The role of gender and biological sex in irritable bowel syndrome.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which is characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort that is associated with altered bowel function (diarrhea, constipation, or alteration between the two), is one of several gastrointestinal motility disorders. IBS affects up to one in five North Americans, mostly women. The reason(s) this disorder is reported more often by women than men, and the role of gender and biological sex in the prevalence, pathophysiology, symptom presentation, impact on quality of life, diagnosis, and response to treatment, are poorly understood. The purpose of this article is to review the evidence surrounding the roles of gender and biological sex in IBS.