Check into adenomyosis! An acquaintance was diagnosed with it sometime around menopause after suffering for years with the same symptoms as you.

Are you eating things that are hard to digest? It's a shame to eat healthy and have this happen but it happens to many people starting in middle age. You, almost, really have to eat like an old person. Things my Grandmother would not eat (or knew she would suffer if she did ...) nuts, broccoli, cauliflower, most vegetable if they aren't cooked well, beans, garlic, spicy foods, almost anything with a lot of fiber.

Eat like an old person for a few weeks. Look up what people eat when they have stomach cancer (no, you don't have stomach cancer, but start there). See if that helps.

I was launched into perimenopause by removal of one ovary and part of another. I immediately began to suffer GI issues when I had previously never had any issues except a bout of food poisoning once or twice over 40+ years. The shift in hormones can cause acute GI issues in some folks and I ended up having to have my gallbladder removed just a year or two after these issues began. Gallbladder issues in middle aged women are super common so that might be part of what you are experiencing. The endocrine system is still a big mystery in many ways but there is obviously some interaction of estrogen with bile production etc.

I second the advice that you take these concerns to your primary care doctor as GI issues can be symptomatic of many things and better gets some tests to be safe than sorry.

Agree with the above. Don't accept that it's just a perimenopause related issue, even if it is occurring around your period.

I second seeing a GI doctor, especially if your symptoms have been continuing over “years.”

For me, I was diagnosed with celiac disease at 48. A friend of mine (age 45) had colon cancer. Get yourself checked out and don’t let a doctor tell you it’s in your head. Pursue it until you get some actual testing done.

See a GI doctor. May be another issue. Some people get things like IBDs in middle age.

I am 48 and still have a very steady period, but over the past few years, one of my primary PMS symptoms is the kind of ick-mouthed nausea I experienced during pregnancy, and I can’t figure out how to relieve this consistently. I’m also (warning) always having loose stool, and it aches going to the bathroom so much. I don’t drink much or often, and don’t have a bad diet. I know this is connected to hormones but some old tricks (ginger ale, plain crackers, mints) don’t help. If you’ve figured out how to conquer this please share. I’m not on any medications, and my other primary issues are dry skin and insomnia. Thanks.