Why Digestion Feels Harder After 40 (And Why No One Warned You)

If digestion feels more difficult, unpredictable or uncomfortable after 40, you’re not imagining it.

Many women notice new symptoms during perimenopause and menopause, bloating, reflux, constipation, food sensitivity, despite eating the same way they always have.

This can feel frustrating, confusing and even disheartening, especially when “healthy eating” no longer seems to help.

The truth is: digestion changes during menopause, and hormones play a much bigger role than most women are told.

The hormonal connection no one explains

Hormones don’t just influence periods and hot flushes, they also play a key role in gut health and digestion.

During perimenopause and menopause, fluctuations in oestrogen and progesterone can affect:

• Gut motility (how quickly food moves through the digestive tract)

• Bile flow, which is essential for fat digestion

• Stomach acid levels, which affect protein digestion

• The gut microbiome, influencing bloating and gas

• The nervous system, which controls “rest and digest” mode
  
  

When these systems are affected, digestion can feel slower, heavier and more reactive.
This is why digestive issues during menopause often appear even when diet hasn’t changed.

Why eating “healthier” can make digestion worse

Many women respond to digestive discomfort by:

• Increasing fibre

• Cutting foods

• Trying gut cleanses or detoxes
  
  

But during menopause, digestion often doesn’t need restriction, it needs support.

If digestive enzymes are low or bile flow is reduced, adding more fibre or raw foods can actually increase bloating and discomfort rather than relieve it.
This is one of the most common reasons women feel stuck in a cycle of digestive frustration after 40.

Stress, hormones and the gut–brain connection

Hormonal shifts also affect cortisol and stress resilience.

When the nervous system is overstimulated, something very common during perimenopause, digestion slows down. The body prioritises survival over digestion.

This is why menopause digestion symptoms often worsen during busy periods, poor sleep or emotional stress, even when food choices stay the same.

One overlooked reason digestion feels harder after 40: bile flow

Digestion doesn’t happen in the gut alone.

One often-overlooked part of digestion is bile flow, which helps the body break down fats, absorb nutrients and keep digestion moving efficiently.

Bile is produced by the liver, and during perimenopause and menopause, hormonal changes can affect bile production and flow. When bile flow is reduced, digestion can feel heavier and less efficient.

This may contribute to:

• Bloating after meals

• Fat and protein intolerance

• Sluggish digestion or constipation

• Food feeling like it “sits” in the stomach
  
  

Even if diet hasn’t changed.

A menopause-aware approach to digestive support

Because digestion changes during hormonal transitions, it needs targeted, gentle support.

This is exactly why Happy Digestion was formulated.

Happy Digestion is designed to:

• Support digestive enzymes

• Help break down protein and fats more comfortably

• Support gut function during perimenopause and menopause

• Work with the body, not force it with harsh cleanses
  
  

Shop Happy Digestion

If digestion feels heavier, slower or more unpredictable during perimenopause or menopause, Happy Digestion offers gentle, targeted support to help your body digest food more comfortably and consistently

Shop Happy Digestion

For some women, digestion also benefits from additional bile flow support.

Shop Happy Liver

This is where Happy Liver can help, by supporting liver function and bile pathways that assist digestion alongside gut support.

Shop Happy Liver

Together, they support digestion more effectively by addressing both:

• How food is broken down

• How digestion is supported upstream during menopause
  
  

You’re not broken, your body is changing

Digestive changes after 40 are incredibly common, but rarely explained.

Understanding what’s happening and supporting digestion appropriately, can make a meaningful difference to bloating, comfort and daily energy.

Support digestion through menopause with Happy Digestion

Practitioner-formulated. Gentle. Designed for hormonal change.