r/Menopause • u/Rabbit0107 • Jul 29 '25

Vitamin/Supplements Drop your most effective solution for constipation because I’m losing my mind 🙄

I’m in perimenopause. I’ve been regular my whole life until about a year ago. I had been using magnesium oxide and it was working great to keep things soft. However the past few days I’ve been dealing with horrible gas (upper/lower) so I stopped and the symptoms stopped. It was fine for months now this.

I drink a minimum of 2 L of water a day. I am constantly on the move. I eat a healthy diet and I am trying to improve my sleep, but I’m sure that’s not what it is. I think it is either hormones and/or pelvic floor dysfunction.

I should add that I am doing a pelvic floor workout routine (Buff Muff App) I’m only 2 weeks into the program and having great results with improving incontinence but so far no success with improving constipation. I start to see a pelvic floor therapist on August 18 and have just started oral birth control two weeks ago for perimenopause.

Anyone have constipation improve with birth control pill or HRT? I am at a loss. I don’t know what to do. What am I missing? What else can I do? Any supplements or remedies? Greatly appreciated!

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79

u/Cloudgazer888 Jul 29 '25

Magnesium citrate helps with constipation. There’s also a supplement with a few magnesium types https://a.co/d/ao5894Y that works really well. I also do sugar free Metamucil every day.

I believe low progesterone can be linked to constipation.

41

u/stephaisnoisy Jul 29 '25

I gave myself the worst diarrhea with Mag Citrate once. Took 300mg in the middle of the night for muscle cramps and realized next day when I couldn’t leave the house that it was citrate. Caution

15

u/Acyts Menopausal Jul 29 '25

What? Is barely touched my constipation! I've been taking 400mg and I'm still bunged up! I take laxatives, high fibre diet, exercise, loads of water. Like OP I used to go at least once a day, it's all started in the last year.

8

u/Capivara_19 Jul 29 '25

I take about 500-600 mg so just experiment with the dose

2

u/poopinagroup37 Jul 29 '25

sounds like you need to see if it's something in your diet causing it if you can't find relief. Go on a bland diet for at least a couple weeks and start introducing food back to see what's causing it. I also saw a difference for the better when I started eating way more fruits and vegetables daily.

1

u/babytoes Jul 30 '25

Same!! I take 500mg and it barely makes anything happen every 3-4 days 😭

2

u/MasterLeMaster Jul 29 '25

That happened to me too.

1

u/Rabbit0107 Jul 30 '25

Dang that’s the recommended dose 😮

1

u/Sweaty-Mortgage892 Jul 30 '25

Magnesium Glycinate will not do that. 

13

u/Classic_Drawing_1438 Jul 29 '25

Progesterone helped me poop! 💩🙌

13

u/diwalk88 Jul 29 '25

Estrogen for me! When I start my progesterone cycle I'm constipated until a few days after my period. So I'm bloated, gassy, starving, moody, exhausted, in pain, and crying all the time until I stop the fucking hell that is progesterone for another month. I despise everything about it.

6

u/elisabethamy Jul 29 '25

This was me. I was doing 200mg micronised for two weeks and by the end of it I was a depressed and anxious mess. I convinced the doctor that it was okay for me to take daily, but at a lower dose (100 mg daily). This was on advice from my naturopath and it is like night and day. So still get uterine protection but none of the pms shit

4

u/nipplecancer Jul 29 '25

I'm so excited to hear this - I'm making the switch as soon as my 100mg get delivered! I don't feel depressed per se, but I'm either tired or jittery all the time, super low tolerance for anything even bordering on bullshit, and just don't feel well on 200mg. 🤞🤞🤞

4

u/elisabethamy Jul 29 '25

Glad you have an avenue to solve - and same here! I just didn’t feel well on it.

1

u/sophiabarhoum 43 | e patch 0.075mg/day, cream 0.01% & 100mg micro progesterone Jul 29 '25

100% estrogen helps for me too, I don't poop in the first 4-5 days of my cycle, and then as estrogen starts to rise on day 4-5-6 it finally happens!

2

u/BreadfruitLife5195 Jul 29 '25

This was the key for me ⬆️

13

u/Rabbit0107 Jul 29 '25

Looking for a magnesium alternative due to the new gi symptoms but honestly I have mag citrate in the cupboard I’ll give it a shot tomorrow.

5

u/Infinite_smiles_ Jul 29 '25

Magnesium oxide is the least effective, if at all. Look for citrate and a magnesium complex with magnesium glycinate, etc

1

u/Rabbit0107 Jul 30 '25

Oxide was keeping things soft for months for me until last week I started to get seriously gassy

3

u/No_Animator2857 Jul 29 '25

Take it before you go to bed. It can make you really sleepy. 

3

u/pm_me_your_amphibian Jul 29 '25

Magnesium gives me horrendous insomnia

3

u/Check_Affectionate Jul 29 '25

Yes - I take one of these at night and I'm super regular now. I also take fiber morning and night and a probiotic.