Pooping and Progresterone?
(or why women NEED to have a daily bowel movement?)
What does pooping have to do with hormones?
If you think these two things are completely unrelated—or if you’re a woman of reproductive age who often goes long stretches without regular daily bowel movements, or you frequently get constipated right before your period—then this is exactly the post you need to read.
Bowel movement is a physical process where your colon contracts and pushes waste out of the body. You may think this happens automatically, like a simple “input–output” machine: you eat, so you poop. But in reality, it’s not that simple. Many factors influence how efficient this process is—including the hormones that regulate your menstrual cycle and fertility.
Yes, you read that right. During the menstrual cycle, changes in hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and prostaglandins directly affect gut activity. For example, in the second half of the cycle (or during pregnancy), rising levels of progesterone slow down intestinal motility. That means food and waste move more slowly through the digestive tract.
Right before and during menstruation, the body produces more prostaglandins (hormones that make the uterus contract to shed the uterine lining). But these hormones also act on the intestines, increasing bowel contractions.
That’s why many women experience constipation before their period or during pregnancy, then swing to diarrhea or digestive upset once their period starts. Among women with hormonal imbalances, constipation and digestive issues are even more common. Community studies consistently show that women of reproductive age are significantly more prone to constipation or digestive disorders than men—with up to one-third of women affected.
Women’s hormones make constipation more likely, but women are also the very ones who NEED to poop every single day.
Why? Because pooping doesn’t just eliminate food waste—it also clears out hormones that the liver has already metabolized, like excess estrogen. If constipation slows this process, estrogen and other hormones can be reabsorbed into the bloodstream, disrupting hormonal balance and harming women’s endocrine health.
This creates a vicious cycle:
Hormone imbalance → Constipation → More hormone imbalance → Worse constipation, and repeat.
So how can you make sure you poop every day?
The simplest, most natural ways are:
Eating a variety of fibers (especially soluble fiber).
Ensuring adequate magnesium in your daily diet.
Occasionally giving your digestive system deliberate periods of “rest and reset.”
When the colon is well-nourished, it functions more smoothly and becomes less sensitive to hormonal fluctuations. Your health (and hormones) will thank you for this!
