Does perimenopause cause nausea? Main causes and how to get relief

Perimenopause can cause nausea? Yes and no

Perimenopause is a normal life transition, but navigating it can be challenging. Hormonal changes can cause a range of symptoms, which may become more prominent as you move toward menopause. While perimenopause in itself doesn’t cause nausea, it is possible to experience queasiness from other symptoms. Finding the root cause of your nausea makes it easier to treat the symptoms and find relief.

How perimenopause hormone shifts affect your mood and body

As women, our primary sex hormones such as estrogen and progesterone play a key role in our menstrual cycle, influencing numerous bodily functions. Estrogen in particular is responsible for helping maintain bone density, mood regulation, cognitive function, cardiovascular health, and more. During perimenopause, its levels begin to drop, triggering a range of symptoms like hot flashes, mood swings, and brain fog. These symptoms, not the hormones themselves, are rarely responsible for perimenopause nausea. Let’s take a closer look at the role each hormone plays in perimenopausal symptoms.

The estrogen rollercoaster

Estrogen is one of the most important hormones for women, since it regulates numerous bodily functions. What do estrogen levels have to do with perimenopause and menopause nausea? During perimenopause, estrogen levels begin to decline, which may reduce the hormone’s anti-inflammatory effects on the digestive tract. This is one reason why peri- and postmenopausal women are more frequently affected by acid reflux, which is often minimal during the reproductive years. This reflux can lead to a burning sensation and feelings of nausea.

Progesterone’s impact on digestion

Progesterone is the other primary sex hormone responsible for menstrual cycle regulation. While its main role is to prepare the uterus for pregnancy, it has other important functions as well. For instance, progesterone slows down the contraction of smooth muscles in the intestines. This is why pregnant women often experience constipation, as their progesterone levels are significantly elevated. However, during perimenopause, progesterone levels drop, which removes this slowing effect on the digestive tract.

The stress connection: Cortisol and your gut

The transition through perimenopause is rarely easy. Many women face heightened stress as they navigate demanding life roles alongside a changing body. This stress can trigger a constant “fight or flight” response, flooding the system with adrenaline and cortisol. When stress takes over, it disrupts the nervous system’s control of your digestion. Instead of working smoothly, your stomach’s rhythm becomes irregular and “off-beat.” This lack of coordination is a primary cause of perimenopausal nausea, bloating, and stomach pain.

How does perimenopause nausea differ from morning sickness?

While you might expect perimenopausal nausea to feel different from pregnancy-related nausea, they can be indistinguishable. Instead, you should consider other factors, such as your eating habits and the timing of the symptoms—did the nausea start before, during, or after a meal? As your diet, symptoms and other factors could be responsible for this feeling.

Thus, if your period is delayed and you are feeling nauseated, the most reliable way to distinguish between perimenopause and pregnancy is to take a pregnancy test.

Nausea during perimenopause is often triggered by stress, low blood sugar, or as a physical reaction to other symptoms like hot flashes. In contrast, ‘morning sickness’ is driven by pregnancy-related hormones. Despite its name, morning sickness can occur at any time of day and is primarily linked to rising levels of hCG and potentially the hormone GDF15. Other contributing factors include metabolic shifts in blood sugar and a heightened sensitivity to smells and tastes.

What other perimenopause symptoms make your nausea worse?

Now that you know that nausea in perimenopause is symptom-related, we can discuss which side effects can worsen stomach upset.

• Hot flashes – Hot flashes are a sudden and intense feeling of warmth in the chest, neck, and face. They’re generally accompanied by a rapid heartbeat, flushing, and sweating. Women in perimenopause experience hot flashes when their estrogen level drops, confusing the brain’s inner thermostat and causing a rapid cooling response. Only around 5% of women experience hot flashes accompanied by nausea.
• Anxiety and panic – Anxiety and panic can have a direct impact on your gastrointestinal system, causing nausea. In perimenopause, hormonal shifts can disrupt GABA and serotonin production in the brain, two important chemicals that regulate calm and mood. Additionally, hormone fluctuations can make the nervous system more reactive, causing sleep disturbances. All of these factors combined can wreak havoc on your stomach, making you feel queasy.
• Headaches & migraines – The hormonal changes in perimenopause, particularly declining estrogen levels, impact your brain’s neurotransmitters, causing a hyper-sensitive nervous system. When paired with dehydration, stress, sleep issues, and poor diet, these shifts can cause perimenopausal headaches and migraines. When you have a headache or nausea, it impacts your central nervous system and can lead to nausea.
• Poor sleep – If you’ve ever missed a night’s sleep, you may recall feeling sick to your stomach the next day.

