Bloating may be far from life-threatening, but it sure is annoying and uncomfortable, right? Your clothes don’t fit, your stomach hurts, you feel self-conscious, and it’s just unfair! However, bloating and perimenopause and menopause are a common occurrence, although at least by postmenopause, it’s not so much of an issue.

What is bloating?

Bloating is a feeling of moderate to severe tightness, swelling, or fullness in your abdomen and other areas of your body. Abdominal bloating is caused by extra gas or fluid in the gastrointestinal tract. Some women experience temporary weight gain associated with bloating.

Why am I bloated?

We have to point our finger at fluctuating hormones as the main culprit behind bloating during perimenopause and menopause. In fact, the main hormone behind this uncomfortable symptom is estrogen. Elevated estrogen levels that occur during perimenopause can cause water retention, which then causes bloating.

Bloating also may occur during menopause because of an accumulation of gas in your gastrointestinal tract. This bloating can be associated with stress, diet, smoking, swallowed air, exercise, or a health issue. Postmenopause bloating is more likely to be caused by one of these factors rather than hormones because hormonal changes are minimal by that time.

You’re less likely to experience bloating during postmenopause once your ovaries have completely stopped producing estrogen and progesterone and your body has settled into its low hormone state. There’s definitely something to be said about the advantages of postmenopause!

How do I treat bloating naturally?

Good news! Bloating often responds to lifestyle changes, and consistently is the key. For example:

• Change your diet. Avoid foods associated with bloating, such as fatty foods, dairy products, and overly processed foods (which are typically high in salt).

You also may want to limit your consumption of gassy foods, such as beans, cruciferous vegetables (e.g., broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts), wheat, onions, and garlic.

• Skip the sodas. Soft drinks and other carbonated beverages can cause your stomach to fill with air and you to feel bloated.
• Pass on gum. Chewing gum also can cause your stomach to fill with air.
• Avoid alcohol and smoking. Both of these habits increase the likelihood of bloating.
• Stay well hydrated. It may seem counterintuitive, but if you don’t drink enough water and stay hydrated, you may experience bloating.
• Get more exercise. Not only should you exercise more (4 to 5 days a week), but also switch it up. Do cardio one day and strength exercises the next. In this way you work different muscles and parts of your body and help keep your organ systems performing optimally. Squats can be especially effective for releasing gas.
• Pose. You can try certain yoga poses that promote the release of excess gas from the gastrointestinal tract. These poses include Happy Baby Pose and Child’s Pose.
• Do massage. You can massage your abdomen to help ease bloating. This simple massage follows the path of the large intestine. Place your hands just above your right hip bone. Using light pressure, rub in a circular motion up toward the right side of your rib cage. Keep rubbing as you move straight across your upper abdomen toward your left rib cage. Continue rubbing, now moving toward your left hip bone. Repeat this sequence as necessary.
• Take probiotics. A probiotic supplement that contains five or more species of beneficial bacteria may be helpful. Probiotics help regulate the bacteria in your intestinal tract that can produce gas and cause bloating.

when to see a health provider

If you experience prolonged bloating that does not improve, you should talk to your doctor. It’s possible the bloating is associated with a medical issue, such as inflammatory bowel disease, gastritis, ovarian cysts, or endometriosis. In most cases, however, bloating eventually goes away on its own and is not a cause for concern.

bottom line

Bloating during perimenopause and the years beyond is an annoyance for many women, and a symptom that most of us would love to eliminate if at all possible! Following a variety of lifestyle changes can significantly alleviate this symptom and help make buttoning those jeans and slipping into that black dress just a little bit easier.