8 Reasons Your Stomach Hurts--And How To Feel Better Fast

Want to avoid stomach aches forever? Don't eat. Don't stress. Don't Drink.

By Hallie Levine

Want to avoid stomachaches forever? Don't eat. Don't stress. Don't drink. Oh, and hope like heck that no one in your family has a history of tummy troubles either. Not exactly realistic, right? Fortunately, you don't have to go to such extremes to feel better. The first step: Make an appointment with your doctor. Sounds obvious, but "some women don't bring up their stomach problems during office visits because, frankly, they find them quite embarrassing," says Dayna Early, M.D., a gastroenterologist at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Next, examine your lifestyle: Often you can cure yourself of your distress simply by eliminating certain habits that you may not even realize are causing your symptoms. Finally, don't worry -- even if your problem is a medical one, there are plenty of treatment options. When lifestyle changes don't help, medication often does. "There's no need for women to suffer," Early says. Here, the country's leading gastroenterologists list the most common causes of digestive woes in women -- and give simple solutions for feeling better fast.