TIPS TO STOP FLOATING

If you believe the polls, almost all women will suffer from a digestive problem at some point in their lives, such as IBS or bloating. And now we know the reason.

A new book by Robynne Chutkan, a US doctor who's dedicated her career to treating women's digestive issues, explains that female physiology is why we experience more dodgy digestion complaints than men, including the fact that our colon is 10cm longer on average and all twisted up, while men have a nice neat horse-shoe shaped colon.Bloating and associated stomach pain are caused by many things [REX]

"We don’t know why, but we think part of that is to allow for more absorption of water or fluid during childbearing," Dr Chutkan explained in an interview with
"These sort of create extra twists and turns, and that’s why women are so much more bloated and constipated than their male counterparts."

She also explains that our hormones, the effects of pregnancy and the shape of our skeleton has an impact too.

But though we're more prone to these discomforts, there are things you can do to beat bloating.

We sought the advice of  a GP and expert in women's health who has written a book that covers the main issues of poor digestion .