---
title: Is irritable bowel syndrome more common in women, and does it change during the menstrual cycle?
description: Irritable bowel syndrome is more common in women than men. Stomach symptoms do not appear to change based on which phase of the menstrual cycle a woman is in.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/irritable-bowel-syndrome-is-more-common-in-women-regardless-of-the-menstrual-2007/
---

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- Is irritable bowel syndrome more common in women, and does it change during the menstrual cycle?

Survey study, 2007

# Is irritable bowel syndrome more common in women, and does it change during the menstrual cycle?

Irritable bowel syndrome is more common in women than men. Stomach symptoms do not appear to change based on which phase of the menstrual cycle a woman is in.

 Early or limited evidence

193 women and 179 men before menopause, under age 50

## What they did

Researchers surveyed 193 women and 179 men about their stomach symptoms and examined them with a questionnaire. Women were divided into groups based on their menstrual phase.

## What they found

Irritable bowel syndrome was more common in women than men. Women more often had constipation or alternating types, while men more often had diarrhea-dominant type. There was no clear difference in stomach symptoms according to menstrual phase in women.

## What it means for you

The menstrual cycle does not appear to affect irritable bowel syndrome. However, the study relied on women's memories of their symptoms and only included people from one country.

193

women studied

179

men studied

3

menstrual phases examined

## About the study

Original title Irritable bowel syndrome is more common in women regardless of the menstrual phase: a Rome II-based survey Authors Lee SY, Kim JH, Sung IK et al. Journal Journal of Korean medical science Year 2007 Study design Survey study Participants 253 Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2007.22.5.851](https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2007.22.5.851)

## Topics

[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Irritability and anger](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-irritability-anger/)[IBS and gut symptoms](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-ibs-gi/)

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## Related studies

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Case-control study, 2006

Do women with IBS and period pain have worse symptoms?

Survey study, 2002

Does the menstrual cycle change gut sensitivity in women with IBS?

Survey study, 1999

Do bowel symptoms vary with the menstrual cycle in women with IBS and inflammatory bowel disease?

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