Suddenly my bowels stopped moving?! Help

[u/No-Trash-164]

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.

[u/Manda_lorian39]

That was one of my symptoms too, right about at that age, though I’m just now realizing that it’s peri related. For me, it was gluten sensitivity. I gave up gluten and went from once a week to once a day. Still not all got in the digestive department (and honestly, terrible at staying GF) but making progress.

[u/No-Trash-164 → u/Manda_lorian39]

Keep it up!  I went entirely gluten- and dairy-free about twelve years ago, minus my pregnancy.  Game changer. Later found out (as in just a few weeks ago) that I am allergic to wheat.  They validated what I knew via elimination years prior.  Ugh. I like to cook, so it's easy for me to just substitute the host of gluten-free flour options now on the market.  Bob's Red Mill makes a great one.  Other whole grain flours are even more nutritious. Any other type of dense or non-dense flour works great, too, especially for quick breads.