To receive specialized care, especially if you are frequently bloated, make an appointment with a gastroenterologist. This is a specialist who can treat complex gastrointestinal conditions that may be the underlying cause of your bloating.
You should see a doctor if you have gas and bloating along with any of these symptoms: Blood or mucus in your stool. Changing your eating habits didn't help. Chronic or frequent diarrhea, constipation, or vomiting.
The most common cause of stomach pain and bloating is excess intestinal gas. If you get a bloated stomach after eating, it may be a digestive issue. It might be as simple as eating too much too fast, or you could have a food intolerance or other condition that causes gas and digestive contents to build up.
Typically, the first line of treatment for preventing gas and bloating is changing your diet. Research has shown that a low fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols (FODMAP) diet can reduce the symptoms of gas and IBS.
Doctors will prescribe OTC or prescription medication to relieve bloating and other gastrointestinal symptoms. People should discuss the recommended dosage and potential side effects with a healthcare professional.
Your doctor can generally diagnose the cause of your bloating through a physical exam in the office. They will ask you questions about your symptoms. They will want to know if your bloating is occasional or if it occurs all the time. Temporary bloating is usually not serious.
If your bloating is accompanied by abdominal pain, cramps, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, then it might be a serious problem. Regularly occurring bloating that doesn't improve with lifestyle changes, such as eating smaller meals or avoiding certain foods, may also point to a more serious issue.
Summary. Temporary bloating is common and is usually not a cause for concern. However, if you have severe or persistent bloating—especially if other symptoms accompany it—you should let your healthcare provider know right away. It could signal something more serious.
See a GP if:
you've been feeling bloated for 3 weeks or more. you feel bloated regularly (more than 12 times a month) you've tried changing your diet but keep feeling bloated. you have a swelling or lump in your tummy.
Certain nutrient deficiencies can contribute to digestive upset and bloating. The most common nutrient deficiencies that are linked to bloating are zinc, magnesium, molybdenum and thiamin.
Ongoing bloating is not normal and may have many causes, so you should call your doctor if you feel bloating every day. Bloating is a chronic and bothersome condition for a large minority of the population. Anywhere from an estimated 16% to 31% of us have bloating and distension.
If you don't have those conditions but have bloating that persists for months, you may have something called functional bloating, or bloating with no identifiable cause. Conditions like irritable bowel syndrome or chronic idiopathic constipation fall into this category.
Again, bloat typically goes away on its own within a day, but here are some short- and long-term solutions to help the process along and prevent it from happening.
Probiotics may alleviate bloating in many ways. They may aid in the restoration of the balance of good and harmful bacteria in the stomach, hence reducing gas production and inflammation. Probiotics may also aid in the digestion of meals, which can assist in alleviating bloating.
“When it's accompanied by red-flag symptoms—vomiting, blood in stool, unexplained weight loss, yellowing of eyes or skin—those are signs of a more urgent and serious disorder,” she says. Liver disease or an obstruction of the GI tract can cause bloating accompanied by some of these red-flag symptoms.
Bloating is actually a very common symptom of anxiety, especially for those with anxiety attacks. What's interesting is that many different issues can cause bloating including, but not limited to: Hyperventilation The main reason that anxiety leads to bloating is the result of hyperventilation.
Any extra water being held in the body is referred to as “water weight.” When water builds up in the body, it can cause bloating and puffiness, especially in the abdomen, legs, and arms. Water levels can make a person's weight fluctuate by as much as 2 to 4 pounds in a single day.
ACV is naturally acidic, and therefore in people with low stomach acidity, ACV may help to raise stomach acid levels and therefore aid digestion. Consequently, this may prevent gas and bloating, caused by slow digestion.
Upper abdominal bloating may be related to slow movement of the intestine called gastroparesis, swallowing air while eating, an infection, or overeating. Lower abdominal bloating can be from constipation, IBS, gas caused by food intolerance, or fluid retention.
What can cause a hard stomach? A hard stomach can happen for various reasons, including constipation, gastric cancer, and some chronic digestive conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
While having too much estrogen can lead to bloating, having too little estrogen can also contribute to abdominal discomfort. That's because estrogen also has an effect on the production of bile – when estrogen levels are low, bile production decreases. Bile is fluid produced by the liver that aids in digestion.