What is period poop?

Remember that children’s book, ‘Everybody Poops’?  Well, everyone does poop but what is period poop?  Is it normal and if not, what should you do?

First, what is period poop?

Do you notice that you have ‘poops’ around your cycle?  It’s either a few days before your period is going to start or a few days in.  So, what is period poop?  Those are period poops!

What is normal?

Everyone does poop but what is a normal frequency for a bowel movement?  Some people poop every day, while some go every few days.  But, what’s normal?  Here’s what you should know:

• You should have a bowel movement just about every day.
• The poop should not be the size of pebbles and should not be runny (i.e. diarrhea).
• There should be no visible food in your poop (if there is, it’s a sign you aren’t digesting your food completely).
• It should smell like poop but it shouldn’t smell like a toxic bomb.

Why should you be concerned?

There are a few reasons that you should pay attention to your poop.

1. If you aren’t having regular bowel movements, that means your body isn’t eliminating waste – which is toxic to your body and causes inadequate levels of the bacteria in your digestive tract, which can cause IBS.   We need to have the proper levels so that we feel good and so that our estrogen levels stay balanced.
2. It shouldn’t be hard to pass stool nor should it just slide right out of us.  Hard stool can cause other problems like hemorrhoids. Loose stools also cause problems because you aren’t absorbing nutrients from the foods you are eating.
3. You may not be digesting your food properly either.

In fact, there is a reason for some of this and it all has to do with our hormones and our gut health.  One hormone goes up.  Then, when it drops later in your cycle, another one increases and it’s the increase in prostaglandins that could cause our bowels to let loose.

But this is exactly why you need to maintain good eating habits.  The nutrients in the high-quality foods you should be eating will help to minimize these issues.  It will subsequently help prevent both Leaky gut and imbalances in your gut – the microbiome.  Having imbalances is why probiotics are beneficial to your diet.  Otherwise, we risk the following symptoms:

Symptoms of gut imbalances:

• Gas – and this is so uncomfortable.  And, it seems every food bothers you.  Not fun!
• Concentration or inability to remember things
• IBS, tummy troubles, diarrhea or constipation
• Weight issues

Years ago, I had an overgrowth in my intestines.  It was called H. plyori and it was awful.  I suffered for months.  My breath was bad, and I always had gas.  Further, I always had runny stools.  I kept taking heartburn medication because I kept burping, and everything kept coming up on me.  It was terrible.

After I couldn’t take it anymore, I went to see the doctor and we discovered I had H. plyori.  I needed a course of antibiotics to clear it up.  Little did I realize that both my diet and my birth control was a contributing factor.  Both have an effect on our hormones.  This is just one more example of something in which I started to realize what I was putting into my body wasn’t good.

If you’re wondering ‘What is period poop?’, it may be time to come to terms with the fact that this has everything to do with your hormones and it’s time to do something about it.  Luckily, many of the ‘remedies’ mean you can make small shifts in your habits to help live a better, happier life.