Want to avoid stomach aches forever? Don't eat. Don't stress. Don't drink. Oh, and hope like hell that no one in your family has a history of tummy trouble, either.
Fortunately, you don't have to go to such extremes to feel better. The first step: make an appointment with your doctor or dietician. Sounds obvious, but some women don't mention their stomach problems during appointments because, frankly, they find them quite embarrassing.
Next, examine your lifestyle. Often you can cure yourself of your digestive distress simply by eliminating certain habits that you may not even realize are causing your symptoms. Finally, don't worry - even if your problem is a medical one, there are plenty of treatment options. And, when lifestyle changes don't help, medication often does.
Here are the most common causes of digestive woe in women - as well as some simple solutions for speedy relief.
1. You're popping pills instead of eating right
Everyone takes the occasional antacid, but if you find yourself downing over-the-counter acid blockers morning, noon and night, you may have GERD or gastroesophageal reflux disease. This is a chronic condition caused by stomach acid moving up into the oesophagus - usually due to a weakness in the muscular valve that separates the stomach and the oesophagus.
A 2005 review published in the medical journal Gut concluded that up to 20% of all Westerners suffer from GERD - and the first step towards getting healthy, involves making lifestyle changes and watching what you eat.
Specific foods - citrus fruits, tomatoes, chocolate, fatty dishes, garlic, onion - as well as nicotine, wine and caffeinated beverages can trigger GERD.
Keep a food diary for two weeks so you can pinpoint which foods are particular problems for you. Fill up on fiber-rich foods like fruit, vegetables and whole grains, and limit saturated fat.
This advice is echoed by a study from Baylor College of Medicine in the US, which reported that people who consumed high-fiber diets (at least 20g a day), were 20% less likely to suffer from GERD. Subjects whose diets were low in saturated fat were also found to reduce their odds.
2. Your stress is a digestive strain
Ever wonder why you have to run to the bathroom constantly when you're facing a tight deadline at work, or fretting over a fight with your partner? When you're frazzled, elevated levels of stress hormones activate the normal contractions of both your stomach and colon, causing them to go into spasms. (Plus stress hormones can contribute to the overproduction of stomach acid, making you more susceptible to GERD.)
On top of that, stress often begets poor eating, which can cause constipation and even more bloating.
When you know you're going to have a tough day, eat regular, small meals so you're never too hungry or too full, and avoid overindulging in caffeine - all of which can trigger stomach upset.
Then get moving: an aerobic workout at least 30 minutes each day won't just help siphon away stress, it will also help counter constipation by accelerating the movement of food through your digestive tract.
3. Your bowel is easily irritated
If you've had intestinal pain for more than three months, you may have what doctors call irritable bowel syndrome (IBS, a problem that affects about one in every five women). ‘It's not clear what causes IBS,' says Dr Linda Friedland in her book Self: The Essential Health and Life Guide for Today's Woman (Tafelberg). ‘Excessive stress, changes in diet, emotional upsets, or hormonal changes seem to be some of the factors that increase the symptoms.' According to Friedland, antispasmodic medication may be required to relieve your bowel spasms. She also suggests eating a low-fat diet, cutting down on caffeine and alcohol, monitoring fiber intake and avoiding any gas-producing foods, like cabbage, onions, cauliflower or spinach.
4. You're lactose-intolerant
About one in four women have trouble digesting lactose, a sugar found naturally in dairy products like milk, ice cream and soft cheese.
If you suspect that your symptoms of gas or bloating are a result of lactose intolerance, cut out dairy products for a couple weeks to see if the situation improves. Although, there is also a lactose-intolerance blood test available.
If you are lactose-intolerant, you don't have to give up dairy entirely. Yoghurt and hard cheese are the easiest for your body to break down; yoghurt contains enzymes that help you process the lactose and hard cheese simply doesn't contain much lactose in the first place.
Some women also find that drinking milk with food also helps to minimize some of their symptoms.
5. You're eating too much fruit
A study from the University of Kansas Medical Centre found that almost half the patients who complained of unexplained gas and bloating, after consuming 25g of fructose (the simple sugar found in fruit), were actually fructose-intolerant. This means their bodies aren't able to digest fructose properly.
If you're fructose-intolerant, your first step should be to steer clear of products that contain fructose as the primary sugar - like apple juice. While you won't need to swear off fruit entirely, you may have to avoid certain kinds. You should limit your consumption of fruits that are specifically high in fructose, like apples and bananas. One medium apple contains about 8g of fructose and one medium banana almost 6g, while apricots contain less than 1g apiece.
Another strategy: spread out your daily fruit servings so you don't eat them all in one sitting.
6. You're chewing gum to stop snacking
Believe it or not, gum is a big contributor to stomach strife because, while you're chewing, you swallow lots of air that can create gas and bloating. In addition, some sugarless gums contain the sweetener sorbitol, just small amounts of which can contribute to considerable swelling in your stomach.
One study published in the journal Gastroenterology found that just 10g of sorbitol (the equivalent of a few sugar-free sweets) produced symptoms, while 20g caused both cramps and diarrhoea.
7. You're sensitive to wheat
Coeliac disease (also known as gluten intolerance) is a classic example of food sensitivity and may be more common than previously thought. In cases of coeliac disease, gluten (found in wheat, rye, barley and many packaged products), sets off an autoimmune reaction that causes the body to produce anti-bodies that attack tiny hair-like projections in the small intestine, responsible for absorbing vitamins, minerals and water.
Over time, these projections, or villi, are damaged, causing abdominal cramping or bloating, and an inability to absorb nutrients. This can make sufferers more susceptible to vitamin and mineral deficiencies, as well as to conditions like anaemia and osteoporosis.
There's a strong genetic link too: the disease occurs in 5 to 15% of the children and siblings of people who suffer from it. Although the diagnosis can be made via a simple antibody blood test coeliac disease is easily missed because the symptoms so closely mimic those of conditions like lactose intolerance and IBS.
The dietary treatment involves eliminating grains, such as wheat, rye and barley. But following a gluten-free diet can be tricky, so you may have to take a trip to the nutritionist to sort out what you can and can't eat. Once you modify your diet, the symptoms will probably disappear. Gluten-free products are available at most health shops.
8. You're overweight
Carrying extra kilos can leave you more susceptible to developing gallstones, solid deposits of cholesterol or calcium salts that cause severe pain in your upper-right abdomen. Gallstones occur in up to 20% of US women by age 60, and women between ages of 20 and 60 are three times more likely to develop them than men. Pregnancy, oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy further increase this risk.
Excess weight also increases your risk of GERD: one study published at the Baylor College of Medicine found that overweight people were 50% more likely to develop GERD than those at a healthy weight. Extra weight puts pressure on your stomach, which in turn puts pressure on the valve between the stomach and your esophagus. This makes it easier for acid to back up.