How to find relief from perimenopause nausea

Nausea can make accomplishing everyday tasks challenging. No matter the cause, finding relief is a top priority. Here are some of the top steps you can take to feel better quickly.

Immediate relief strategies

When nausea strikes, these strategies can help you fight stomach upset and feel better.

• Sip cool water or peppermint or ginger tea.
• Get fresh air; open a window or step outside.
• Practice slow, deep or belly breathing.
• Apply a cool compress to your forehead or neck.
• Try acupressure wristbands.

While natural remedies can be effective for extreme or persistent nausea, they may not be enough. Knowing when to see a doctor for medical advice is important, so you don’t have to suffer needlessly. Your healthcare professional can identify the root cause and prescribe anti-nausea medication. If your sickness is due to anxiety or mood disorders, they may also prescribe antidepressants (SSRIs).

Dietary changes for long-term management

Our diets can play a key role in how we feel, so when dealing with nausea, it’s a great place to start. These tips are easy to implement into your daily routine.

• Focus on bland, easy-to-digest foods – Certain items, like caffeine, alcohol, and processed or spicy foods, can irritate the stomach lining, causing you to feel sick. When nausea occurs, focus on eating bland foods like toast, bananas, rice, and applesauce until you feel better.
• Eat small, frequent meals – When you eat one or two large meals in a day, it can overload your digestive system.
• Identify and avoid your triggers – Every woman is unique, and so is her digestive system. Avoid foods that trigger nausea, like dairy or items with strong smells. Knowing what foods to stay away from lets you focus on eating ones that are easier on your stomach.
• Stay hydrated – Dehydration is a contributing factor to feeling nauseated, but the good news is it’s easily avoided. Aim to drink water regularly throughout the day. A good way to check your hydration level is by your urine: if it is light yellow and you don’t feel thirsty, you are likely properly hydrated.

Powerful lifestyle adjustments

While diet plays a huge role in how you feel, your lifestyle is also important. Focusing on positive habits will set you up for success.

• Prioritize sleep – Sleep is essential to hormonal balance and your overall wellbeing. To ensure you get enough rest avoid electronics and caffeine before bedtime and stick to a nightly routine.
• Manage stress – As you’ve learned, stress can wreak havoc on your body. Gentle exercises like yoga or walking can help with serotonin production, while meditation can help you feel relaxed and calm.
• Exercise regularly – Daily exercise is essential to bone and muscle support, hormonal balance, and mental wellbeing, but it’s also helpful for digestion. When you exercise, you help keep your digestive tract moving, which can reduce indigestion, bloating, constipation, and nausea.

Your symptom tracking toolkit

The first step to managing nausea is understanding its patterns, which is why tracking your symptoms is so beneficial. Using a tracking app like Hormona makes it easy to record how you feel, while documenting corresponding information like what you ate, where you are in your menstrual cycle, and how much you’ve slept. With Hormona, you can track your symptoms and have access to an extensive selection of resources to learn more about how your body works and why you feel the way you do.

Medical treatments for perimenopause nausea

If you’ve tried different strategies for relieving nausea with no success, you may need to contact your doctor. They’ll provide actionable steps and may prescribe medications to help you find relief.

• Anti-nausea medications (Antiemetics) – In severe cases, doctors can prescribe anti-nausea medications.
• Reviewing current medications – Your doctor may review your current medications to determine if they may be a cause or contributing factor to your upset stomach.

When to see a doctor about nausea

While often benign, in cases of severe or ongoing nausea it’s important to contact a healthcare professional. When should you see your doctor for nausea symptoms?

• Nausea is severe or persistent and disrupts your daily life.
• You are vomiting frequently or unable to keep fluids down.
• It’s accompanied by severe abdominal pain, high fever, or bloody stool.
• You’ve lost weight unintentionally.
• You suspect it could be a side effect of a medication you’re taking.

FAQs

What does perimenopause nausea feel like?

Nausea related to perimenopause symptoms can range from mild to severe, depending on the underlying cause.

How long does nausea last during perimenopause?

Since perimenopause doesn’t cause nausea, stomach upset is often tied to another symptom. The amount of time it lasts can vary, depending on what is causing it.

Can menopause feel like morning sickness?

Although the underlying causes differ, nausea in perimenopause can feel like morning sickness for some women; however, this experience is unlikely for most.

Can I still get pregnant if I’m feeling perimenopausal nausea?

Yes, as long as you’re ovulating, you can still get pregnant, even if you’re experiencing symptom-related perimenopause nausea.