3. Microbiome composition

Emerging research has started to show that women tend to have a more diverse (5) gut microbiome than men - which can be both beneficial and problematic. While microbial diversity can be beneficial for overall health, excessive diversity or imbalances in microbial populations can lead to gut dysbiosis. Gut dysbiosis is associated with various digestive disorders, including IBS (6) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). (7) An imbalanced microbiome can result in the overgrowth of harmful bacteria, which can contribute to digestive distress.

Studies have also found that women have a specific set of bacteria and microbiomes that work together to manage estrogen levels, known as the estrobolome. Since it’s role is to metabolize your body’s circulating estrogen, if there is an imbalance in your estrobolome as a result of dysbiosis, it can lead to further hormone imbalances like estrogen dominance. Simply put, imbalances on either end of the estrogen-gut microbiome axis (8) puts you in a vicious cycle of hormone and microbiome problems - each one perpetuating the other.

4. Emotional stress

The connection between stress and digestive distress is well established, and compared to men, women are more likely to experience higher levels of chronic stress due to various social, economic, and caregiving responsibilities. This could very well be the reason women’s increased rates of digestive problems since stress has been shown to increase intestinal permeability, raise inflammation levels in the digestive tract, (9) and trigger flare-ups in those already diagnosed with inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis. (10)

But to better understand this connection, we have to look at your enteric nervous system (ENS). Not only is the ENS part of your nervous system, it actually lives within the walls of your gastrointestinal tract. In fact, there are over 200 to 600 million neurons of the ENS embedded in the mucosal lining and muscles that make up the gut. Working directly ith the central nervous system to modulate digestion it is also involved in other bodily processes, including the stress response as the two systems send messages back and forth. Therefore, anytime you are stressed you are directly impacting your gut health. Another perfect example of the gut-brain axis at work!

5. Proactive nature

Women tend to be more proactive when it comes to seeking medical care compared to men which may contribute to higher rates of diagnoses for chronic gut health problems. As evidenced in my telehealth functional medicine clinic, my largest patient base is women - specifically between the ages of 30-65. 

So whether or not women are truly more likely to suffer from digestive problems than men is slightly debatable since men can delay medical attention for their symptoms, resulting in fewer men being diagnosed and skewed statistics.

The Takeaway

If you are a woman struggling with digestive distress, it’s important to emphasize that you are not alone in this journey and you are not the only one dealing with gut problems. While this might feel like an uphill battle, the good news is that there is hope for healing. Getting your hormones tested, managing your stress levels through tools like breathwork and meditation, cleaning up your diet, and finding a probiotic that works for you are all steps you can take to begin your healing journey.

In my telehealth functional medicine clinic, we work with you to identify the root cause behind your digestive problems, in order to put together a plan of action to alleviate your symptoms. If you are ready to reclaim your gut health, schedule a telehealth consultation today to learn more about how we can help you with functional medicine.

As one of the first functional medicine telehealth clinics in the world, we provide webcam health consultations for people around the globe.

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