Irritable Bowel Syndrome--a Quality of Life Condition
Posted by on October 11, 2010 - 8:40am

In the recent Institute of Medicine report that we blogged about a week ago, Women's Health Research: Progress, Pitfalls, and Promise" it was reported that there has been a lot of progress in the areas of breast cancer, heart disease, and cervical cancer, in particularly, but less progress in areas where mortality was less of an issue than quality of life.   One of those conditions that would fall into the quality of life category is Irritable Bowel Syndrome which is more common in women than in men.

The Institute for Women's Health Research  focused its October 2010 monthly e-newsletter on this topic and it can be found on our website.   Another article about some interesting research on IBS can be found here.

Overlooked or misdiagnosed conditions in women
Posted by on October 19, 2009 - 9:18am
Image: WOLDCnews.com

Image: WOLDCnews.com

CNN Health has just published a nice article outlining many conditions that can be overlooked in women, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and several autoimmune disorders such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis. Included in the article is a quote from Virginia Ladd, founder and executive director of the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association:

"More than 40 percent of women eventually diagnosed with a serious autoimmune disease have basically been told by a doctor that they're just too concerned with their health or they're a hypochondriac."

The resounding message of the article is to trust your (possibly irritable) gut; if you feel off somehow, keep pursuing the topic with your doctor or get a second opinion.

PS- Look for our blog entry on Wednesday about autoimmune disorders and X chromosome inactivation. It will be a more in-depth entry about the genetic reasons women are more at risk for these conditions.