April, like March, is another one of those months during which there are many diseases highlighted. Almost too many – not easy to keep up with all of these!

If you’ve read our book, then you know that we devote a lot of space to the topic of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Why? Because one of our goals in our book is to discuss those diseases that are common in women our age. IBS is one of these.

What exactly is IBS? It is commonly thought of as a motility disorder, or a malfunction of the movement (contractions) of the entire GI tract. The purpose of these contractions is to keep food moving down the entire GI tract so that parts of it can be absorbed and used by the body, and the rest can be expelled through a bowel movement. IBS results in the loss of the GI track’s ability to regulate its own contractions.

IBS has also been called “spastic colon,” “spastic colitis,” and “nervous stomach.” But, nerves or stress do not cause IBS. The cause is unknown. There is no cure, but there are medications available to help control the symptoms.

IBS is quite common. It affects between 10- 15% of the US population, or between 25 and 45 million people. Women are affected more commonly than men are; it can affect all age groups.

In Part II, we’ll talk about how you can tell if you have IBS.