ADVICE FROM OUR WOMAN’S WEEKLY DOCTOR
T he two main types of IBD are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. IBD is vastly different to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), although symptoms may be similar.
Main IBD symptoms include diarrhoea lasting several weeks, abdominal pain, passing blood or mucus (slime), bleeding from the bottom, tiredness and losing weight without trying. The cause is unclear, but it’s your immune system attacking your bowel, causing inflammation. It’s probably linked to a mix of genetic and environmental factors (such as germs, diet, smoking or stress), and affects about one in 123 people in
