Oooh, yes, that's me! While a lot of the other symptoms have come and gone, (or are not so prevalent), the Gastro Intestinal Disorder (GID) has been my #1 companion throughout perimenopause, menopause, and now, post-menopause.
Practically every morning is a fight for me; the first couple of hours upon waking are spent trying to convince myself that it's JUST digestive, that I'll be fine, etc.....so that the awful rolling and discomfort doesn't get to my emotions and turn the day into total crap. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. My problem is that my gut/emotion ties are very strong (ever respond to a "gut reaction" or "feeling in your gut", which is just an emotional feeling? That's why one can affect the other so much).
Anyway, I've started doing several things to at least minimize the digestive issues as much as I can. One is to limit caffeine and sugar. Another is to NOT eat anything -including taking pills- at LEAST one hour, preferably close to 2 or 3, before sleeping. This includes not reclining; you need to be sitting or standing up. It's tricky because one must also keep up with eating. I know that, especially when the depression hits, I'm not interested in food at all, but I force myself to eat bits of Something -yogurt, a couple slices of turkey, a bowl of cereal, maybe a scrambled egg- here and there because when I go too long with an empty stomach, the discomfort worsens. (Also, I start to get weak, which doesn't help matters at all).
Also, you might want to check with your doctor. There was a point when I was experiencing sharp pains in my chest and my side, as well as bouts of dizziness. My doc prescribed Prilosec, and that did it. (I never thought that dizziness and sharp chest pains were symptoms of heartburn).
And, as I always emphasize, do whatever it takes to keep your stress levels down (yeah, right! ]:/ ...no, seriously. At this time in your life, you've got a LOT of physical/mental/emotional stuff going down that you weren't experiencing 5 years before, and this is going to take all the strength you have. And you CAN do it, but you've GOT to be good to yourself so you have that strength. This means not worrying about catching that sale or making to the store because that coupon will expire. This means letting the house chores- or at least some of them- slide until you feel better. This means being flexible, and not being so available to everyone all the time.
Anyway, I hope this helps. Do keep us posted, and know that you have lots of company as you go through this time of your life.
GOOD LUCK!!!

I forgot to add that Gas-Ex also helps, and you might want to cut down some of your gluten intake (I don't want to eliminate mine altogether; doing so would create a greater gluten intolerance and, sorry, I like a sandwich once in a while.) I did stop baking so much, though....not an easy task because I love it (and the resulting products) a lot! But that activity also fell into the category of "being good to myself"; baking only once every few months instead of at least once or twice a month meant less sugary stuff to tempt me, which also meant more time for yoga and long walks on the beach...which I really do need more than chocolate chip cookies around the house all the time.

Mkal thanks for the suggestions, you just described me to the tee! this morning I feel like hell, didn't sleep well, I feel like someone punched me in the gut this morning, NO energy what so ever! body aches & pains, depressed & yes I have been having a lot of discomfort in my rib cage & chest area, I am already prone to acid reflux problems, I used to take protonix off & on so maybe the menopause has caused a big time flare up for me, hope that's all it is, Ive convinced myself that I have something horribly wrong! & these last 2 years has been very stressful for me as well, I lost my husband in 2012 to cancer & a few mos ago I was forced into retirement due to a reduction in workforce from a job I had been doing for 30yrs! so yes I have had some major changes in my life that's causing me major stress & now menopause, anything else!! anyways thanks again, I guess a trip to the DR. is in order for me!

My heart goes out to you, A! I lost my mother to cancer 24 years ago today, and I understand the pain...send me a message if you want to talk.
But right now, you have to take care of you, and your idea of checking with your doctor (gyn and GP) is a great start. What you want to do is eliminate all the causes other than menopause of all your symptoms, so that when any symptom does strike, you don't start thinking "cancer! diabetes! etc." and panic, thus increasing your already high stress level.

I also highly recommend Christian Northrup's book 'The Wisdom of Menopause'...there's lots of help to be found in there.

And come back to this website and let us know how you are! We're all going through it, so let us help you with your burden!
Good luck, sister!!

Yes ... my stomach has been all over the place for about 2 weeks. Thought I had picked up the stomach flu but now I think it is related to menopause. 14 days is quite a while to have a virus. But who knows. But along with the stomach issues I have been having the sleepless nights, trouble concentrating, no appetite, anxiety attacks which have popped out of no-where, and general feeling of crap! Going to see a gyno today that is supposed to be an expert on hormones. We'll see what she can do. Good luck to you... this is not a fun time. Envy those women who just skate through this time of their life!

Yes Maam, I have bloating, nausea and recently, I've started being gassy! It's awful!! I eat Tums when I get indigestion, which is 90% of the time. It helps, but not always!! I've been going through nemopause for about 2 years. None of it is any fun!! My night sweats come and go, insomnia every single night, and the depression and rage are awful!! All I can do is tell myself....I will get better.
Hugs to you....Marlana

I wondered if that was just me.....lol

Another one here with digestive problems...I found this site, not for the herbs, but for the info. http://www.avogel.co.uk/health/menopause/
and the menopause symptoms tab on the right. Click on digestive problems, bloating, nausea, and weight gain to see the connections. Just another lovely side effect of estrogen falling. My doc had me start on digestive enzymes with each meal, and it's helped me a lot. Plus probiotics (I take pills because I'm off dairy, but yogurt works too).

I too have digestive problems with menopause. It started bad when i was perimenopause. I have IBS diarrhea so that's not fun. I have to take this powder medicine that binds the bowel. I have a lot of gas and pains with this digestive problem. I truly think the menopause made it worse. I have lost weight since going through the start of it and was only able to gain some then loose it again. I have had almost every digestive test their is...colonoscopy, endoscopy, camera pill, small bowel x-rays, and ct scan. Now i'm dealing with a prolapsed bladder and painful sex. My bladder will keep me up at night sometimes having to go. So then I don't get much sleep. I'm seeing this urgyno to see if she can help that. I take digestive enzymes and they do help when i eat to break the food down. They also have helped with acid reflux and burping. I have to watch what i eat and drink. NOTHING to spicy, acid-y, or fatty. I have mild hot flashes and night sweats. I try to keep my bedroom cooler. I also get anxiety really bad too especially when i go to the doctors. I have to take Ativan to help with that. My doctor just recently ran a bunch of blood tests and it all came back normal. So that's real frustrating but am thankful. MKal i'm going to try those gas-ex. You have a lot of good advice.

Ohhhh yeahhhhh!!! Ditto on everything the other ladies have said!! I am awake right now because of stomach distress all daylong. Just had to chew two more Pepto tablets so tomorrow I will have a black tongue when I meet the school district superintendent! Hope I don't fart!! Fun!!!
We're all with you girl, it has got to get better!

I started a probiotic for that bloating. it has helped. I've been on it for about 1 month now.