Re: Affirmation from Dr. of hormones affecting colon.

That's exactly where I've been having pain and a bulge that comes and goes. I've had a swallow study, CT scan, Endoscopy and Colonoscopy. They've all come back normal. The only thing my GI doc said is that he's aware that hormones do play a part in the smooth muscle. I have to believe that the imbalance can cause both constipation and diarrhea (IBS symptoms)by the loosening and tightening of the smooth muscle(colon). When I switched to a low dose birth control pill a few years ago I had diarrhea once a month for 6 months. When I went off of it, that went away. The difference was the ratio of progesterone to estrogen. The problem is knowing how long it takes for all of this to reverse, assuming it will reverse. I told my husband to ask him next time he sees him. I asked my husband about miaking an appt. just to talk to him about this stuff. My husband said that probably isn't a great idea since he deals with very sick oncology patients. I hate to take up his time unless I really feel the need.