According to a consumer digital health care company called Amino, gastrointestinal disease affects 60 to 70 million Americans each year. Gastrointestinal disease can come in many forms, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), acid reflux (GERD), Celiac disease, gallstones, ulcerative colitis, or Crohn’s disease. Interestingly, women are diagnosed with GI issues twice as often as men.
Amino’s study examined data from 4.7 million people and found that females make up more than 70 percent of IBS and Celiac disease diagnoses, 68 percent of gallstones and almost 60 percent of GERD. Maneesh Singh, M.D., a third-year fellow in gastroenterology at UCSF, explained that there is some evidence that hormone changes could make women more predisposed to a disease like Crohn’s disease.
Estrogen, Amino reports, may be responsible for increased incidence of gallstones in women. Estrogen is produced in the female body, but estrogen levels rise during pregnancy and when a woman takes birth control pills. This hormone raises cholesterol levels in the bile, slows down the gallbladder, and increases risk of gallstone development.
There are other causes of gastrointestinal distress that are not related to a disease. Indigestion, abdominal discomfort and bloating could be caused by being overweight, excessive gum chewing, eating too much fruit, or eating heartburn trigger foods. Lactose and gluten allergies are also contributors to stomach pain. Amino’s study found that IBS and GERD sufferers are much more likely to also suffer from lactose intolerance, constipation, Celiac disease and gas (Source: Shape).
Anyone can have gastrointestinal disease, but women are more susceptible because of female hormones. Talk to your doctor about your symptoms and schedule an appointment right away. There may be some elimination diets to try first to determine whether you have a sensitivity to nuts, dairy, gluten, sugar, or soy. So keep visiting your doctor, ladies. It may take some trial and error, but there is an answer to the mystery of your stomach condition!