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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    What are the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?

    Related Topics
    Digestive Health Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
    How do i know if i have IBS or just flactulence?
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    Irritable Bowel Information Support Association of Australia

    IBIS Australia aims to: - Assist people suffering IBS and their families in dealing with IBS. - Cooperate with the medical profession and where deemed … View Profile

    If you answer yes to three or more of the following questions, you may have Irritable Bowel Syndrome and you should consult your doctor. Once properly diagnosed we can help you achieve control.

    • Frequently experience abdominal pain which is relieved when you have been to the toilet.
    • Frequently experience abdominal bloating and discomfort.
    • Frequently experience constipation.
    • Frequently experience periods of diarrhoea.
    • Frequently notice altered stool form (lumpy, hard, loose or watery).

    On a regular basis:
    • Experience alternating constipation and diarrhoea.
    • Experience the need to go to the toilet frequently to defecate or feeling of incomplete  emptying of the bowel.
    • Experience times where there is frequent passage of mucus.
    • Experience altered stool passage (straining, urgency).
    • Experience lots of wind.

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    Samantha Ling

    Dietitian, Nutritionist

    Samantha is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian (APD), consultant and food and nutrition enthusiast. Samantha works in a private practice on the Central Coast, NSW, Rostant … View Profile

    I think IBIS Australia has very nicely summed up what IBS is, just remember to consult your GP before doing any type of treatment or dietary modification.

    The cause of IBS is often complex and multifactorial (and in my experiences, never the same for everyone!). It may be due to one or several of the following:

    1) Abnormal nerve stimulation in the gut, associated with stress, anxiety and depression
    2) An imbalance in your gut micro-flora (this is the good bacteria in your gut) - often known as
         postinfectious IBS and can somtimes result after a heavy course of antibiotics
    3) An inability to absorb FODMAPS properly
    4) A personal sensitivity to normal gut motions, bowel noises, flatulence etc which can be uncomfortable

    Nutritional/dietary management of IBS involves identifying the cause and treating the symptoms of IBS.

    Samantha Ling
    Rostant Nutrition
    (Find us on facebook @ www.facebook.com/rostantnutrition )

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  • Arlene Normand

    Dietitian

    Arlene is a registered practising dietitian, with a private practice in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, and has built a strong business over the last … View Profile

    Some of the more common signs of irritable bowel syndrome include:

    • abdominal pain or cramping that is often relieved by passing wind or faeces
    • alternating diarrhoea and constipation
    • a sensation that the bowels are not fully emptied after passing a motion
    • abdominal bloating
    • mucus present in the stools
    • nausea.

    None of these symptoms are exclusive to IBS. It is unusual for IBS to produce these symptoms, for the first time, after the age of 40.

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