Many people have occasional bouts of minor IBS. In general, you are more likely to experience IBS if you have one of the following risk factors:
- Sex: Women are twice as likely as men to experience IBS.
- Age: At least half of people experience their first occurrence of IBS symptoms before the age of 35.
- Heredity: It appears that having close relatives with IBS or related gastrointestinal problems increases your risk of developing IBS.