Surely if you're a person with a uterus you've wondered why your pooping kicks into overdrive whenever you have your period.
But who, exactly, can you ask about that kind of thing?
That's where Anna Rothschild of PBS' digital series, Gross Science comes in . As Rothschild explains, chemicals that help the uterus contract and shed its lining each month also sometimes travel over to the bowels, forcing them to do the same. Hence, poop.
In addition, levels of a hormone called progesterone, which tends to be constipating, drop when the body is menstruating. As a result, poops tend to flow more freely.
The more you know, right? Expand your knowledge even more by watching the period explainer above.
H/T Refinery 29
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