dailystar.co.uk
04.09.2022 / 10:25
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Doctor reveals how your gut health can impact your sex life - from UTIs to IBS
your sex life, especially if you’ve eaten a big meal or are experiencing indigestion - but doctors have warned that more chronic problems may also be to blame.If you’re not digesting or absorbing food properly, or if your gut is inflamed for various reasons, these can cause symptoms which will make you put sex at the back of the line.Fatigue, bloating, diarrhoea, constipation and pain are just some of the symptoms associated with poor gut health.But according to Dr Babak Ashrafi, clinical lead for Service Expansion at ZAVA, there’s a more direct and immediate association between gut health and sex drive, and that’s to do with anatomy.He told the Daily Star: “The lower part of the gut is close to our genital organs, and so any intimacy or penetration can cause pain or pressure sensations on the gut.“Similarly, the weight of another body on top of us will increase the pressure in our abdominal cavity and force acid up the food pipe, making heartburn and indigestion much worse.”Conditions like IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), reflux disease and inflammatory bowel disease can all be exacerbated by sex, depending on what kind of sex you’re having, explained Dr Ashrafi.Want the Daily Star's sexiest stories news straight to your inbox? Sign up to our daily Hot Topics newsletter HEREEveryday Health reported in 2018 that worries about sex can trigger IBS symptoms, and that men with IBS report having erectile dysfunction more often than men without it.Sexual health has also been connected to the gut because of the neurotransmitter serotonin - around 80 to 90 percent of serotonin is produced in the gut, claims Dr Edward Catalano.According to Healthline, low levels of serotonin are associated with increased libido, while increased