1. Stress does NOT cause IBS, but is a trigger for symptoms
2. Only half of IBS patients seek medical help – if you feel that you have IBS or know you do but haven’t taken the issue further with you GP, don’t be afraid to go get the help you deserve ⁽¹⁾
3. IBS has been studied for more than 150 years but the exact cause is still unknown! ⁽²⁾
4. It’s not in your head! It is quite a common myth is that IBS is a psychological problem. This is not true at all. Despite not knowing the exact cause of IBS it is still very much a physical illness. 
5. Women are more likely to develop IBS than men ⁽³⁾ 

References
1. Corsetti, M., & Whorwell, P. (2017). The global impact of IBS: time to think about IBS-specific models of care?. Therapeutic advances in gastroenterology, 10(9), 727-736.
2. Saha. (2014). Irritable bowel syndrome: Pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and evidence-based medicine. World J Gastroenterol. 2014 Jun 14;20(22):6759–6773.
3. Lee, S. Y., Kim, J. H., Sung, I. K., Park, H. S., Jin, C. J., Choe, W. H., … & Choi, K. W. (2007). Irritable bowel syndrome is more common in women regardless of the menstrual phase: a Rome II-based survey. Journal of Korean medical science, 22(5), 851-854.

Photo by Franck V. on Unsplash