Doctor explains how hormones can influence the digestive system

DOCTOR. HOW CAN HORMONES IMPACT YOUR DIGESTION? WELL, MERCY MEDICAL CENTER GASTROENTEROLOGIST DOCTOR SARAH YAKUSHIN JOINS US NOW WITH MORE INFORMATION. GOOD MORNING. HAPPY TO BE HERE. THANK YOU. SO LOOK YOU GOT THE FALL VIBES. WE’RE ALL RIDING ON THESE VIBES THIS MORNING. WE WERE TALKING BEFORE. AND REALLY HORMONES CAN EBB AND FLOW NATURALLY. BUT THERE ARE TIMES, ESPECIALLY FOR US WOMEN, WHEN THAT CAN REALLY HAVE AN IMPACT ON OUR GUT. YES. YEAH. I KNOW YOU KNOW SOMETHING THAT WE HAD ALREADY TALKED ABOUT IS THERE’S A NATURAL FLUCTUATION OF HORMONES THROUGHOUT THE — CYCLE, ESPECIALLY IN THAT SECOND HALF OF THE CYCLE. THAT’S WHEN PROGESTERONE INCREASES IN THE LUTEAL PHASE. IT ALSO INCREASES IN PREGNANCY. AND THAT CAN AFFECT, YOU KNOW, THE WHOLE GI TRACT. IT CAN LEAD TO CONSTIPATION. IT CAN LEAD TO HEARTBURN AND OTHER CHANGES IN, YOU KNOW, IN SYMPTOMS. AND THAT CAN BE A NATURAL CHANGE. BUT YOU KNOW, WHICH, FIRST OF ALL, IT’S VERY UNCOMFORTABLE DURING AN ALREADY UNCOMFORTABLE PERIOD OF TIME. BUT WHEN DO YOU START TO REALIZE THIS IS BEYOND JUST MAYBE SOMETHING NORMAL THAT I SHOULD GO AND GET CHECKED OUT? SURE. YEAH. AND SOMETIMES IT’S WHEN SYMPTOMS DON’T RESOLVE JUST WITH SMALL LIFESTYLE CHANGES. SO ADJUSTING WHAT YOU EAT, YOUR FIBER. YES, I LOVE FIBER AND ACTIVITY LEVEL. I MEAN, IF YOU’RE EXERCISING, IF YOU’RE DOING ALL THESE THINGS JUST LIFESTYLE WISE AND YOU’RE NOT HAVING AN IMPROVEMENT IN SYMPTOMS, THAT’S A GOOD TIME TO TALK TO ONE OF YOUR DOCTORS. YEAH, BECAUSE WE SHOULDN’T BE WALKING AROUND WITH GUT PAIN AND WE SHOULDN’T BE WALKING AROUND CONSTIPATED. AND THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO, EVEN SOME OVER-THE-COUNTER THINGS THAT YOU CAN TRY. BEFORE IT KIND OF GETS TO THAT MORE SERIOUS POINT. YES. YEAH, EXACTLY. THERE’S OVER-THE-COUNTER FIBER SUPPLEMENTS. OF COURSE. I YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS ADVOCATE TOWARDS NATURAL WHOLE FOODS. SO FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IN YOUR DIET AS WELL. BUT THERE’S THERE’S A LOT OF OPTIONS OUT THERE. AND LOOK, WE HAVE TO GO REALLY QUICKLY. BUT YOU WANTED TO REMIND PEOPLE THAT THEY NEED TO GO AND GET CHECKED, GET THEIR STOMACH CHECKED. YES. YEAH. SO COLON CANCER SCREENINGS, WE DO START AT AGE 45 FOR AVERAGE RISK PEOPLE NOW. AND YOU KNOW IT’S I’M ALWAYS A STRONG ADVOCATE FOR THAT. SO DEFINITELY TALK TO YOUR GASTROENTEROLOGIST ABOUT COLON CANCER SCREENING MEN TOO I KNOW THIS IS A WOMAN’S DOCTOR SEGMENT, BUT YOU GUYS HAVE TO GO AND GET THAT SCREENING DONE TOO. DOCTOR, THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. AND IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR WOULD LIKE A REFERRAL

Mercy Medical Center: Explaining how hormones can influence the digestive system

Updated: 12:12 PM EDT Oct 18, 2025

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Gastroenterologist Dr. Sara Yacyshyn joins Jenyne for a conversation about how hormonal fluctuations can negatively impact gut health.

Gastroenterologist Dr. Sara Yacyshyn joins Jenyne for a conversation about how hormonal fluctuations can negatively impact gut health.