This page contains the basic information about Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) .
Return to the Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Main Condition Center
People with IBS may have some or all of these symptoms:
Mild or severe abdominal pain, discomfort or cramping that usually goes away after a bowel movement
Periods of diarrhea or constipation, or alternating between these two symptoms
Bloating, gassiness or a feeling of having a distended abdomen
Mucus in bowel movements
Feeling as though a bowel movement is incomplete
Although the symptoms of IBS often change over time, people tend to develop their own pattern. For example, some people have mostly diarrhea, some have mostly constipation and others have abdominal pain without a major change in bowel movements.