A new study suggests that estrogen, the female sex hormone, may be responsible for why women experience more severe gut pain. Researchers found that estrogen boosts the release of a gut hormone called PYY, which in turn stimulates serotonin-producing cells and sensitises gut nerves that trigger pain signals.
The comparative study in male and female mice, conducted by the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute and the University of California, San Francisco, revealed an estrogen-dependent pathway that increases gut sensitivity to toxic stimuli. The findings were published in Science.
Gastrointestinal and visceral pain disorders are more common in women, though the underlying reasons have remained unclear. The study also showed that estrogen heightens the gut’s response to short-chain fatty acids, produced when bacteria break down food. This may explain why dietary interventions like low FODMAP diets—which limit foods such as garlic, apples, wheat, and dairy—can help reduce gastrointestinal symptoms in some people.
The researchers noted that their findings link hormonal activity, digestive processes, and nerve response, with important implications for conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
