Print OverviewIrritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common condition that affects the stomach and intestines, also called the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms include cramping, belly pain, bloating, gas, and diarrhea or constipation, or both. IBS is an ongoing condition that needs long-term management. Only a small number of people with IBS have severe symptoms. Some people can control their symptoms by managing diet, lifestyle and stress. More-severe symptoms can be treated with medicine and counseling. IBS doesn't cause changes in bowel tissue or increase risk of colorectal cancer.Products & ServicesA Book: Mayo Clinic on Digestive HealthNutritional Supplements at Mayo Clinic StoreShow more products from Mayo Clinic SymptomsSymptoms of IBS vary but are usually present for a long time. The most common include: Belly pain, cramping or bloating that is related to passing stool. Changes in appearance of stool. Changes in how often you are passing stool. Other symptoms that are often related include sensation of incomplete evacuation and increased gas or mucus in the stool. Video: How irritable bowel syndrome affects you Show transcript for video Video: How irritable bowel syndrome affects you IBS is a functional disorder. Even though the digestive tract looks normal, it doesn't function as it should. Muscles in the intestines move food from the stomach to the rectum. Normally, they contract and relax in a gentle rhythm that moves the food along in a fairly predictable schedule. But with some people, the muscles in the intestines spasm. That means the contractions are longer and stronger than normal. Those spasms are painful. They also disrupt the movement of food through the intestines. If they slow it down, you become constipated. If they cause it to move through too quickly, you get diarrhea. It's not unusual for people to alternate between the two. Another cause of discomfort for people with IBS results from oversensitive nerve endings in the digestive tract. Small bubbles of gas that wouldn't bother most people might be quite painful for you. Your heightened sensitivity can also lead to swelling and bloating. When to see a doctorSee a healthcare professional if you have a persistent change in bowel habits or other symptoms of IBS. They may mean a more serious condition, such as colon cancer. More-serious symptoms include: Weight loss. Diarrhea at night. Rectal bleeding. Iron deficiency anemia. Unexplained vomiting. Pain that isn't relieved by passing gas or stool. Request an appointment There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Review/update the information highlighted below and resubmit the form. Get the latest health information from Mayo Clinic delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and receive your in-depth guide to digestive health, plus the latest on health innovations and news. You can unsubscribe at any time. Click here for an email preview. Email address ErrorEmail field is required ErrorInclude a valid email address Address 1 Subscribe Learn more about Mayo Clinic’s use of data. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail. Thank you for subscribing Your in-depth digestive health guide will be in your inbox shortly. You will also receive emails from Mayo Clinic on the latest health news, research, and care. If you don’t receive our email within 5 minutes, check your SPAM folder, then contact us at newsletters@mayoclinic.com. Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry CausesThe exact cause of IBS isn't known. Factors that appear to play a role include: Muscle contractions in the intestine. The walls of the intestines are lined with layers of muscle that contract as they move food through the digestive tract. Contractions that are stronger and last longer than usual can cause gas, bloating and diarrhea. Weak contractions can slow food passage and lead to hard, dry stools. Nervous system. Issues with the nerves in the digestive system may cause discomfort when the belly area, called the abdomen, stretches from gas or stool. Poorly coordinated signals between the brain and the intestines can cause the body to overreact to changes that typically occur in the digestive process. This can result in pain, diarrhea or constipation. Severe infection. IBS can develop after a severe bout of diarrhea caused by bacteria or a virus. This is called gastroenteritis. IBS also might be associated with a surplus of bacteria in the intestines, known as bacterial overgrowth. Early-life stress. People exposed to stressful events, especially in childhood, tend to have more symptoms of IBS. Changes in gut microbes. Examples include changes in bacteria, fungi and viruses, which typically live in the intestines and play a key role in health. Research indicates that the microbes in people with IBS might differ from those in people who don't have IBS. TriggersSymptoms of IBS can be triggered by: Food. The role of food allergy or intolerance in IBS isn't fully understood. A true food allergy rarely causes IBS. But many people have worse IBS symptoms when they eat or drink certain foods or beverages. These include wheat, dairy products, citrus fruits, beans, cabbage, milk and carbonated drinks. Stress. Most people with IBS experience worse or more-frequent symptoms during periods of increased stress. But while stress may make symptoms worse, it doesn't cause them. More InformationIrritable bowel syndrome care at Mayo ClinicHow irritable bowel syndrome affects you Risk factorsMany people have occasional symptoms of IBS. But you're more likely to have the syndrome if you: Are young. IBS occurs more often in people under age 50. Are female. In the United States, IBS is more common among women. Estrogen therapy before or after menopause also is a risk factor for IBS. Have a family history of IBS. Genes may play a role, as may shared factors in a family's environment or a combination of genes and environment. Have anxiety, depression or other mental health issues. A history of sexual, physical or emotional abuse also might be a risk factor. ComplicationsLong-lasting constipation or diarrhea can cause hemorrhoids. In addition, IBS is associated with: Poor quality of life. Many people with moderate to severe IBS report poor quality of life. Research indicates that people with IBS miss three times as many days from work as do those without bowel symptoms. Mood disorders. Experiencing the symptoms of IBS can lead to depression or anxiety. Depression and anxiety also can make IBS worse. By Mayo Clinic Staff Irritable bowel syndrome care at Mayo Clinic Request an appointment Diagnosis & treatment Oct. 11, 2024 Print Show references Hadjivasilis A, et al. New insights into irritable bowel syndrome: From pathophysiology to treatment. Annals of Gastroenterology. 2019; doi:10.20524/aog.2019.0428. Irritable bowel syndrome. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/irritable-bowel-syndrome. Accessed July 23, 2024. Kellerman RD, et al. Irritable bowel syndrome. In: Conn's Current Therapy 2024. Elsevier; 2024 https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed July 23, 2024. Feldman M, et al., eds. Irritable bowel syndrome. In: Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Management. 11th ed. Elsevier; 2021. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed July 23, 2024. Irritable bowel syndrome. American College of Gastroenterology. https://gi.org/topics/irritable-bowel-syndrome/. Accessed July 23, 2024. 7 tips: Irritable bowel syndrome and complementary health approaches. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/tips/7-tips-irritable-bowel-syndrome-and-complementary-health-approaches. Accessed July 23, 2024. Irritable bowel syndrome. Canadian Society of Intestinal Research. https://badgut.org/information-centre/a-z-digestive-topics/ibs/. Accessed July 23, 2024. Nguyen H. Allscripts EPSi. Mayo Clinic. March 30, 2022. Kashyap PC (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic. Sept. 21, 2020. Rajan E (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic. Aug. 22, 2022. Related How irritable bowel syndrome affects you Spastic colon: What does it mean? 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There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Review/update the information highlighted below and resubmit the form. Get the latest health information from Mayo Clinic delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and receive your in-depth guide to digestive health, plus the latest on health innovations and news. You can unsubscribe at any time. Click here for an email preview. Email address ErrorEmail field is required ErrorInclude a valid email address Address 1 Subscribe Learn more about Mayo Clinic’s use of data. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail. Thank you for subscribing Your in-depth digestive health guide will be in your inbox shortly. You will also receive emails from Mayo Clinic on the latest health news, research, and care. If you don’t receive our email within 5 minutes, check your SPAM folder, then contact us at newsletters@mayoclinic.com. Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry