Survey study, 2014
Do women with both IBS and PMS experience worse symptoms than those with IBS alone?
Yes, women with both conditions had more stress, more severe bowel and psychological symptoms, and longer episodes with slower recovery compared to those with IBS alone.
What they did
Cross-sectional study of 233 women of reproductive age in China. Researchers compared those with diarrhea-predominant IBS alone to those with both IBS and PMS using questionnaires about stress, bowel habits, gynecological symptoms, and psychological symptoms.
What they found
Women with both IBS and PMS had significantly increased stress and gynecological events, more severe bowel symptoms, and more severe psychological symptoms than those with IBS alone. The overlapping syndromes were associated with repeated episodes of longer duration and delayed recovery.
What it means for you
Having both PMS and IBS together worsens symptoms overall. This is a preliminary study using only questionnaires, so larger studies with blood tests are needed to confirm the findings and explain the mechanisms.
233
women studied
About the study
- Original title
- Increased incidence of bowel and psychological symptoms in Chinese female D-IBS patients with premenstrual syndrome
- Authors
- Zhang Y, Bo P, Li X
- Journal
- Gastroenterology nursing : the official journal of the Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates
- Year
- 2014
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 233
- What was tested
- None (observational study)
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1097/sga.0000000000000067
Topics
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