Ovarian function and gastrointestinal motor activity

Abstract

Gastrointestinal disorders are strictly related to the ovary function. In fact, it is noted that the prevalence of visceral pain disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease, gallbladder and biliary tract diseases are significantly higher in women. Furthermore, symptom such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, distension, satiety, bloating, diarrhoa or constipation, frequently appears in relation with pregnancy, luteal phase of the menstrual cycle or perimenopausal and menopausal states. Further support for the contribution of ovarian steroids to functional gastrointestinal disorders comes from studies demonstrating that pharmacological ovariectomy reduces abdominal pain symptoms. Therefore, addressing the influence of sex and sex hormones in the modulation of visceral pain appears critical to develop new strategies of diagnosis and therapy sex-directed for gastro-intestinal disorders.