GERD and Menopause: What's the Connection?
There's emerging news that hormone therapy - as well menopause itself - can cause GERD. Here's what you need to know about this common condition and how to treat it.
Have you heard of GERD?
In case you haven’t, it’s an acronym for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.
Meaning what?
Basically, it’s chronic acid reflux, which occurs when acid, rather than flowing through your esophagus (the muscular tube in your chest) and diaphragm down to your stomach, backs up into your esophagus.
Whoops, wrong turn. Sphincter dysfunction. The muscle is not working properly, and rather than squeezing shut, it doesn’t. Thus the backup, which can cause heartburn and many other symptoms, like:
Regurgitation of food or sour liquid
Upper abdominal or chest pain
Difficulty swallowing
Feeling like you have a lump in your throat
Nausea after eating
What, another symptom we get to blame on menopause?
Well, yes. And no.
That’s because there are many reasons for GERD (more on that below), and hormones - yes, they can be to blame - can be one of them.
A study found evidence of a strong hormonal link between perimenopausal and menopausal states and increasing GERD symptoms.
Additionally, the North American Menopause Society recently released a statement of a new analysis finding a “significant association between hormone use and gastroesophageal reflux disease.”
Whether you use hormones - or not - GERD, or chronic acid reflux, is something so many of us deal with. In fact, it’s one of the most common complaints that gastroenterologists encounter from their patients.
GERD is something I’ve been dealing with lately, and the first time I experienced its uncomfortable symptoms, I was caught by surprise. They were, to put it mildly, very unpleasant and hard to stomach (ahem.) My chest burned, I felt nauseous, and I also had an unpleasant tightness in my stomach and unwanted acid flowing upward.
I’m not on hormones, neither am I overweight - two of the common risk factors for this condition.
But there are many other risk factors for GERD, including:
Being perimenopausal or menopausal
Age
Pregnancy
A hiatal hernia (bulging of the top of the stomach, above the diaphragm)
Eating a large meal close to bedtime
Fatty or fried foods
Drinking alcohol or coffee
Certain medications (like aspirin)
How do you know it’s GERD?
Persistent heartburn usually occurs eating, and could be worse at night or when you’re lying down
Regurgitation of food or sour liquid
Upper abdominal or chest pain
Difficulty swallowing
Feeling like you have a lump in your throat
Some people with GERD might also experience a persistent cough, laryngitis or a new case - or worsening - of asthma.
Treating GERD
Short of prevention - like not eating a large meal then lying down, keeping your weight within a healthy range and overdoing the caffeine and booze - GERD can be treated after the fact:
Non-prescription meds like antacids (Mylanta, Rolaids and Tums) can help reduce acid- but keep in mind they can’t heal an inflamed esophagus damaged by stomach acid.
For more in-depth info on other treatments, take a look here.
Although there are treatments for GERD, you’re much better off preventing GERD in the first place, since over time, especially if it is left untreated, GERD can create serious problems, like esophagitis (inflammation in the tissue of the esophagus), or a condition known as Barrett’s esophagus (precancerous changes).
Because there’s a strong hormonal link between menopausal states and GERD, it is recommended, by that study’s author, to be aware. She says:
Women of all ages should be screened for symptoms of GERD, especially in the perimenopausal and menopausal population of women because diagnosis of GERD is often not made or misdiagnosed.
For a Pause:
Wondering how to get screened for GERD? Here you go.
GERD is not the only reason for nausea after a meal. There are others.
If you have chronic heartburn, eat this, not that.
Kind of unrelated, but the heart caught my eye. Something about this shirt makes me want to buy it. It’s cute, I think, don’t you?