Having inflammatory bowel disease (IBD, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or indeterminate colitis) may affect the menstrual cycle. Menstruating people should be aware of the changes that may occur over a lifetime of living with IBD.
IBD and Your Period
- IBD is a diagnosis of young people: It’s common to be diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 35
- What’s “normal” is a range: Periods can change over time and are different between individuals
- Patterns are important: Charting periods over time will help in understanding your “normal”
- Differences in the 1st year: In the year before or after an IBD diagnosis, periods might change
- IBD and period symptoms: Women with IBD report more nausea, gas, and abdominal pain during their period than women who don’t have IBD
- IBD diagnosis may matter: Women with Crohn’s disease report period symptoms more often than do those with ulcerative colitis
Symptoms to Bring to Your Doctor
- Periods closer than every 21 days or further apart than every 45 days
- 90 days+ between periods
- A period lasting more than 7 days
- Heavy bleeding and changing pads or tampons every 1 to 2 hours
Sources:
Saha S, Zhao YQ, Shah SA, et al. Menstrual cycle changes in women with inflammatory bowel disease: a study from the ocean state Crohn’s and colitis area registry. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2014;20:534-540. doi:10.1097/01.MIB.0000441347.94451.cf
Lim SM, Nam CM, Kim YN, et al. The effect of the menstrual cycle on inflammatory bowel disease: a prospective study. Gut Liver. 2013;7:51-57. doi:10.5009/gnl.2013.7.1.51
*Note: Studies cited included patients that were identified as “women.” The gender spectrum was not defined or encompassed in these studies and all patients were defined as “women.”