SynthesisAlimentary pharmacology & therapeutics2010
Meta-analysis: do irritable bowel syndrome symptoms vary between men and women?
Synthesis in Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 82 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
82 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 180 citations in OpenAlex.
- Research on functional constipation with anxiety or depression: a bibliometric analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Prevalence and Influencing Factors of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Medical Staff: A Meta-Analysis.Digestive diseases and sciences · 2022Pooled it
- Human intestinal spirochetosis, irritable bowel syndrome, and colonic polyps: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of gastroenterology and hepatology · 2022Pooled it
- Endometriosis and irritable bowel syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analyses.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Efficacy and dose response ofWorld journal of gastroenterology · 2023Trial
- A 5Ad Dietary Protocol for Functional Bowel Disorders.Nutrients · 2019Trial
- Estrogen impacts NOD2-dependent regulation of intestinal homeostasis.PLoS biology · 2026Article
- Menstrual-Associated Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Their Impact on IBS Diagnosis in Adolescents.Neurogastroenterology and motility · 2026Article
- Menopause and gastrointestinal health and disease.Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2025Review
- Mediating Role of Negative Affectivity in the Association Between Lifetime Trauma and Gastrointestinal Symptoms.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Decoding Abdominal Pain in Constipation-predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Functional Constipation: Mechanisms and Managements.Current gastroenterology reports · 2025Review
- Sex Differences, Menses-Related Symptoms and Menopause in Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction.Neurogastroenterology and motility · 2025Article
- Prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome and its association to mental health among the private university students of Dhaka, Bangladesh.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Review
- Factors associated with irritable bowel syndrome andThe Journal of international medical research · 2024Article
- Gender differences in gastrointestinal, biopsychosocial and healthcare-seeking behaviors in Chinese patients with irritable bowel syndrome predominant with diarrhea.BMC gastroenterology · 2024Article
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Is There a Common Pathway?Endocrinology, diabetes & metabolism · 2024Review
- Representation of Women and Women's Health in Australian Medical School Course Outlines, Curriculum Requirements, and Selected Core Clinical Textbooks.Women's health reports (New Rochelle, N.Y.) · 2024Article
- Evaluation of the Efficacy of Kombucha-Based Drink Enriched with Inulin and Vitamins for the Management of Constipation-Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Females: A Randomized Pilot Study.Current developments in nutrition · 2023Article
- Contribution of sex and gender roles to the incidence of post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome in a prospective study.Scientific reports · 2023Article
22 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundStudies suggest that sex and gender-related differences exist in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but data is often conflicting.
aimTo evaluate gender differences and the effect of menstrual cycle and menopausal status on IBS symptoms.
methodsWe performed a systematic review of MEDLINE to search for studies comparing IBS symptoms between gender, menstrual cycle phases and menopausal states in IBS and/or healthy individuals. We performed meta-analyses to compare the relative risk (RR) of individual IBS symptoms between men and women.
resultsTwenty-two studies measured gender differences in IBS symptoms. Women were more likely to report abdominal pain (RR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.22) and constipation-related symptoms (RR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.23) than men (all P < 0.05). However, men with IBS were more likely to report diarrhoea-related symptoms than women with IBS (RR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.75, 0.94, P < 0.05). A systematic review of 13 studies demonstrated that both IBS and healthy women reported increased IBS symptoms during menses vs. other phases. There were insufficient data to determine the effect of menopause and hormone supplementation on IBS symptoms.
conclusionsIn the general and IBS populations, gender differences in IBS symptoms exist, although these differences are modest. Studies suggest that female sex hormones influence the severity of IBS symptoms, but more studies are needed.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.