---
title: Do menstrual symptoms make IBS worse in young Taiwanese women?
description: Yes, in this study. Digestive symptoms got worse during menstruation in young women with IBS, though this was only measured in one school in Taiwan.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-association-between-the-exacerbation-of-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-2011/
---

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- Do menstrual symptoms make IBS worse in young Taiwanese women?

Survey study, 2011

# Do menstrual symptoms make IBS worse in young Taiwanese women?

Yes, in this study. Digestive symptoms got worse during menstruation in young women with IBS, though this was only measured in one school in Taiwan.

 Early or limited evidence

971 female high school students in Taipei City, Taiwan

## What they did

Researchers gave questionnaires about digestive and menstrual symptoms to 971 female high school students in Taipei City, Taiwan.

## What they found

Among young women with IBS, symptoms of bloating and stomach pain worsened from the week after their period to the week before to during their period. Stomach pain was the most bothersome symptom, followed by bloating. IBS was present in 16.2% of all the young women surveyed.

## What it means for you

This shows that the link between the menstrual cycle and digestive symptoms also happens in young women in Taiwan, not just in Western countries. The study is limited to high school students in one city, so findings may not apply to all young Taiwanese women.

971

high school students surveyed

16.2%

had IBS

## About the study

Original title The association between the exacerbation of irritable bowel syndrome and menstrual symptoms in young Taiwanese women Authors Jane ZY, Chang CC, Lin HK et al. Journal Gastroenterology nursing : the official journal of the Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates Year 2011 Study design Survey study Participants 971 What was tested Observation of digestive symptoms during menstrual cycle Read the paper [doi.org/10.1097/sga.0b013e3182248708](https://doi.org/10.1097/sga.0b013e3182248708)

## 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/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/)

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