and menopause years and then consider some other possible causes for your gas and bloating.

Read about menopause and bloating

How to banish gas and bloating naturally

Take a personal inventory of your eating and lifestyle habits and then adopt those tips that seem to fit you!

• Eat more slowly. Swallowing food that has not been chewed thoroughly can contribute to the formation of gas and bloating. Chew each bite about 30 times or until it is like liquid. It also helps to eat while seated and relaxed instead of walking or driving. 

• Drink from a glass. Using a straw and drinking from a can or bottle cause you to swallow air and contribute to gas and bloating.

• Say no to gum. People who chew gum usually swallow air while chewing. If you choose gum that contains artificial sweeteners, these can cause gas and bloating as well.

• Take probiotics. Beneficial bacteria can help balance the microorganism population in your gut and thus restore digestive harmony. Choose a product that contains four or more strains from the Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains.

• Don’t smoke. This include traditional smoking as well as vaping, as both cause air to enter your digestive tract.

• Avoid certain foods and beverages. You may want to keep a diary so you can track which items cause gas and bloating. However, some common culprits include carbonated beverages, dairy foods, fried foods, onions and garlic, anything with artificial sweeteners, cruciferous veggies, legumes, spice foods, and prunes. 

• Sip healing teas. Chamomile, ginger, peppermint, and anise teas may ease digestive problems. Do not use anise tea if you have diarrhea.

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• Chew fennel seeds. Fennel is an old remedy for relieving gas. Chew on about a teaspoon of seeds after eating.

• Take clove oil. A few drops of clove oil in water after a meal can relieve gas, bloating, and indigestion. It may also help fight stomach ulcers.

• Try heat. Use of a heating pad or hot water bottle on your stomach may relax the muscles and help prompt gas to travel through the intestinal tract. 

• Choose vinegar. A tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar stirred into 8 ounces of water can be taken before a meal to prevent bloating and gas. 

• Use activated charcoal. Tablets of this supplement taken before and after meals can prevent the development of trapped gas. Use of charcoal can turn your stool black, but is harmless.

• Exercise. Daily exercise can help relax the muscles in your gut and assist gas through your digestive tract. Yoga, walking, tai chi, and moderate aerobics can be helpful.

• Consider the FODMAP diet. This acronym stands for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols and basically is a diet you can follow temporarily to restrict certain carbohydrates (fermentable short-chain carbs) to get symptom relief and allow the digestive system to rest. The FODMAP diet is complex but can be very effective for anyone who has been diagnosed with IBS or SIBO.

Read about menopause and irritable bowel syndrome

Consider digestive issues

If you were diagnosed with digestive conditions prior to perimenopause or menopause, such as irritable bowel syndrome, lactose intolerance, small intestinal bowel overgrowth (SIBO), or intestinal methane overgrowth, your symptoms may get worse during these transitional years. It is also possible you have newly developed one of these GI challenges.

Irritable bowel syndrome is the most common gastrointestinal disorder in the world, and it mostly affects women. Its symptoms include diarrhea, constipation, nausea, bloating, abdominal pain, and indigestion. More than 84 percent of people with IBS have SIBO, which is characterized by excessive amounts of bacteria in the small intestine. It is also the most common cause of food intolerances, such as lactose intolerance.

Intestinal methane overgrowth is a subset of SIBO and characterized by an overgrowth of microorganisms that produce methane. Symptoms commonly include bloating, abdominal distention, and constipation. Other gastrointestinal conditions that may affect women in perimenopause and menopause include GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and ulcers. 

When to see your doctor

If your gas and/or bloating symptoms do not improve after you adopt various dietary and lifestyle remedies, or if you experience blood in your stool, worsening symptoms, unexplained weight loss, or troublesome nausea or vomiting, you should see your doctor as soon as possible. You may be asked to undergo testing to determine if you have developed a digestive condition that may need further treatment. 

Bottom line

Bloating and gas are two common symptoms among women in the perimenopause and menopause years. Often these symptoms can be managed effectively by making some dietary and lifestyle changes. Persistent symptoms may need some extra attention to identify their cause before management can take place.