How IBS might affect you at work
April marks IBS Awareness Month.

April marks Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Awareness Month, offering an opportunity to learn more about the condition and how it might affect people in their day-to-day lives.
āIBS causes a problem with the way your gut, or bowel, works,ā explains Dr Bryony Henderson, lead GP at digital health service Livi.
āItās a common condition that affects women more than men, and itās usually a lifelong problem. The symptoms for this can be very similar to types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which is why itās important to speak to a doctor and get checked out.ā
According to the digestive charity Guts UK, IBS affects approximately one in 20 people in the UK ā racking up to 3.2 million people. Thatās a big number, and although people experience IBS symptoms to various degrees, it can have the potential to impact your work life.
According to Henderson, these are the most common IBS symptoms:
ā Stomach pain or cramps which may get worse after eatingā Bloating and gas (flatulence)ā Diarrhoeaā Constipationā Tirednessā Mucus in your pooā Backacheā Needing to pee more than usual
And if someone is experiencing a lot of pressure at work, things might get even worse. According to NHS gastroenterologist Dr Philip Hendy, who runs The Better Gut initiative: āStress, including workplace stress, often worsens IBS.
āIn my gastroenterology clinics, I often hear patients say it is work pressures that cause their symptoms to deteriorate.ā
Henderson adds: āIBS symptoms tend to come and go, and can generally be well-managed. Many people have long periods with no symptoms and only use medication when their symptoms flare up.
āIf you are concerned, speak to a doctor who will be able to make an individual assessment, recommend a treatment or refer you to a specialist if needed.ā
So how might it affect someone at work?
IBS is usually a lifelong condition, but symptoms tend to come and go and can generally be well managed
Embarrassment
āPossibly the most common thing I hear about the effects of IBS when working in an office, is the embarrassment that goes with frequent trips to the WC and having to leave important meetings to rush to the toilet,ā says Hendy.
āThis goes hand in hand with a sense of shame and worry that these toilet trips may be viewed as a form of work avoidance. When people feel anxious and ashamed, this can exacerbate their symptoms even more, creating a vicious cycle of worsening stress and ill health, that seeps into all areas of life.ā
There is still some stigma around IBS, which might make it more difficult to talk about. Henderson suggests some people could experience āpotential embarrassment with needing to discuss personal issues with managersā.
Anxiety
Henderson mentions āanxiety around having an attack whilst at workā, particularly if the ātoilet facilities are not as private as one would likeā.
It might be tricky when certain food or drink triggers your symptoms, but itās out of your control when youāre āat work, networking or at other professional functions where food or drink is providedā, she adds.
Affecting performance
As one of the symptoms of IBS is tiredness, Henderson says this could lead to a ālack of energy, affecting performance at work, or affecting arriving timesā.
Laura Geigaite, medical doctor at Glow Bar London, agrees, saying: āIBS can affect your productivityā, as the symptoms can make you āfeel distracted and uncomfortable at workā.
Low mood
Geigaite suggests the condition could contribute to low self-worth: āThere is a stigma toward IBS. This can harm your self-image and sense of worth in the workplace.ā
Henderson adds: āPain, discomfort and bloating can trigger low mood, and could potentially affect relationships with colleagues, as the symptoms are āhiddenā.ā