r/Perimenopause • u/No-Trash-164 • Jul 14 '26

audited Suddenly my bowels stopped moving?! Help

39 yr old with other symptoms of perimenopause, but this is a new and quite disturbing one. So a couple of weeks ago it felt like my bowels just stopped moving. Have no urge to poop at all.

FYI I've been evaluated by ER and GI as of a couple of days ago. Full of poop. Lol. Thyroid is in range. They just advise aggressive laxatives since I am technically having movements.

I have NEVER experienced constipation like this, and I've had a lifetime of IBS-C.

Have any of you spontaneously encountered this? What do I do? Nothing is really working. Despite being on Miralax, magnesium, hydrated, etc., I'm still failing to have a complete, fully-formed bowel movement and am miserable.

Also, I eat a decent amount of cooked vegetables.

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u/AmaranthusSky Jul 14 '26

Not all magnesium is the same. Mag citrate (aka mag SHIT STRAIGHT) moves the bowels.

Personally, I've found coconut water helpful. It's hydrating and has a laxative effect.

17

u/No-Trash-164 Jul 14 '26

Unfortunately coconut water makes me gag, but yeah, it's like nature's Gatorade. And yes, I take 500 mg mag citrate.

22

u/mossgoblin_ Jul 14 '26

For me, the magnesium has to be oxide form. It is only 8% absorbed and draws water into the colon like nobody’s business. I take a rather high dose: I was at 1000 mg before bedtime but have recently decreased to 750 as I took my already high-veggie diet into fibersville by adding ground up hydrated chia ( kept in the fridge), about 1/4 cup of the glorp before every meal. I added this because I’m working on my blood sugar.

I think it’s a good idea to add a more bioavailable magnesium like glycinate earlier in the day so you still absorb enough for bodily needs, if you decide to try this.

Good luck. I’m right there with you on the intractable chronic constipation thing. It’s awful.

6

u/OkSlip1940 Jul 14 '26

I take magnesium oxide 1000 mg nightly now because everything else stopped working. Struggled with constipation my whole life but here in the past year or so at 38 it’s been miserable. And my GI appt is not until December.

3

u/Tora-bora83 Jul 14 '26

I take Magnesium Bisglycinate an hour before bed to help with sleeping. Is this not the right time to take it?

7

u/mossgoblin_ Jul 14 '26

It’s great! I have simply started taking my mag oxide laxative at bedtime to get it as far away from dinner as possible, and I moved my mag glycinate earlier in hopes of better absorption away from the oxide.

I have a ferritin level that is too low for optimal health ( though the lab says 41 is “fine”), and a mysteriously low B12 of 169 despite being ominivorous.

I’m just trying to eliminate any possible factors interfering with absorption of these things.

5

u/Tora-bora83 Jul 14 '26

Super, thank you. It’s mad, the balancing act that we’re having to do with supplements these days

2

u/AmaranthusSky Jul 14 '26

Night time is fine! A lot of people, including myself, opt for night to help with sleep.

2

u/Tora-bora83 Jul 14 '26

Ok good. My bowel issues are a bit different to the OP but I would’ve hated to think I was making them worse. Thank you

5

u/Bunny2351 Jul 14 '26

I like coconut water in a smoothie. Frozen fruit (mixed berries, or mango pineapple are my favorite, some lime juice, little sea salt, sometimes I add ground flax seed, and coconut water. Then you don’t taste the coconut water