What do bloating and hot flashes have in common?

mariekesteen
Apr 25
2 min read

#perimenopause #bloatinghelp #hotflashes #womenshealth #guthealth #hormonebalance #over40wellness #liverhealth #freemasterclass

If you’ve ever felt like your body has turned into a mystery novel during perimenopause - you never know when the bloating will come up or your mood will suddenly change… you’re not alone.

Bloating and hot flashes are two of the most common complaints I hear from women in their 40s and 50s. They seem unrelated on the surface: one is digestive, the other hormonal. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll see these symptoms are often part of the same story.

So what’s the connection?

Let’s start with hormones. Estrogen plays a key role in everything from fluid balance to digestive motility to temperature regulation. As estrogen fluctuates - often wildly - during perimenopause, it can disrupt your gut and your internal thermostat at the same time.

Here are 3 ways bloating and hot flashes can be connected:

1. Estrogen Imbalance Affects Both Digestion and Thermoregulation

As estrogen drops, digestion can slow down. This can lead to gas, bloating, and sluggish elimination. At the same time, falling estrogen affects the hypothalamus - the brain's temperature control center - causing those classic waves of heat, night sweats, and sleep disruption.

2. Stress and Cortisol

Perimenopause is often a perfect storm of hormonal shifts and life stress. When cortisol is high, digestion takes a back seat, leading to bloating. Chronic stress also increases the likelihood of hot flashes, particularly at night.

3. Gut Health and Detox Overload

A compromised gut or a sluggish liver can contribute to estrogen not being properly detoxified from the body. This can worsen bloating and also increase the frequency and intensity of hot flashes. Supporting your gut and liver function is key to symptom relief.

It’s not “just your age”

If you’ve been told that this is just part of getting older and you need to “deal with it: please know that’s simply not true. These symptoms are signals from your body that something’s out of balance.

The good news? There’s a lot you can do to calm both the belly and the internal heat blast.

Join me for a free live webinar where I’ll walk you through: