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.
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
Topics
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