Do you suffer from recurrent stomach pain accompanied with diarrhoea or constipation? You are not alone. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (or IBS) affects 10-20% of the people in our country. Women make up 70% of that number. Doctors diagnose IBS frequently in their offices. But what are the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome?

One of the most common symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome is frequent stomach pain in combination with explosive diarrhoea or loose bowel movements. Your symptoms may be mild or severe and usually alternate between the two from day to day.

Another one of the more common symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome is chronic constipation with stomach pain or discomfort. You may also have other symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome such as bloating, mucus in your bowel movement, or feeling that you have not finished your bowel movement. Still more symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome are gas, a strong urge to have a bowel movement and mucus in your stool.

Frequently the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome alternate, but you usually have one symptom more predominantly than the other. The symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome occur with no warning or reason. Therefore you need to learn what can cause your IBS to flare up.

The symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome may worsen when you are stressed, do not eat healthy foods, or after eating a big meal. Some women experience more frequent symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome during their menstrual periods.

How do you learn to live with the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome? You try and learn what foods cause you to experience your symptoms. It is suggested that your fat intake has a big impact on the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Try to cut back on high fat intake and begin making a diary of what you eat and how much and write down when you have one of the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. This will help you pinpoint what triggers your symptoms. Then you can learn how to keep it from happening as often. There is no cure for IBS but you can learn to live with the symptoms and spread out the attacks.

The symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome can definitely be a nuisance and annoying but you can learn to deal with this. If you take the time to find your triggers you can help yourself to not have as many attacks. So equip yourself with knowledge and take back control!