Change in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptomatology with the menstrual cycle
| Menses | Follicular | Luteal | Premenstrual | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Except for stool frequency, which is expressed as median (range), all other results are expressed as mean (95% confidence interval (CI)). | ||||
| Mean/median difference is with respect to menses plus 95% CI/range, where *p<0.05 and **p<0.01. | ||||
| Stool frequency is per day while stool consistency is based on a scale of 1–3 (1=hard, 2=normal and 3=loose). | ||||
| Pain | 5.0 (3.9, 6.2) | 4.2 (3.0, 5.3) | 3.3 (2.1, 4.6) | 3.9 (2.9, 5.0) |
| Mean difference | 0.8 (0.1, 1.7)* | 1.7 (0.7, 2.7)** | 1.1 (0.5, 1.7)** | |
| Bloating | 5.1 (3.7, 6.4) | 4.7 (3.4, 6.0) | 3.9 (2.5, 5.3) | 4.3 (3.2, 5.4) |
| Mean difference | 0.4 (−0.3, 1.0) | 1.2 (0.2, 2.2)* | 0.8 (0.03, 1.5)* | |
| Stool frequency | 2.1 (0.3, 7.3) | 1.5 (0.3, 3.7) | 1.5 (0.3, 10.0) | 1.4 (0–4.0) |
| Median difference | 0.6 (−0.7, 3.6)** | 0.6 (−7.5, 2.3)** | 0.7 (−0.6, 3.3)** | |
| Stool consistency | 2.3 (2.0, 2.6) | 2.3 (1.9, 2.6) | 2.0 (1.6, 2.3) | 2.1 (1.8, 2.3) |
| Mean difference | 0 (−0.3, 0.3) | 0.3 (0.04, 0.6)* | 0.2 (−0.02, 0.5) | |
| General well being | 5.2 (4.0, 6.3) | 6.1 (4.8, 7.3) | 6.3 (5.1, 7.5) | 5.6 (4.4, 6.8) |
| Mean difference | −0.9 (−2.0, 0.2) | −1.1 (−2.2, −0.1)* | −0.4 (−1.2, 0.4) | |
| Anxiety | 10.6 (8.5, 12.7) | 10.9 (8.8, 13.1) | 10.9 (8.4, 13.4) | 10.2 (7.8, 12.7) |
| Mean difference | −0.3 (−1.5, 0.8) | −0.3 (−1.5, 0.9) | 0.4 (−1.2, 1.9) | |
| Depression | 6.7 (4.8, 8.6) | 6.1 (4.5, 7.7) | 6.2 (4.1, 8.2) | 6.1 (4.4, 7.8) |
| Mean difference | 0.6 (−0.4, 1.5) | 0.5 (−0.7, 1.7) | 0.6 (−0.4, 1.7) | |