At What Age Does IBS Manifest? Know the Signs Early
IBS: Is There a “Typical” Age It Starts?
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) doesn’t exactly knock on your door with a warning letter. It kinda creeps in, often in your late teens or early twenties. According to studies, the average age of onset is around 20–30 years old. That said—plenty of people report symptoms much earlier, even in childhood. Others? Not until their 40s or 50s. So yeah, it’s all over the place.
One friend of mine started getting bloated like crazy at 19. At first, she thought it was just stress from uni or bad cafeteria food. Turns out... classic IBS.
The thing is, IBS doesn’t technically discriminate by age. But statistically? Most diagnoses happen before age 50. After that, doctors might look for other conditions that mimic IBS (like colon cancer—yep, scary but true).
Early Symptoms You Might Overlook
Sometimes, you’ve had signs for years and didn’t connect the dots. Let’s break it down a bit.
In Children and Teens
Kids can have IBS, though it's often misread as just "tummy troubles." Frequent complaints of stomach aches, irregular bowel movements, or avoiding certain foods? Could be a sign. But hey—don’t jump to conclusions. Children get nervous tummies all the time. (Still, it's worth tracking patterns.)
In Adults
By the time you hit your 20s or 30s, symptoms may become more defined:
Bloating
Diarrhea or constipation (or both, lucky you)
Abdominal pain that eases after pooping
Many people chalk this up to stress or bad diet. And to be fair, those can trigger flare-ups. But when it keeps coming back? Time to consider IBS.
What Triggers IBS to Show Up?
Good question. There’s no single trigger, which is part of what makes IBS such a headache to diagnose.
Life events and stress
Starting college, getting your first job, dealing with a breakup—emotional stress seems to flip a switch for many people. Not that IBS is “all in your head” (ugh, hate when people say that), but your gut and brain talk a lot. Stress messes with that convo.
Infections and antibiotics
Some cases start after a nasty stomach bug. This is called post-infectious IBS. Your gut flora gets whacked out, and boom—you're left with symptoms long after the bug is gone. Antibiotics can do something similar by wiping out the good bacteria.
When Should You See a Doctor?
Okay, so this is important. While IBS is super common, it should always be a diagnosis of exclusion.
If you’re under 50 and have typical symptoms? Probably IBS.
If symptoms start after 50, or you see blood in your stool, lose weight without trying, or feel super fatigued—get checked immediately. These are red flags for more serious stuff.
Honestly, even if you're young, don't self-diagnose. A GI doctor can run tests to rule out things like celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease.
Final Thoughts (and a bit of real talk)
So, what age does IBS manifest? Mostly in your 20s or 30s—but really, it can strike at any time. It’s sneaky like that. And the tricky part? The symptoms are often brushed off for years (been there), until you realize this ain’t just stress or bad tacos.
There’s no cure yet, but the good news? Once you figure out your triggers and get on the right track (diet, maybe meds, lifestyle tweaks), IBS can totally be managed. Just don’t ignore the signs—your gut’s trying to tell you something, even if it’s a bit dramatic about it.
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Is 172 cm good for a man?
Yes it is. Average height of male in India is 166.3 cm (i.e. 5 ft 5.5 inches) while for female it is 152.6 cm (i.e. 5 ft) approximately. So, as far as your question is concerned, aforesaid height is above average in both cases.
Is 165 cm normal for a 15 year old?
The predicted height for a female, based on your parents heights, is 155 to 165cm. Most 15 year old girls are nearly done growing. I was too. It's a very normal height for a girl.
Is 160 cm too tall for a 12 year old?
How Tall Should a 12 Year Old Be? We can only speak to national average heights here in North America, whereby, a 12 year old girl would be between 137 cm to 162 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/3 feet). A 12 year old boy should be between 137 cm to 160 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/4 feet).
How tall is a average 15 year old?
Average Height to Weight for Teenage Boys - 13 to 20 Years
| Male Teens: 13 - 20 Years) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 14 Years | 112.0 lb. (50.8 kg) | 64.5" (163.8 cm) |
| 15 Years | 123.5 lb. (56.02 kg) | 67.0" (170.1 cm) |
| 16 Years | 134.0 lb. (60.78 kg) | 68.3" (173.4 cm) |
| 17 Years | 142.0 lb. (64.41 kg) | 69.0" (175.2 cm) |
How to get taller at 18?
Staying physically active is even more essential from childhood to grow and improve overall health. But taking it up even in adulthood can help you add a few inches to your height. Strength-building exercises, yoga, jumping rope, and biking all can help to increase your flexibility and grow a few inches taller.
Is 5.7 a good height for a 15 year old boy?
Generally speaking, the average height for 15 year olds girls is 62.9 inches (or 159.7 cm). On the other hand, teen boys at the age of 15 have a much higher average height, which is 67.0 inches (or 170.1 cm).
Can you grow between 16 and 18?
Most girls stop growing taller by age 14 or 15. However, after their early teenage growth spurt, boys continue gaining height at a gradual pace until around 18. Note that some kids will stop growing earlier and others may keep growing a year or two more.
Can you grow 1 cm after 17?
Even with a healthy diet, most people's height won't increase after age 18 to 20. The graph below shows the rate of growth from birth to age 20. As you can see, the growth lines fall to zero between ages 18 and 20 ( 7 , 8 ). The reason why your height stops increasing is your bones, specifically your growth plates.